Samsung Galaxy Ring Hands-on

I have spent the last month with a smart ring on my finger to understand this device category better. What I noticed almost immediately was how uncomfortable I was wearing one. It’s the same reason I don’t wear my wedding ring anymore. Unfortunately, my first try with the Galaxy Ring’s sizing kit made me feel like this may be another ring I struggle to wear. 

I’ll discuss my experience sizing for the Galaxy Ring in a second. First, let’s talk about what it is like now that Samsung has officially pulled back the curtain and removed the plexiglass that kept us from touching it. Samsung’s Galaxy Ring is an impressive feat for a first-generation wellness device. The ring is light, sturdy, and nicely styled compared to its competitors. It weighs anywhere from 2.3 grams to 3 grams, depending on the ring size, because the battery is slightly bigger for those larger diameters. It offers up to seven days of battery life, with the larger-sized smart rings lasting longer because of the bigger battery. 

The Galaxy Ring has a concave interior design, with only three sensors popping up from the 2.6mm ring. It’s made of titanium and is IP68 water and dust resistance. It comes in black, silver, and gold,  with a transparent charging case resembling something from the Trophies ‘R Us store. I think it’s supposed to be futuristic, but it almost makes the Galaxy Ring feel like a knock-off. I would have assumed a solid charging case that matches the color of the ring chassis.

The Galaxy Ring, in particular, seems more suited to sleep tracking and heart monitoring than everyday fitness. It offers five new sleep-related measuring features, including sleep latency and how often you move at night. It also constantly monitors for high or low heart rates and will issue an alert if things seem above average. You can use the Galaxy Ring with the Galaxy Watch 7, and Samsung Health will factor in both data sets for your profile. 

Trying on the Galaxy Ring

New York City and coast-to-coast travel is bloating me like a balloon–it’s the worst time to try on a ring. My fingers feel like stiff pieces of sausage. I’m not wearing my regular rings right now because it’s too comfortable. Imagine my excitement when it came time to size my finger for our Galaxy Ring review unit. It made me feel horrible about how much bigger my fingers are in this environment. 

Before you receive the ring, unless you buy it outright from a brick-and-mortar store in the size you think you are, Samsung will send out a sizing kit to try on for several days. You’ll want to test it on your index finger, which Samsung suggests is where you wear the device. This is naturally bigger than the ring finger, where you’d wear delicate jewelry. But I wasn’t prepared for how much bigger the size would be.

For comparison, my wedding ring is a size 7.5, and the Galaxy Ring size I chose is a size 10. The size comfortably fits my index and middle fingers as they are in their current state, and anything smaller felt like cutting off their circulation. Compare this to the other smart ring I called in, which fits me comfortably in a size 8.

I didn’t get to try on the Galaxy Ring in my exact size, but I hope the sizing experience doesn’t mirror what it’s like to wear this every day. How will this wearable category be comfortable if it doesn’t expand and contract as the body does?

If the Galaxy Ring size turns out to be uncomfortable, I will swap it for another. I asked Samsung what happens if someone is in a similar situation where they buy the wrong size and realize two weeks in that the ring doesn’t fit as comfortably as they thought. The Galaxy Ring will have a 30-day return policy through Samsung.com. But before you bring one of these home, I’d strongly suggest you have the patience to try on the sizing kit and see how it feels over a few days. No one should have to take off a $400 smart ring because it doesn’t fit right. That wouldn’t stand with a regular gold ring.