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Samsung Galaxy Ring: Features, price, launch date, and everything else we know

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As we expect Samsung to launch its Galaxy Ring during its summer Unpacked event, new details about the device emerge. Here’s everything we know so far.

Samsung Galaxy Ring at MWC 2024
Kerry Wan/ZDNET

Samsung’s winter Unpacked event delivered a lineup of new Galaxy S24 smartphones and many AI features. But the biggest announcement was saved for the tiniest products: a brand-new Samsung Galaxy Ring set to launch in late 2024.

Also: Samsung Galaxy Ring’s best feature would be to not lock my data behind a paywall

We’d heard rumors about the company’s smart ring for months, but nothing was official until the January Samsung Unpacked event. As we learn more about Samsung’s first dive into the smart ring market and look to tomorrow’s Unpacked event, we’ll gather every tidbit of information about the Galaxy Ring here.

What is the Samsung Galaxy Ring?

Person taking a picture of the Samsung Galaxy Ring at MWC 2024
Kerry Wan/ZDNET

According to Samsung Mobile Digital Health Chief Hon Pak, the Galaxy Ring is a smart ring set to be released before the end of 2024. It will have various health and sleep-tracking features, with additional capabilities to be added later. The ring will be available in multiple colors and sizes and incompatible with the iPhone, like Samsung’s Galaxy Watch.

Also: 4 features Samsung’s Galaxy Ring needs to be an instant buy for me

Recent reports indicate the Galaxy Ring will include a charging case, likely a square one, which will look and work like an earbuds case.

According to a patent filed by Samsung 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, some reports suggest it will debut during the company’s summer Unpacked event tomorrow, where we’ll likely learn more about the device’s specifications.

This spring, a new lawsuit filed by Samsung inadvertently revealed that the company is planning to begin shipping orders for the smart ring in August, following production in mid-June.

Also: The best smart rings of 2024: Expert tested and reviewed

Samsung’s summer Unpacked event will happen on July 10.

What will the Galaxy Ring do?

Samsung Galaxy Ring at MWC 2024
Kerry Wan/ZDNET

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 ring is rumored to support device control via Samsung SmartThings and wireless payments via Samsung Pay.

We can only guess its functionality 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: Oura unveils AI health advisor a day before Samsung Galaxy Ring’s likely debut

“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 Samsung announced the Galaxy Ring during its Unpacked event, the company also teased “My Vitality Score,” a way to intelligently track your physical and mental preparedness to tackle the day based on your sleep, activity, and heart rate data. 

Also: The best waterproof smartwatches of 2024: Expert tested and reviewed

According to ZDNET editor Kerry Wan’s interview with Pak, this score is created by combining health-tracking data from your activity, heart rate variability, and sleep habits. Your score is meant to reflect your physical and mental readiness. 

What is the expected price of the Samsung Galaxy Ring?

There is no official word yet on how much the Galaxy Ring will cost or when it will be available. Oura is the current market leader for smart rings, as the Oura Ring is the most popular device in the category. To compete with other smart rings like the Oura Ring, the Galaxy Ring’s retail price should be between $260 and $450.

Also: The best blood pressure watches you can buy

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 expect the Galaxy Ring to be officially unveiled during the Samsung Unpacked summer event on July 10, an ET News report suggests the device is currently in its prototype stage and set to enter mass production in Q2 2024.

Also: Apple Watch SE (2022) vs. Apple Watch SE (2020): Should you upgrade?

Samsung could make its smart ring available for purchase immediately after launch, in Q3 2024, or delay order deliveries to Q4 2024.

How many colors and sizes will the Galaxy Ring have?

When was the Galaxy Ring announced?

Samsung Galaxy Ring
Samsung

The Galaxy Ring was announced by Matthew Wiggins, a clinical research scientist at Samsung Research, on January 17, 2024, after a segment demonstrating a new Samsung health experience that Galaxy AI powers. 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. 

Also: Oura Ring users can now sync data with Strava – here’s how to turn it on

Smart rings are worn on a person’s finger. The device has a series of sensors always in contact with the skin. The array of sensors on the Galaxy Ring is visible on the inner band when the ring is viewed from above.

Samsung Unpacked

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