Recenzja Samsung Galaxy Ring: trzyma Cię na orbicie Samsunga

Samsung’s Galaxy ringing is not, technically speaking, revolutionary. Smart rings of all sorts have been offering discreet wellness tracking since 2015. Your smartwatch tracks everything a smart ringing can and, in most cases, more. Even so, there’s no denying that the $399.99 Galaxy ringing is the most breathtaking thing to happen to smart rings in the last 5 years. Why?

Until now, smart rings have beautiful much been synonymous with the Oura Ring. That’s the 1 you might’ve seen on Kim Kardashian, Jack Dorsey, Jennifer Aniston, and Prince Harry. It’s the 1 that got all the attention at the tallness of the covid-19 pandemic thanks to collaborations with the NBA and scientific researchers. People like smart rings like the Oura ringing because, in any ways, they are the more convenient 24/7 wellness and fitness trackers. But despite that success, Oura isn’t a household name.

Samsung’s decision to make a smart ringing gives legitimacy to a niche wearable — and if the request is there, that opens the door for Apple and Google to possibly jump on the bandwagon. But after spending any time with the Galaxy Ring, I wouldn’t say that Samsung’s completely upended the smart ringing category. Rather, I’d say it’s proposing that it’s the perfect accessory for your another gadgets.

There’s 1 thing the Galaxy ringing shares with all another smart ringing I’ve tested: no 1 will announcement you’re wearing it. I say that with full assurance because, these days, I’m decked out like a mafia don wearing six smart rings and 5 regular rings. I’ve gone to household events, parties, the grocery store, and the office. Only 1 individual has always asked if any of my rings were smart rings. Even colleagues who know I’m actively investigating the Galaxy ringing were incapable to separate it from the rest.

You can take that as a good or bad thing. Good, due to the fact that it means the Galaxy ringing is discreet and versatile. The nondescript plan fits any wardrobe and is appropriate for any occasion. Bad, because, for $400, you just bought a part of high-tech jewelry that doesn’t necessarily feel rather so luxe.

While I’d love more visual flair, comfort is simply a must with wearables. And of all the smart rings I’ve worn, the Galaxy ringing is the thinnest and most comfortable. Its dimensions are smaller than most smart rings at 7mm wide and 2.6mm thick, but the concave form besides visually creates a slimming effect. The ring’s concavity besides means the sides don’t protrude into your neighboring fingers — a problem I’ve had with another smart rings. It’s a subtle tweak, but I announcement it’s much more comfortable whenever I make a fist or catch a dumbbell.

While the Galaxy ringing is noticeably bigger than my regular rings, the bigger size doesn’t translate to a heavier ring. The Galaxy ringing weighs between 2.3 and 3g, depending on the size. My size 9 ringing weighs 2.7g, which is about on par with my engagement ring.

Apart from the ringing itself, Samsung cleverly opted for a charging case, which I much like to the puck-shaped dock Oura and Ultrahuman use. For one, it keeps the ringing safe while charging. I can’t tell you the number of times my cats have knocked the Oura ringing charger off my nightstand, sending me on a hunt under the bed for the ringing itself. Even if you don’t have demon cats, a case is much easier to stash in a bag, and you can charge on the go. The only thing I dislike is that the case only holds 1.5 times the charge. Most another charging cases hold at least 2 charges.

Judging by hardware alone, I’d say the Galaxy ringing is the best smart ringing I’ve tested. Unfortunately for Samsung, hardware is only half of the equation.

Like the Oura Ring, the Galaxy ringing is primarily a wellness tracker. You can track your sleep, blood oxygen, skin temperature, heart rate metrics, and activities. Based on that data, you can get a regular sleep score, access to sleep coaching, and a fresh Energy Score that parses how well you’ve recovered overnight and whether you should push yourself or take it easy. As far as more advanced wellness tracking goes, you’re limited to advanced and low heart rate notifications. FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection and irregular heart rhythm notifications are exclusive to the Galaxy Watches.

As a sleep tracker, the Galaxy ringing is decent. The data I got about my sleep stages was about akin to the Oura Ring, which studies have shown is about 79 percent as accurate as the gold standard polysomnography laboratory test. However, as in the past, Samsung’s blood oxygen data is wonky. My nightly averages ranged from the low 80s to the advanced 90s. Anything in the low 80s is simply a reason to go to the ER, so I chalk this up to me being a side sleeper — a known obstacle for accurate blood oxygen readings on wearables.

The fresh Energy Score is besides broadly accurate, though the AI-powered insights for it are hit or miss. After a punishing long run in 90-degree heat, my Energy Score dipped 18 points the next day. I was told I needed to rest. That night, I went to bed at 8:30PM for a blessed 9 hours of sleep, and voila — my score jumped 16 points. but I was besides told my sleep was compromised and to halt drinking alcohol or late-night eating to guarantee quality sleep. I don’t drink and my last meal was at 6:45PM.

Activity tracking is besides a mixed bag. My regular overall step number was fine, if a bit inflated by a couple 100 steps compared to my Apple Watch Ultra 2. That’s to be expected with smart rings, however. Heart rate data besides about correlated for sleep and walks. moving is where the ringing fumbled. The another day, I went on a two-mile run. The Galaxy Ring, which autorecorded the workout, reported a 30-minute duration, 2.37-mile distance, a 15-minute, 16-second pace, and an average heart rate of 125 beats per minute. The Galaxy Watch Ultra recorded a more accurate duration of 24 minutes, a 2.05-mile distance, an 11-minute, 54-second pace, and an average heart rate of 162bpm.

That was the most egregious example, but all of my Galaxy Ring-recorded runs were wildly off for pace and average heart rate. This is likely due to the fact that I relied on autorecording for runs and walks alternatively of manually starting a workout on my phone. However, the full point of a smart ringing for wellness tracking is to be as unobtrusive as possible. If I wanted to manually start all exercise, a smartwatch is simply a much better option. For instance, I take weekly Pilates classes where phones are banned inside the studio. If all I had was the Galaxy Ring, I’d gotta manually start the workout on my telephone before entering the studio. With a smartwatch, I can start recording inside the studio erstwhile class actually begins.

All of this can be overlooked if all you want is simply a big-picture thought of your activity and sleep. But if you want more granular workout data, you’re going to request a smartwatch, too.

There’s no point in beating around the bush. The Galaxy ringing is made with Samsung users in mind. You can usage it with a non-Samsung Android phone, provided it supports the Samsung wellness app. You just won’t get everything the ringing is capable of.

For example, if you have a Galaxy phone, you can usage Samsung Find to make the ring’s LED lights flash while you dig between couch cushions. Tough noogies if you have any another phone. Likewise, insights for the fresh Energy Score feature aren’t available on non-Galaxy phones. The cool double pinch gesture, where you can usage the Galaxy ringing to control your phone’s camera or dismiss alarms? That’s a Z Flip 6 or Z Fold 6 exclusive right now. (I was told at a hands-on event that it’ll be coming shortly to the S24, but it’s not available as of this writing.)

You can truly see this ecosystem bias in action with battery life. erstwhile you usage the ringing on its own, you get between six and 7 days of battery life. (Six days for ringing sizes 5–11 and 7 for sizes 12–13.) erstwhile you usage it with a Galaxy Watch, you can long that out by an extra 30 percent.

This is due to the fact that the Samsung wellness app can prioritize which device’s sensors to pull data from. If your Galaxy Watch battery is low and you plop it on the charger, it’ll pull data from the Galaxy Ring. Conversely, if your Galaxy Watch is better suited toward capturing exercise data, the Galaxy Ring’s sensors take a back seat. That helps optimize battery life.

That extra 30 percent makes a large difference. Most of the another smart rings I’ve tested request to be charged all 2 to 4 days. In the 12 days I’ve been investigating the Galaxy Ring, I’ve had to charge it erstwhile at the 7.5-day mark — about 36-ish hours longer than my ring’s six-day estimate. For example, I left the Galaxy Watch off 1 night and the 24-hour drain amounted to 22 percent. With the Galaxy Watch on, I average about 15 percent per day. I’ll gotta do further investigating to see how the battery degrades over time. But so far, colour me impressed.

All of this perfectly captures why the Galaxy ringing isn’t truly a device made to be utilized on its own. Its full possible requires other Samsung products. You’ll have an easier, more accurate wellness tracking experience erstwhile you usage it with a Galaxy Watch. You’ll get better battery life if you usage it with a Galaxy Watch. You’ll get more features if you usage it with a Galaxy phone.

In another words, it’s little of a Galaxy Watch alternate — it’s an accessory for it.

If the Galaxy ringing cost $250, I’d say Samsung was a diabolical genius company. But at $400, it’s asking a lot for what amounts to a secondary device for your smartwatch. It’d be smart if Samsung offered Galaxy Watch and ringing bundles to bring the overall cost down, but so far, that’s not the case. At least there’s no additional monthly subscription, as with the Oura Ring. But right now, there’s no real reason to choice the Galaxy ringing over the cheaper Ultrahuman ringing Air unless you’re already ensconced in the Galaxy ecosystem.

Ultimately, I don’t think Samsung always intended on making a smart ringing that’s good for everyone. Rather, I think the Galaxy ringing is simply a test to see whether there’s an appetite for this kind of multiwearable ecosystem — and whether its most loyal customers will buy in. That remains to be seen, but if successful? I think we’re in for a full fresh wearable era.

Photography by Victoria Song / The Verge