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Samsung Galaxy Ring: Features, price, availability, and everything else we know
Samsung's Unpacked event delivered a lineup of new Galaxy S24 smartphones and plenty of AI features. But the biggest announcement was saved for the tiniest of products: a brand-new Samsung Galaxy Ring.
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We'd heard rumors about the company's smart ring for months, but nothing was official until the last Samsung Unpacked event. As we learn more about Samsung's first dive into the smart ring market, we'll gather every tidbit of information about the Galaxy Ring here.
What is the Samsung Galaxy Ring?
The Galaxy Ring is a smart ring set to be released before the end of 2024, with an array of health and sleep-tracking features, plus more capabilities added down the line, according to Samsung mobile digital health chief Hon Pak. The ring will be available in a range of colors and sizes, and won't be compatible with the iPhone, like Samsung's Galaxy Watch.
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According to a patent filed by Samsung back in February 2023, the Galaxy Ring is "intended to cover the categories of wearable smart devices in the nature of a smart ring for tracking, measuring, monitoring, and uploading health, fitness and sleep-related information."
When will the Galaxy Ring launch?
While we don't have an official launch date for the new Samsung Galaxy Ring, the latest reports say it is set to launch in the second half of July, during the company's summer Unpacked event.
Samsung hasn't announced an official date for its summer Unpacked, but it held its 2023 event on July 26.
What will the Galaxy Ring do?
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is rumored to support ECG functionality and blood flow measurement to monitor readings, such as the wearer's heart rate and blood oxygen levels. The Galaxy Ring is also rumored to support device control via Samsung SmartThings, and wireless payments via Samsung Pay.
At this point, we can only make guesses based on the health features presented during the keynote and Pak's recent interview. The Samsung Health app experience includes the ability to monitor for potential sleep apnea symptoms by tracking sleep patterns and blood oxygen changes and maintaining heart-rate alerts during sleep.
Also: Samsung is trying to beat Apple to these two health-tracking features
"The ring represents that community of people who want health tracking that is more comfortable and less obtrusive," Pak said during a recent interview. "It's meeting a need of a specific population of people who want to track and measure, but in a different way."
The new Samsung Health experience also offers medication reminders, with helpful insights about potential interactions with foods or other medications you take.
What is the Galaxy Ring's My Vitality Score?
When the Galaxy Ring was announced during the Samsung Unpacked event, the company also teased the 'My Vitality Score,' a way to intelligently track your physical readiness and mental preparedness to tackle the day based on your sleep, activity, and heart-rate data.
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According to ZDNET editor Kerry Wan's interview with Dr. Pak, this score is created by combining health tracking data from your activity, heart rate variability, and sleep habits and then giving users a score to reflect their physical and mental readiness.
What is the expected price for the Samsung Galaxy Ring?
There is no official word yet on how much the Galaxy Ring will cost and exactly when it will be available for purchase. Oura is the current market leader for smart rings, as the Oura Ring is the most popular device in the category. If Samsung enters the market to compete with other smart rings like the Oura Ring, one can expect the Galaxy Ring's retail price to fall between $260-$450.
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What's certain is that Samsung will soon expand its wearables lineup to include one of the hottest product categories in tech today.
When will I be able to buy a Samsung Galaxy Ring?
While we're expecting the Galaxy Ring to be officially unveiled during the Samsung Unpacked summer event in late July, reports from ET News indicate the device is currently in its prototype stage, set to enter mass production in the second quarter.
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Samsung could make its smart ring available for purchase immediately after launch, in the third quarter, or delay order deliveries to the fourth quarter of 2024.
How many colors and sizes will the Galaxy Ring have?
According to recent reports, the Samsung Galaxy Ring will be available in three colors (black, silver, and gold) and nine sizes ranging from 5 to 13.
When was the Galaxy Ring announced?
The Galaxy Ring was announced by Matthew Wiggins, a clinical research scientist at Samsung Research, after a segment demonstrating a new Samsung health experience that's powered by Galaxy AI. The announcement was short and sweet, followed by closing statements at the end of the Samsung Unpacked 2024 event.
What are smart rings used for?
Smart rings are wearables that incorporate sensors and other types of technology to track health measurements, such as heart rate variability and blood oxygen levels. They give users a simple way to measure and track health and sleep-related information.