Samsung Galaxy Ring revealed: 5 things to know
Samsung gets into the smart ring business in a big way...
Thanks to Samsung being a big tease earlier in the year, we all knew that a Samsung smart ring was coming. But we didn't know quite what it would offer.
At its Samsung Unpacked event in Paris today, though, it has revealed the Samsung Galaxy Ring and it is clear that it wants to dominate this burgeoning wearable category.
Samsung told ShortList at a press conference that it has been designing and thinking about the Samsung Galaxy Ring for many years, investing heavily in the R&D. The key was to make something that wasn't too bulky, wasn't too weighty and didn't need to be charged often.
Oh, and it could deliver all the smart data you want about your body and your fitness. Has it managed this? Here are 5 things to know about the Samsung Galaxy Ring...
1. The Samsung Galaxy Ring is a 'set and forget' wearable
Samsung says that the Galaxy Ring is its first 'set and forget' fitness wearable that's been designed for 24/7 tracking and monitoring things such as sleep. The idea is, like other smart rings, that this is more of a passive wearable that will track oodles of stuff but it offers that data through the Samsung Health app, rather than at-a-glance as you would get on, say, a watch.
2. Its design is premium
Wearing the Galaxy Ring is meant to be a premium experience. It's been built from Grade 5 titanium and has a unique concave design which Samsung hopes will protect it against any scratches and knocks. It has a 10 ATM rating as well, which means it can be taken up to 100 meters deep. And it has an IP68 rating so should be well protected against any ingress and dust.
It also comes in three different colours: Titanium Black, Titanium Gold and Titanium Silver - and it also comes with this a pretty sleek charging case.
When it comes to sizes, it does change depending on your ring size but a medium-sized Galaxy Ring is around 7mm wide and 2.6mm thick.And weight is between 2.3-3g.
3. Charging is swift and lasts long
The Galaxy Ring charging case offers both wireless and USB-C charging and it takes around an hour to get a full charge back.
Once charged, Samsung reckons that you will get seven days' use out of a single charge. This could even last longer, too, if you are using it with a Samsung Galaxy Watch. This is because the metrics it takes can be shared between the two devices and the battery used is less.
4. It's a treasure trove of data
The Samsung Galaxy Ring offers up comprehensive insights into your overall health and wellness. It uses something called an energy score to relay the data.
It takes a lot of the data that the Galaxy ring (activity, heart rate, sleep time, sleep quality) and crunches those numbers.
Load up Samsung health on your phone and you'll be presented every morning with an energy score, which is based off these factors. The idea is that this is an easier way for users to understand all that great data that they're getting.
Couple this with personalised wellness tips and there is a lot of info to help you live a better life.
5. It's a great fitness tracker, too - albeit a passive one.
It's not just about health metrics but also fitness tracking, with the ability to track workouts, there's a heart rate monitor built in, skin temperature sensors and also an inactivity alert. If you've been stationary for around an hour, you'll get a notification on your Galaxy smartphone to say that it's time to get up and start moving.
And if you are using both the Watch and the Ring, then the data you are presented with is the best mix of all the data points that these two devices comes up with.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is available in a number of ring sizes and will cost £399. You can pre-order now, with the official release date 24 July.