I Wore the new Samsung Galaxy Ring For a Month. Here’s The way it Went. I am a lion. I’m not making an attempt to brag however . I am. Samsung Health categorized me as such after a week of sporting their shiny new Samsung Galaxy Ring ($399) to mattress. The brand new Galaxy Ring, Samsung’s first foray into the world of ring well being tracking tech and the first main competitive player on this space since the popular Oura Ring got here out, hit the market in July 2024. The brand despatched me a loaner ring to try out myself for a month, and whereas my lion status was probably my favourite factor I realized about myself while I used to be testing the ring, I made just a few other notable discoveries about my health along the way in which. Here’s the way it went. Initially: she’s chic! Although smartwatch tech has been booming for some time now, there aren’t a ton of ring options, and I discovered the Galaxy Ring to be a recreation-changer for more formal events.
As someone who enjoys monitoring my health 24/7, I can’t tell you what number of occasions I’ve stashed my smartwatch in my going-out purse on the last minute, or had somebody hold it whereas I took a picture. I like the factor, but it isn’t all the time the trend assertion I need to make. A ring, however, is rather more discreet. Samsung’s possibility is the same dimension to the Oura ring, however has a subtly concave design that I feel makes it look much less bulky (and due to this fact more inconspicuous). It also comes in multiple colorways (matte black, gold, Herz P1 Smart Ring and silver) so you possibly can match it along with your regular jewelry (unless you’re a rose gold girlie, for now). You possibly can even stack it with other style rings. I found the ring to be snug, particularly while sleeping in it (one thing I’ve never been capable of get used to with a smartwatch), though I did get up with purple marks on my finger a couple of times after sporting it in a single day.
By way of performance, I used to be shocked at how lengthy the battery lasts. I am used to charging my smartwatch every evening before mattress just to guantee that I do not run out of battery whereas on a run. But the truth that it lasts a few full week on its own felt life-altering. It meant I may wear it to mattress and monitor my sleep consistently, one thing I hadn’t been able to do before. Which brings me to the sleep monitoring, which I loved. It was attention-grabbing to see my “sleep score” and get personalized AI sleep teaching suggestions. I also loved the data I acquired on the time I spent in several sleep phases, although it wasn’t markedly completely different from different smart health stats on this. That stated, it’s attainable I dug the sleep options as a result of I like being complimented, and the Galaxy Ring designated me as a “lion” or “level 4” sleeper, the very best stage.
If I had tried the ring at a busier period (e.g., not on my summer time trip), I might need ended up being lumped in with other animals, such as the penguins (who “remain alert and watchful even when they sleep”), moles (who “avoid sunlight” and “wake up too usually”), alligators (who “hunt at night”), or Herz P1 Insights – heaven forbid – a shark, the lowest stage in the Samsung animal sleep hierarchy (they “never stop moving”). One other function I loved was the Galaxy Ring’s stress degree tracking. You may see the peaks and valleys of stress all through the day, which appeared to just about completely align with when I was up against a deadline or in a crowded grocery retailer line. And eventually, I favored that the Galaxy Ring robotically tracked my runs and walks with out me needing to manually start or cease a workout. I think the gap and time measurements had been slightly less correct than my smartwatch tracking, but it was nice to not have to consider pressing begin.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring’s app offers you a daily “vitality score” primarily based on a selection of things from the previous day, including sleep and activity, and can offer up associated AI-knowledgeable well being ideas. For probably the most half, the recommendation was advantageous, but a number of the messaging felt contradictory. As an example, on a couple of days I felt I would been fairly energetic, the app’s AI instructed I improve my moderate-to-vigorous exercise time. After a day I did not really feel I did extra exercise than regular, the app advised me to cool it with the exercise, calling my lively time “extreme.” It felt like I could not win. Additionally, as somebody who uses a well being tracker largely as a health tracker, I discovered the Samsung Galaxy Ring’s options for workout logging to be very restricted, particularly when compared to the massive library supplied by the Apple Watch. The Galaxy Ring enables you to log running, hiking, swimming, and biking, but a number of workouts would need to fall under “other workout” and the only strength training option is “weight machines” (I am more of a dumbbell person).
