Samsung surprised by revealing, at the end of the Galaxy Unpacked event, the Galaxy Ring – the brand's first smart ring, designed to compete with models like the Oura Ring 3 and the Amazfit Helio Ring. In an interview with FreeGameGuide, the president and leader of Mobile eXperience, TM Roh, shared more information about the device, covering the expected launch, the incorporated sensors and the target audience.
According to the executive, the Galaxy Ring integrates a new stage of Samsung Health, in which the brand will provide advanced health and well-being features. It will be constantly present in users' lives, monitoring them 24 hours a day and helping them in their search for a healthier lifestyle.
Galaxy Ring arrives in 2024
The Galaxy Ring is scheduled to arrive in 2024. If you are eager to know when you can get it, rest assured that it will be available in stores later this year. Although the exact date has not been revealed, there are expectations that everything will be ready for launch at the beginning of the second half of the year. This, in turn, starts speculation about the date of the next Galaxy Unpacked, expected to take place between July and August.
As for pricing details, there is little information available. However, we can have a reference to the values charged by competitors, such as Oura, whose products usually cost around US$ 300 (approximately R$ 1,500 in direct conversion).
Galaxy Ring will have health and well-being sensors
Even though the images revealed by Samsung already suggested it, concrete information about the sensors present in the Galaxy Ring was scarce until now. Samsung's smart ring will be aimed at those who want to monitor their health metrics and physical activity but prefer to avoid wearing a watch, especially while sleeping.
The Galaxy Ring will feature sensors typical of the category, such as heart rate, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), sleep monitoring and step counter. It presents itself in a more simplified way compared to watches in the Galaxy Watch series. This simpler approach will result in significantly longer battery life, although a specific estimate is not yet available. By comparison, the Oura Ring 3 offers battery life of up to 7 days of use, while Samsung's line of watches generally reaches two or three days, for example.
“The main information about the Galaxy Ring. It will monitor key points of the user's health, such as heart rate, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), step counter and sleep monitoring, being able to give a score for their sleep quality.” — TM Roh, president and leader of Mobile eXperience at Samsung
Expanding Samsung Health
Samsung Health is already an essential part of the Galaxy Watch line ecosystem, however, the South Korean company's proposal is to be present at every moment of users' lives. As TM Roh highlights, to ensure the effectiveness of digital health, it is crucial to have access to relevant information at the right time, an achievement possible only through wearable devices.
Based on observations and feedback from users in different parts of the world, Samsung identified that many people choose not to wear watches while sleeping due to comfort or wanting greater battery life. Given this finding, it became imperative to go further, offering a product capable of filling this gap and being used for as long as possible. The most suitable device to meet these needs turned out to be the ring.
On the other hand, the ring will not yet be able to provide all the data that can be collected and, especially, displayed by the watch, since it does not have a screen or BioActive sensor. Therefore, the ideal recommendation would be to use both devices most of the time. Synchronization between them will improve the accuracy of Samsung Health data, making it possible to view this information at any time, without the need to use your smartphone.
“Continuing to develop Samsung Health is essential, as digital health is increasingly important for users. And, to ensure the usability of digital health, it is important to have the right data at the right time. This is something you need to do with a wearable, because a wearable device is always monitoring your data, important health data. This allows you to have insights into your health status, helping you make quick decisions if necessary. Research carried out with users around the world has shown us preferences when using the watch even while sleeping. For the Galaxy Watch, they believe that the watch is providing sufficient and correct information about health data. However, not everyone likes to wear their watch while sleeping but they would still like to keep track of their sleep, which made us realize an opportunity. Something that can be worn for a long time continuously and also when sleeping, and that can support a long battery life. We felt the best way to achieve this was with the ring, and the format would still allow us to constantly monitor our health data, allowing us to further improve Samsung Health. Combining this with the use of artificial intelligence, I believe we will improve digital health and take everything to a new level.” — TM Roh, president and leader of Mobile eXperience at Samsung
Functions focused on Latin America
Samsung's MX President also mentioned that the Galaxy Ring will feature functions and features especially aimed at Latin America, confirming its launch in the region. Although detailed information on these specific functions or features was not provided, it ensures that the needs of Latino users interested in health monitoring are being considered during product development.
“I believe the Galaxy Ring fits the needs of digital health enthusiasts in Latin America, so we will develop the products in this direction, optimizing functions for Latin American consumers that will be introduced in their location later this year.” — TM Roh, president and leader of Mobile eXperience at Samsung
