Samsung might be developing its own smart ring, a wearable that could monitor your health and fitness data in a similar way one of the best fitness trackers.
Like the Galaxy Buds, Galaxy S23, and Galaxy Watch 5, the new smart ring would likely use the brand’s typical naming convention and be called the Galaxy Ring. Not many details are known about it yet, but the trademark filing that revealed its existence described Galaxy Rings as “smart devices for measuring health indicators and/or sleep in the form of ring” (that's translated from Korean).
This description sounds a lot like existing smart rings such as the Oura ring. In our four-star Oura ring review, we commended its impressive array of health sensors, although it is fairly expensive compared to a typical smartwatch at $299 (about £230 / AU$420) – and that price tag can feel like an especially tough pill to swallow when you consider that smartwatches are more useful than rings thanks to their screens.
However, rings have their advantages too. For one, they tend to last longer on a single charge than a smartwatch, and they also tend to be more of a fashion item.
As much as I love the capabilities of my Fitbit, it’s not the nicest-looking wearable – especially not compared to my favorite analog watch. So whenever I have to dress smart, it’s not hard for me to find a reason to swap my fitness tracker out for a tech-less option.
However, while I’m unlikely to need fitness stats while wearing a suit – it’s hardly suitable attire for a 5km run or 99% of sports – both fitness trackers and watches are now packed with sensors that monitor a variety of health figures and other data, some of which can potentially save lives.
Electrocardiogram tech in wearables allows them to pick up if you have an irregular heart rhythm – an early sign of some serious health issues – and the Apple Watch 8 includes crash detection, which can automatically send an alert to emergency services if you’re in an accident.
With a smart ring, we can have the best of both worlds – we can wear a more conventional watch that suits our style, and still monitor our vital health data. Plus, if Samsung does enter the smart ring market we might see the tech come down in price, making rings an even more appealing option.
Trademark filings don’t guarantee that we’ll ever see the product in question – there’s a chance that Samsung is simply claiming the name before some other brand tries to make a Galaxy Ring of its own – but given the growing interest in fitness and health wearables, we wouldn’t be surprised if Samsung (along with other device makers) has a smart ring on the way.
