Samsung is making a big initiative for the future of health at home and it focuses on this ring of wearables.
In last month’s Galaxy Unpacked, Samsung teased a brand new wearable in a new product category Featuring a stunning video and a name: none other than Galaxy Ring. Now, we have a few more to go on, including the fact that it’s expected to arrive this year.
I got some hands-on time with a prototype ring ahead of the Mobile World Congress — it’s very low in weight and comes in three different colors, Samsung emphasizes that the final product is subject to change. But I also get a sense of Samsung’s big goals for this new product line, which it sees as part of the company’s vision for the future of not only wearables but also ambient sensing (more on that in a minute).
The Galaxy Ring prototypes can be offered in three different colors: Ceramic Gold, Ceramic Black, and Platinum Silver. I wasn’t allowed to take any photos during the session, but gold was visible in the house, along with my wedding ring. The Galaxy Ring is lighter than it looks and doesn’t feel as bulky as I thought it would. It has a slightly concave shape, and each color was offered in sizes 5 to 13, a slightly wider range of options than usual, with sizes marked as S to XL within the band. has been done
Dr. Hon Pak, Samsung’s VP of digital health, didn’t say specifically which sensors the ring has but did mention sleep insights based on heart rate, movement, and breathing signals. Pak says that Samsung’s partnership with Natural Cycles (which already brings period and fertility tracking to its Galaxy Watch series) will also extend to color – its Aura color will be in direct competition with the Galaxy Ring, and the battery size will increase slightly to the size of the larger band, although Pak could not share an exact estimate of battery life.
The Galaxy Ring will help inform Samsung’s My Vitality Score shortly Introducing a health app called It’s based on a University of Georgia model that includes four factors: activity, resting heart rate, sleep, and heart rate variability.
Vitality Score will also be a feature of Samsung’s Galaxy Watches, coming first to the Watch 6 later this year – but it will require a Galaxy S24 series phone to work. Ring owners will also be able to set certain health goals and receive relevant updates and tips in the form of something called Booster Cards, which are also coming to the Galaxy Health app later this year.
Samsung’s smart ring could signal the start of a new era of wearables.
During a session detailing Samsung’s vision for its new wearable, Pak called it a step forward in building a larger ecosystem of ambient sensing — “connected care around the home.” ” to provide. Instead of relying on a single device you have to comfortably wear and remember to charge, ambient sensing collects data from multiple locations to remove the friction behind it. Your ring, your watch, who knows, your refrigerator—all working in unison to remind you that you last had a vegetable four days ago, and that’s probably why you feel gross. Is.
Pak describes it a bit more eloquently than that but envisions a holistic system that supports individual health goals rather than a gadget bombarding users with contextual data. It seems entirely reasonable—elegant, even. But first? Samsung needs to fix this ring.
