Experts think Samsung’s ring-shaped wearable could be used to track health and fitness alongside — or even instead of — smartwatches.
At the beginning of the year during its January Unpacked event, Samsung teased the new Galaxy Ring wearable as the next gadget in its mobile lineup. By midyear, we still haven’t heard much more about the device with no official release date or price announced. While we could hear more at the next Unpacked foldable showcase event that usually happens in July or August, we remain curious about how its mysterious finger-worn product fits into Samsung’s plans to develop its health and wellness ecosystem, leading us to wonder — who is the Galaxy Ring for?
To put it in the company’s words, the Galaxy Ring is another device in a network of wearables and phones that feeds data into the Samsung Health app. «I think you should look at the ring as one of many steps toward multi-device engagement,» Samsung VP and head of the digital health team for the mobile business Hon Pak told CNET’s Lisa Eadicicco.
So it’s another way to track the kinds of personal data that funnel into Samsung Health: sleep, nutrition, activity and stress. Specifically, it’s a product for someone who might not want a Galaxy Watch or other wrist-bound wearable but still want to monitor their own health, and may find a ring less cumbersome to wear.
«A ring can be less intrusive than a watch, and the finger provides a better physiological location for some health metrics than the wrist,» Avi Greengart, president and lead analyst at Techsponential, who also got a preview with Samsung’s Pak, told CNET.
Samsung expects that some consumers may want both a ring and a watch, while others will pick one or the other, Greengart said. Some may even pick up a ring because they like the look, which Eadicicco described as a sleek minimalist band that resembled a groom’s solid-metal ring (the sensors line the inside).
Samsung’s reveal of the Galaxy Ring at its Galaxy Unpacked event.
«Personally, I am very excited about this device because I’ve been looking at rings myself and I find that many are quite bulky and the Galaxy Ring might actually be perfect for me, especially since I already use a Galaxy Watch 6 classic,» said Anshel Sag, principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy.
Given a smartwatch’s display and suite of sensors, Sag doesn’t see people outright replacing them with fitness rings. Instead, they’ll fill the gaps to provide health data when watches aren’t worn, like when they’re charging overnight. Even better would be if the Galaxy Ring simply works without a lot of setup, and Sag thinks it probably won’t need a new app on Samsung phones and will neatly integrate with other health data.
