Samsung Galaxy Ring: what we know about the sleep-and-health tracker

The Galaxy Ring was revealed at Samsung Unpacked event along with the S24 series

The Samsung Galaxy Ring is the AI-powered sleep-and-health tracker that’s about to take on the popular Oura Ring, and we got a first look at the newly announced smart ring this month while testing for our Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review.

It’s fair to say that the Galaxy Ring, which is set to launch later in 2024, according to Samsung, was merely teased at the company’s San Jose launch event on January 17. We didn’t get many details and only a render of the ring. But we do know some facts like this smart ring will heavily lean on AI and machine learning, and use the Samsung Health platform to differentiate its as a health-tracking gadget.

Expectations are that we’ll get concrete details about Samsung Galaxy Ring when the next foldable phones launch this summer. Here’s what we know so far.

Samsung Galaxy Ring price analysis

The Samsung Galaxy Ring price will have to compete with the $299 Oura Ring, and there’s very little wiggle room if Samsung wants to go head-to-head with the popular ring wearable. So even without a price announcement, our analysis is that $299 is a safe choice for both Samsung and consumers.

Of course, Samsung will likely make more money through a subscription service, as it appears to be the future of all AI services that are initially offered for free. Even the Samsung Galaxy AI on the 24 Series is free, but only for two years, according to the fine print from Samsung. The Ring may come with a similar free trial.

Oura charges $5.99 per month for perks like in-depth sleep analysis, personalized health insights, live heart rate monitoring, body temperature readings for early illness detection and period prediction. So expect some features – besides basic sleep, readiness and activity scores – to be locked behind a paywall.

Just don’t expect the Samsung Galaxy Ring to do everything your Galaxy Watch can do. Samsung isn’t likely to completely cannibalize sales of an existing product. The company will want you to own and wear both at all times.

Samsung Galaxy Ring release window

The new Samsung Galaxy Ring will release later this year, according to Samsung’s Head of Customer Experience Patrick Chomet talking to TechRadar. He notes that the smart ring is “ready” and touts the Galaxy Ring’s sleep tracking capabilities, but that the complete package experience has to scale. But the words “It will be a bit later in the year” confirm a 2024 release window.

When will the Samsung Galaxy Ring release date be announced? Look for a concrete Samsung Galaxy Ring release date at the next Unpacked launch event (maybe in July or August), when the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 replace the existing Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 phones.

Samsung Galaxy Ring tracking features

Even though Samsung’s Galaxy Ring announcement was short on details, we do know what this smart ring will look like thanks to a quick video render of the device. It’ll be circular and made of metal (possibly titanium since Samsung S24 phones have a titanium frame) and it’ll be filled with sensors on the side of the ring. You can see some bumpy grooves indicating that it’s a sensor-filled halo.

Since the Samsung Galaxy Ring is competing with the Oura Ring, which tracks over 20 biometric signals all from your finger, it’s safe to assume that Samsung will do a lot of the same or not more. Expect sleep tracking, heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring. It should also be able to keep tabs on your body temperature, your activity and recovery, women's health and stress.

The Samsung Galaxy Ring doesn’t need the same processing power as Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 phones (that’s the chipset found in the S24 series). The Oura Ring, for example, uses an underpowered dual-core ARM-based chip. Low-power chipsets are more important for longevity than meeting any CPU benchmarks.

Samsung Galaxy Ring sizes and charging

An Oura ring comes in eight sizes and has to be charged once a week, so Samsung will need to compete with that before the 2024 launch date. The various sizes and requirements for a sizing kit are one of the hurdles major tech companies likely had in launching a smart ring like this.

According to notable tech analyst Avi Greengart on Threads, Samsung showed a prototype of the Samsung Galaxy Ring in San Jose behind closed doors, and they had a variety of sizes on hand. It “comes in sizes up to 13,” according to Greengart who said he was focused on a fitting for size 10. “But they had a lot of smaller sizes.” Of note, he mentioned there are “three planned finishes” and “it is incredibly light.”

Although three finishes doesn’t sound like a lot, as we’ve learned from the seven new Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra colors, additional Galaxy Ring colors may be exclusive to the Samsung Store. This has been an effort to sell to consumers directly and avoid the cut taken by big-box stores like Best Buy and Amazon.

Samsung Galaxy Ring outlook

This is just a Samsung Galaxy Ring first look, as there have only seen renders and behind-closed-door previews of the smart ring prototype. It’s a complicated gadget to launch with so many sizes and colors to account for consumers’ preference.

And, on top of those cosmetic details, it has to be a near-flawless sleep and fitness tracker that is able to accurately calculate metrics from your finger. If you think that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra specs are difficult to pack into a 6.8-inch phone, try shrinking sensors and other components down to a ring on your finger.

It’s clear that Samsung has been working on the Galaxy Ring for a few years, and as analyst Greengart notes, it demonstrates “impressive engineering” on Samsung’s part. One final advantage Samsung has is that it has a robust Samsung Health app ready to pair with the Galaxy Ring on day one. So the Oura Ring has had a years-long headset, but it will face its solid competition by a tech giant in the coming months.