Taeki Chan Samsung is bringing its latest innovation, the Galaxy Ring, to Malaysia, offering a fresh take on smart wearables beyond traditional watches and fitness bands. Designed for seamless health tracking in a compact, stylish form, this smart ring is set to shake up the local market with its advanced features, long battery life, and effortless integration with the Samsung ecosystem. But does it live up to the hype? After personally testing the Galaxy Ring and here’s my in-depth review of how it performs in real-world usage.
Design and Comfort: Minimalist Yet Functional
Crafted from lightweight titanium, the Galaxy Ring measures 7.0mm in width and 2.6mm in thickness, with a weight ranging from 2.3 to 3.3 grams depending on the size. The ring is designed with a subtle concave shape and slightly raised edges, which not only enhances its sleek, minimalist look but also helps protect the sensors from scratches.
Samsung offers the ring in three premium finishes:
- Titanium Black – A bold, stealthy look that blends well with any style.
- Titanium Silver – A classic and polished metallic appearance.
- Titanium Gold – A more elegant, jewelry-like option.
I found the Galaxy Ring to be incredibly comfortable for all-day wear. Unlike a smartwatch, it never felt intrusive, and after a few hours, I barely noticed it on my finger. Even during workouts and sleep, it stayed securely in place without causing any discomfort.
Sizing and Setup: Ensuring a Perfect Fit
One of the key aspects of the Samsung Galaxy Ring is ensuring it fits perfectly, as its performance and comfort depend heavily on getting the right size. Here’s how I found the sizing and setup process:
Sizing Kit for a Tailored Fit: Samsung provides a sizing kit to help you find your perfect fit. It includes several plastic ring samples, allowing you to test various sizes before committing to one. This is crucial for getting accurate health readings, as a proper fit ensures the sensors are in optimal contact with your skin. I used the kit to try several sizes, and I found that the index finger on my non-dominant hand offered the most accurate readings. The sizing kit made the process quick and easy, and I was able to finalize my size in just a few minutes.
Ring Sizes Available: The Galaxy Ring is available in sizes ranging from 5 to 15, catering to a wide range of finger sizes. If you’re unsure about your size, the kit is an invaluable tool to avoid any potential discomfort or inaccuracies in tracking data.
Comfort and Wearability: Once I found the right size, wearing the Galaxy Ring felt incredibly comfortable. The lightweight titanium material ensures it never feels bulky or heavy, and its sleek, minimal design allows it to blend in naturally with everyday attire. It was so comfortable that I barely noticed it on my finger, even while sleeping or during workouts.
Easy Setup: Setting up the Galaxy Ring was a breeze. In just a few simple steps, I had it ready to go:
Download the Samsung Health app from the Play Store (or Galaxy Store).
Open the Bluetooth settings on your smartphone and pair the ring.
Follow the on-screen prompts in the Samsung Health app to calibrate the sensors and personalize your health preferences.
From unboxing to full functionality, the entire setup process took less than five minutes, and the ring was immediately syncing data with my phone.
Syncing and Customization: Once paired, I was able to fully customize the Galaxy Ring’s health tracking settings. I chose to enable heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and activity tracking, and within moments, the ring began recording and providing real-time insights through the Samsung Health app.
Overall, I was impressed by the ease of the sizing and setup process, which ensured that the Galaxy Ring fit perfectly and started tracking data right away.
Advanced Health and Fitness Tracking: A Closer Look at the Sensors
Despite its compact size, the Galaxy Ring is packed with cutting-edge health sensors designed to deliver accurate and real-time health insights. After testing it against a smartwatch and a dedicated heart rate monitor, I was surprised by its precision.
1. Optical Bio-Signal Sensor (PPG Sensor)
This light-based sensor measures changes in blood volume beneath the skin, enabling accurate heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen (SpO2) tracking, and stress level assessments. I compared it to my smartwatch, and the Galaxy Ring’s readings were consistently accurate, with minimal deviation.
2. Accelerometer
The accelerometer detects motion and orientation, allowing the Galaxy Ring to track steps, movement intensity, and automatic workout detection. After wearing it during walks and workouts, I found that its step count was more accurate than my smartwatch, as it eliminated false steps from arm movements.
3. Skin Temperature Sensor
One of the most useful features was the continuous skin temperature monitoring. Over several nights, the data showed minor fluctuations in my body temperature, correlating with my sleep quality. This feature also enhances:
- Menstrual cycle tracking – Providing precise ovulation predictions.
- Metabolic health insights – Detecting fluctuations that may indicate stress or illness.
- Sleep tracking enhancements – Correlating temperature changes with sleep quality.
Key Health Features and Real-World Performance
1. Sleep Analysis: Unlocking Better Rest
The Galaxy Ring offers detailed and insightful sleep tracking that goes beyond simple duration monitoring. Here’s how it performed during my week of testing:
Sleep Stages: The ring provided in-depth tracking of sleep stages, including light, deep, and REM sleep. By analyzing my sleep cycles, it offered a clear breakdown of how much time I spent in each stage, allowing me to assess the quality of my rest beyond just the total sleep time. I found that the data closely aligned with how I felt when I woke up, confirming its accuracy.
Sleep Score: Using a combination of sleep duration, quality, and disturbances, the Galaxy Ring generated a personalized sleep score each morning. This numerical rating helped me understand whether I had a restful night or if factors like interruptions or temperature fluctuations impacted my sleep quality.
Snoring Detection: Paired with the Samsung Health app, the Galaxy Ring also detected snoring patterns. This feature was surprisingly accurate, capturing instances where I snored lightly, which gave me helpful insights into potential sleep disruptions.
Sleep Coaching: One of the standout features was the personalized sleep coaching provided by the Galaxy Ring. Based on my sleep data, the app offered tailored suggestions to improve sleep habits, such as adjusting my sleep environment or changing my bedtime routine. These actionable tips helped me make small but effective changes to improve the quality of my rest.
Skin Temperature Correlation: The ring’s continuous skin temperature monitoring added another layer of sleep analysis. By tracking fluctuations in my body temperature throughout the night, the Galaxy Ring was able to correlate temperature changes with my sleep quality, identifying potential disruptions caused by external factors like room temperature or internal factors such as stress.
Overall, the Galaxy Ring’s sleep tracking was far more detailed than I expected for a device of this size, giving me valuable insights into my sleep patterns and offering meaningful recommendations for improving my rest.
2. Activity and Fitness Tracking
The Galaxy Ring shines when it comes to tracking daily activity and fitness routines. Here’s a deeper look at how it performed during my testing:
Step Counting: The ring’s step count accuracy was consistently impressive. It not only tracked my steps with precision but also filtered out false readings caused by arm movements, making it far more reliable than some other wearables I’ve used.
Calorie Burn Estimation: The ring provided realistic estimates of my daily calorie burn based on a combination of step count, heart rate, and activity level. This made it easier for me to gauge my energy expenditure throughout the day.
Automatic Workout Detection: Whether I was going for a walk, jog, or doing a home workout, the Galaxy Ring automatically detected my exercise and adjusted its metrics accordingly, eliminating the need to manually start and stop workouts. This seamless integration made it feel effortless and always in sync with my activities.
Recovery Insights: Using continuous heart rate and skin temperature data, the ring provided insightful recovery feedback, telling me when it might be best to take a break or continue my workout based on my body’s current state. This personalized guidance was especially helpful after intense exercise sessions.
Workout Types and Intensity: Though the ring doesn’t have a real-time display like a smartwatch, it effectively tracked different types of workouts and adjusted the data accordingly. I could view detailed reports on the Samsung Health app afterward, which broke down the intensity, duration, and impact of my exercise.
While the lack of a screen for on-the-go feedback might be a downside for some, I found the passive tracking to be more than sufficient for daily fitness monitoring, allowing me to focus on my workouts without distractions.
3. Stress and Heart Rate Monitoring
The continuous heart rate monitoring and stress tracking features helped me manage my daily routine better. Samsung Health’s guided breathing exercises were a useful addition, though I wished the ring had vibration feedback for real-time stress alerts.
4. Energy Score
One of the standout features of the Galaxy Ring is its Energy Score, a unique metric designed to give you a snapshot of your overall daily vitality. This feature helps you assess how your body is performing throughout the day, factoring in elements like sleep, activity levels, heart rate, and stress. Here’s how I found it to be both insightful and useful:
How It Works: The Energy Score is calculated by gathering data from multiple sensors throughout the day. The Optical Bio-Signal Sensor, accelerometer, and skin temperature sensor all feed into this score, providing a holistic view of your body’s energy levels. It takes into account:
Sleep Quality: The amount and quality of sleep you’ve had.
Activity Levels: Your steps, workouts, and overall physical exertion.
Stress Levels: The degree of stress or relaxation based on heart rate and temperature fluctuations.
After a full day of use, the Galaxy Ring provides a score between 0 and 100, where a higher score indicates that you are feeling more balanced and energetic
- Real-Time Insights: Throughout the day, the ring provides continuous feedback on your energy levels, letting you know when you need to take a break or when you’re running low on energy. For example, after a particularly intense workout, my Energy Score dipped, but I could see it gradually improve as I hydrated and relaxed, which helped me understand how my activities directly impacted my energy.
Personalized Recommendations: Based on your Energy Score, the Samsung Health app offers personalized tips on how to maintain or boost your vitality. These recommendations could include things like:
Taking a short walk to refresh your energy.
Practicing relaxation techniques if stress levels are high.
Going to bed earlier to recover from a physically demanding day.
Tracking Over Time: One of the most valuable aspects of the Energy Score is its ability to show trends over time. By tracking my score day after day, I was able to pinpoint patterns related to my sleep habits, activity levels, and even dietary choices. For instance, I noticed that on days when I had a low score due to poor sleep, I felt more sluggish and fatigued the following day. This helped me make small but impactful adjustments to my routine.
A Holistic View of Health: The Energy Score isn’t just about how much sleep or exercise you’re getting, it’s about how balanced your overall well-being is. The combination of heart rate, activity, stress, and sleep quality gives a comprehensive view of your daily health, helping you become more mindful of how all the elements in your life are working together (or against you).
In conclusion, I found the Energy Score to be an incredibly useful tool for getting a clearer picture of my daily vitality. By providing real-time insights and personalized feedback, it empowers you to take better care of your body and adjust your routine accordingly. Whether you’re training for a marathon or simply trying to improve your everyday energy, the Galaxy Ring’s Energy Score offers a unique and comprehensive approach to wellness tracking.
5. Gesture Control: Simplifying Interactions
One of the standout features of the Samsung Galaxy Ring is its gesture control functionality, which allows you to interact with the device without having to touch it. This makes for a more intuitive and hands-free experience, especially when you’re on the move. After testing, here’s how it performed:
How It Works: The gesture control feature utilizes the accelerometer and optical bio-signal sensor to detect subtle movements of your hand. This allows you to perform tasks with simple gestures, without needing to physically interact with your phone or the ring’s interface. Specifically, the ring supports:
Dismiss Alarm: You can swipe or tap your finger to easily dismiss alarms, which is particularly convenient when you’re half asleep or busy with other tasks.
Take Photos or Videos: A simple gesture lets you trigger the camera to snap photos or start recording videos, which is perfect for hands-free moments, such as when you’re capturing a quick shot during a workout or event.
- Precision and Sensitivity: The gesture control is quite precise, recognizing even small finger movements. During my testing, I found that the swipe to dismiss the alarm worked flawlessly every time. However, for taking photos or videos, you do need to make sure your hand is positioned in the right orientation for the sensor to detect the motion accurately. It may take a bit of practice to get the gestures just right, but once you do, it’s seamless.
Limitations: While the gesture feature is great for quick actions, it’s somewhat limited in its functionality. At the moment, the Galaxy Ring’s gestures are restricted to dismissing alarms and taking pictures or videos, which means there’s no full-fledged control over music, volume, or other functions through gestures. However, these two capabilities are still incredibly useful in everyday situations, especially if you’re looking for convenience in capturing moments or managing alarms on the go.
The gesture control feature of the Samsung Galaxy Ring is a simple yet effective way to interact with the device hands-free. While the functionality is somewhat limited to dismissing alarms and taking pictures or videos, it does add to the overall convenience and ease of use. If you’re someone who appreciates small yet thoughtful interactions, the gesture control adds a nice touch to the Galaxy Ring’s feature set.
6. Menstrual Cycle Tracking
The Galaxy Ring’s temperature-based ovulation tracking is particularly useful for women’s health. By continuously monitoring skin temperature, it helps provide accurate predictions for ovulation and menstrual cycles. Over the course of several weeks, I observed its consistent ability to detect small fluctuations in temperature, which correlated with my cycle, making it a valuable tool for tracking fertility and understanding menstrual health.
Additionally, this feature helps with:
Accurate ovulation predictions – Supporting those trying to conceive or manage their reproductive health.
Better cycle awareness – Offering insights into potential changes in your cycle, helping you plan ahead.
Water Resistance: Ready for Everyday Use
The Galaxy Ring is IP68 water-resistant up to 10ATM, meaning it can withstand submersion up to 100 meters. I wore it while washing my hands, showering, and even swimming, and it remained fully functional. The water resistance is a great bonus for those who don’t want to remove it frequently.
Battery Life and Charging: Long-Lasting Performance
One of the biggest advantages of the Galaxy Ring is its impressive battery life, lasting up to 7 days on a single charge.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring offers a battery life ranging from five to nine days on a single charge, depending on usage patterns and ring size. Smaller sizes, such as size 5, are equipped with an 18mAh battery, while larger sizes, like size 13, contain a 23.5mAh battery. Charging the ring from 0% to 40% takes approximately 30 minutes, and a full charge is achieved in about 80 minutes. The accompanying charging case, with a 361mAh capacity, can recharge the ring 1.5 times, providing up to 16 days of use without needing an external power source.
After a week of testing, I only needed to charge it once. The compact wireless charging case made it easy to top up the battery, and the fast charging meant minimal downtime
A Smart Ring That Redefines Wearables
After a full week of testing, I can confidently say that the Samsung Galaxy Ring is a game-changer in wearable health tracking. It offers an impressive suite of health-tracking features in a sleek and lightweight design, making it perfect for those who want seamless, unobtrusive health monitoring.
Availability
The Galaxy Ring is available at a recommended retail price of RM2,099 and comes in nine size options to ensure the ideal fit, along with three colour choices—Titanium Black, Titanium Silver and Titanium Gold.
For a limited time only, from 9 April to 30 April 2025, Samsung Malaysia is offering selected Galaxy Z Series and S Series users the opportunity to purchase one unit of the Galaxy Ring. Each Galaxy Ring is tailored to the user’s unique finger size, offering a precise fit that complements their lifestyle.
Follow these steps for a seamless sizing and ordering experience:
- Retrieve your invitation code from the Samsung Members app
Open the Samsung Members application on your device, click on the benefits section, and tap on the Galaxy Ring banner to retrieve your invitation code. Once retrieved, the invitation code will be saved in your “My Coupons” section until you are ready to make your purchase
- Visit your nearest Samsung Experience Store
Explore and experience the ring in person with the help of our sales assistants.
- Find your ideal fit and colour
Try on our display rings in-store. *Note: For the most intuitive experience, we recommend wearing the ring on your index or middle finger—ideal for accessing features like double pinch gestures to dismiss alarms or capture photos on your Galaxy devices.
- Complete your purchase
Once satisfied with your sizing and colour, you may proceed to checkout via www.samsung.com/my/multistore/my_ea_esh/ in Samsung Members app. * Note: Please allow an estimated six weeks for your custom ring to be crafted and delivered to you. To those opting to purchase in-store, simply head to your nearest Samsung Experience Store and show your invitation code to our sales assistants.
Please visit www.samsung.com/my/offer/galaxy-ring/ (page will go live on Wednesday, 9 April 12 AM) to learn more about the Galaxy Ring.
