A new category of wearables has exploded onto the wellness scene. Smart rings, such as Samsung’s Galaxy Ring, are proving an increasingly popular option for those who don’t want a bulky screen on their wrist (or constant pings from a fitness tracker), but do still want health monitoring and sleep tracking features.
Samsung’s Galaxy Ring is made of durable titanium to withstand whatever you throw at it (it’s even water resistant so you can leave it on in the shower and in the pool*). The Ring comes with a choice of gold, silver or black finishes on the outside and three sensors lining the inside to monitor your heart rate, track your movements and a skin temperature sensor.
While that probably sounds like a lot of tech to wear on your index finger, the Ring is actually designed to be lightweight and slimline.
After using the free sizing kit, your Ring arrives in a clear charging case that resembles an actual ring box, and can be used with either the USB-C connector or placed on a wireless charging pad. The glow from the LED lights around the perimeter of the case tells you how much battery power you still have left.
After adding it to the Samsung Health app (Samsung’s Galaxy Ring exclusively works with Galaxy AI so you will need to pair it with a smartphone with Android 11 or above), the Ring feeds information about your your sleep time average and consistency, your sleep heart rate and your previous day’s movement and step count to the app to determine your Energy Score.
It also gives you personalised tips that you can incorporate into your daily routine and sends you an alert if you haven’t moved in a while or if you heart rate is too high or too low.
Another key feature is the Skin Temperature Sensor, which detects changes in your skin temperature while you sleep and, when used with an algorithm powered by Natural Cycles, can help to predict your next period**.
The product:
Given Samsung is the first big tech company to invest in a smart ring, and personalisation is a buzzword in beauty and lifestyle spaces, GLAMOUR decided to put the Galaxy Ring through its paces. But what did our five team members think when they tried it?
Denise, GLAMOUR’s Beauty Commerce Writer
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is one of — if not *the* best — health trackers I’ve ever used. As someone who’s previously sworn by other smartwatches for all my sleep tracking needs, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much better and more accurately the Galaxy Ring has been able to record my regular sleeping patterns.