Samsung’s sneak peek has us ready to put a (Galaxy) Ring on it. Here are the rumoured features and release date for their new smart ring.
At its Unpacked event on January 17, Samsung gave us a sneak peek of its newest wearable – the Samsung Galaxy Ring. While details were scant beyond a brief look at the ring itself, Samsung’s entry into this market could disrupt the dominance of wrist-worn bands and smartwatches.
The teaser left us with many questions about what exactly the Galaxy Ring will be capable of. But based on the category of device and the health-tracking features found in Samsung’s current wearables lineup, we can make some educated guesses. Here’s a rundown of what we know and what we hope to see when the Samsung Galaxy Ring is officially announced.
Design
According to reports, the Galaxy Ring will come in four sizes to fit various fingers. That’s less sizing options than the eight offered for the Oura Ring. But it should still accommodate most users. There’s also a possibility that Samsung will send over a sizing kit first to ascertain the size of the finger before purchasing the right size. Oura Ring and the discontinued Amazon Loop did things this way to achieve a perfect fit and it’s possible Samsung could also do things in a similar manner.
Features and sensors
While full details remain scarce, patent filings uncovered so far suggest the Galaxy Ring could offer robust health and activity tracking similar to the Oura Ring 3. Images of the device show three internal sensors identical to those inside Oura’s ring, likely capable of monitoring heart rate, temperature, and more.
Reports also indicate Samsung has patented smart home integration for the Ring, potentially allowing users to control devices like TVs. And an even more advanced patent details how the Ring could enable precise hand and finger motion tracking when paired with Samsung’s rumored XR glasses.
Of course, patented features don’t always make it to final production. But the wide range of capabilities Samsung is exploring shows the potential of the Galaxy Ring as more than just a health tracker. If Samsung manages to pack even a portion of these innovations into the wearable, it could establish the Ring as the most fully-featured smart ring on the market.
The Galaxy Ring could also go beyond the basics to monitor blood pressure, skin temperature, cycles, and even detect heart conditions like atrial fibrillation. Samsung would need FDA clearance for these more advanced health tracking abilities though.
Connectivity
The Galaxy Ring will likely connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth to sync data. We’d also love to see support for tap controls on the ring to do things like change music tracks or volume without touching your phone. But again, at this point this is only something we’d like to see and hasn’t been confirmed as a feature by Samsung.
Release date
In a recent interview, Samsung’s mobile digital health chief, Hon Pak, confirmed that the Galaxy Ring is scheduled to release before the end of 2024 and will come in a range of colours and sizes.
Bottom line
With a launch set for late 2024, Samsung may be en route to beat other major players to the smart ring space. The company has the chance to capture market share before the likes of Apple or Fitbit unveil any competing finger-worn tech.
Of course, a lot still depends on the final feature set and pricing. But if Samsung manages to imbue the Galaxy Ring with comprehensive tracking and seamless connectivity at a competitive cost, its design could help cement it as the go-to wearable for fitness-focused consumers. We expect more details to emerge in coming months as Samsung ramps up marketing so stay tuned.
Source:indianexpress.com