We got a close-up look at all the Galaxy Ring styles and finishes at MWC
What you need to know
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is Samsung's first smart ring, focused on fitness tracking.
The ring comes in three colors: platinum silver, gold, and ceramic black.
Samsung says the ring weighs roughly half that of its nearest competitor, the Oura Ring.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring was teased in mid-January at Samsung Unpacked after the company announced the Galaxy S24 series, and now Samsung is showing off the ring for the first time in person at Mobile World Congress 2024 in Barcelona.
While Samsung isn't offering hands-on demos at this time, they are displaying all three colors of the ring, which will ship in platinum silver, gold, and ceramic black. I got the chance to take an up-close look at the rings (without touching them), and I can say these certainly look like impressive pieces of jewelry.
Anyone familiar with the Oura Ring will find that Samsung's designs certainly look similar, but Samsung says its ring will weigh about half of Oura's rings. The Samsung Galaxy Ring will come in nine different sizes ranging from 2.3 grams to 2.9 grams. Comparatively, the latest Oura Ring models weigh between 4 and 6 grams.
Some of the weight reduction is due to smaller battery sizes compared to Oura. The Samsung Galaxy Ring fits a 14.5mAh battery in the smallest size, while the largest ring houses a 21.5mAh battery. Meanwhile, the latest Oura Ring fits a 15mAh battery in its smallest size and a 22mAh battery in the largest ring.
All the health tracking sensors are housed inside of the ring and cleverly hidden away, invisible unless you take the ring off.
I was particularly impressed by how much the Samsung Galaxy Ring looks like a proper piece of jewelry rather than a geeky gadget. I imagine no one would ever know you were wearing a fitness tracking ring when you've got one of these on!
The gold color, in particular, was an incredibly vibrant, shiny gold that would look excellent alongside a matching gold watch. Likewise, the silver color was so reflective it looked white in my photos since it was on a white table. The black color was much more understated and likely wouldn't stand out, if that's what you'd prefer.
We expect to learn more about the Samsung Galaxy Ring over the next few months as Samsung readies its smallest fitness tracker ever.
