This is why I’m ready to buy the Galaxy Ring

Out of all the Galaxy Unpacked announcements this year, the one I’m most excited about is the Galaxy Ring. All the other products Samsung announced were either boring refreshes, like the foldables, or the Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Buds 3, which are taking a little too much inspiration from Apple. By comparison, the Galaxy Ring is a new form factor for Samsung, and it seems to seamlessly fit into the smartphone ecosystem.

I’ve been intrigued by smart rings for a long time, but I’ve been waiting for a smartphone maker to release one of their own. I wanted something that looked stylish, could be worn all the time, complimented my other wearables, and fit into a device ecosystem. The Galaxy Ring checks all those boxes. Sure, it’s expensive at $400, but I don’t really care — I’m ready to buy it.

1 I can wear it all the time

Smartwatches just aren’t comfortable enough for certain situations

I’ve worn a smartwatch since 2015 and rocked a Fitbit before that, but after nearly a decade of using all kinds, I can’t figure out a way to consistently wear them. Sometimes, I’ll go on a trip and forget to bring a charger, and other times I’ll simply forget to plug it in at night. And as intrigued as I am by sleep tracking, I can’t get comfortable wearing a watch at night, even ones as small as the Google Pixel Watch 2 and Whoop 4.0.

I’d say that I wear a smartwatch on most days, but not every day. It’s pretty frustrating to lose a streak, miss tracking an activity, or simply not track health data when I forget my watch, or it dies. Some of my most active days happen when my watch is dead, and that’s because the busyness and hustle is what prevents me from consistently charging it.

The Galaxy Ring is a solution to all of that, as you can keep it on your finger basically all the time, and it’ll track everything in the background. It can detect a workout automatically, track your sleep at night, and give you a daily Energy Score. It’ll also pick up on your heart rate and use all that information to provide Wellness Tips.

I’ve always wanted a fallback wearable, something that could pick up the slack if my smartwatch dies, I forget it, or simply can’t wear it for some reason. That’s exactly what the Galaxy Ring is, and I’m here for it.

2 It compliments a smartwatch

A Galaxy Ring and a Galaxy Watch work better together

I don’t want a second wearable that does nothing when I’m wearing a smartwatch. It has to add some sort of value all the time and play nice with my primary wearable. Samsung figured out a clever way to make that happen, claiming that if you have a Galaxy Ring and a Galaxy Watch connected to the same phone, the Samsung Health app will decide which data to pull from which device.

The practical benefit of this is simple: if you’re wearing a Galaxy Watch, you won’t need the Galaxy Ring to take as many heart rate readings as usual, prolonging battery life. Samsung could also pick and choose which readings to go with based on the device giving the stronger signal.

We’ll have to wait to see how this plays out in real-world tests, but it sounds like using these together could extend the battery life of both. That would be great, making these wearables a great pair rather than an either-or choice.

3 It has smartphone integration

Ecosystems will always have advantages over separate products

Love them or hate them, smartphone ecosystems are the way to go. Often, buying AirPods, Pixel Buds, or Galaxy Buds depends on which smartphone you have because these brands save their best features for their own ecosystems, and that’s true with the Galaxy Ring.

You can use the ring with any Android phone capable of installing the Samsung Health app, but some of the AI-based features — like the critical Energy Score — are limited to Galaxy phones with One UI. However, there are plenty of other benefits that come with using a Galaxy Ring and Galaxy phone together.

For example, the Galaxy Ring can serve as a remote control, letting you use a double-pinch gesture to control your smartphone from afar, like to dismiss an alarm or take a photo. I assume applications for this kind of thing will only be expanded upon over time, and that’s exciting. As good as the Oura Ring might be, it will never top ecosystem-level integration.

4 It has great battery life

A Galaxy Ring will last longer than most smartwatches

The Galaxy Ring itself holds a seven-day charge, and the included charging case doubles that. I think that’s the perfect amount of battery life for a smart ring.

A full charge takes about 80 minutes, which isn’t all that much, and it sounds like dropping it into its charging case for 20 to 30 minutes each day will be enough to keep it charged forever.

Even the best smartwatches for battery life aren’t good enough to completely make you forget about charging. The Galaxy Ring, with its long battery life, charging case, and quick charge times, changes that. It’s the trifecta of all those things in one product that could make the Galaxy Ring superior.

5 It’s stylish

I love wearing a ring, but I wanted one that has form and function

This is a minor and subjective point, but I think the Galaxy Ring looks slick. I like jewelry, but specifically functional jewelry. A chain or band doesn’t do it for me, but a stylish watch or a multipurpose ring does, so I’m glad the Galaxy Ring looks minimalist yet striking, giving me a reason to wear a ring beyond just looks.

Then there’s the price

The hangup about the Galaxy Ring will almost certainly be the $400 price tag. As I’ve said before, I don’t think it’s an alternative to a smartwatch, so you’ll probably want a Galaxy Watch, too, which means spending close to $1,000 on just wearables.

I’m willing to pay that much for what the pair of devices offer because I think fitness and health data are just that valuable. If you’re like me, it might be worth getting a Galaxy Ring for yourself.