With the Galaxy Ring revealed at Galaxy Unpacked, we're looking ahead to how the Samsung Galaxy Watch 2 will improve on its first-gen device, based on missing features and what other smart ring brands have done.
After our Galaxy Ring hands-on experience, we were impressed with its stylish, lightweight design. Beneath the surface, it tracks most of the same health data as other smart rings on the market. In many ways, you're trusting Samsung to deliver more accurate data rather than unique features.
Still, the first-gen Galaxy Ring is, in many ways, a test run for Samsung. It wants to see whether its customers want a smart ring, as well as what features they want. Samsung told us directly that it plans to use customer "feedback" to determine what will go into future Galaxy Ring features or Ring 2 upgrades. And Samsung tends to release new devices every year like clockwork.
So while it's too early for Samsung to have started planning the Galaxy Ring 2, it's not too early for us to speculate what the next-gen smart ring can do better.
Haptics
During a Q&A session with Samsung, Galaxy Ring product manager Bill Cornell was asked if Samsung had any thoughts about adding haptic feedback to future Galaxy Rings to make it more independent from Galaxy Watches.
Cornell responded that the Galaxy Ring's gesture controls are its main phone-ring connection for now, and that "I don't know if that's the future or not," but that they'll "get feedback from the customers after we launch this version and see if there's any additional things that we can add in the future."
That response certainly doesn't promise anything definitive, but a vibration motor is one of the key smart ring features that we think will make them more popular. Aside from subtle notification pings, it would allow you to use a smart ring as a silent alarm to wake you up; that feature is why many people currently wear smartwatches to bed.
At the moment, you can use a Galaxy Ring double-pinch gesture to silence your phone alarm, which is a nice start to making it part of your nighttime routine. But haptics is the next step.
More gestures (or a touchpad?)
A Samsung Galaxy Ring can detect one gesture: a double pinch. With it, you can dismiss an alarm or take a photo; the latter is designed for foldables like the Z Flip 6 that can sit on a desk for a timed selfie. Otherwise, all of the Galaxy Ring functions today are passive, and you won't find any other gestures to trigger specific actions.
Now, imagine if you were listening to a playlist and could perform a gesture (or tap/swipe the ring itself) to skip to the next song or turn up the volume, all with your phone in your pocket. If you had a Samsung TV, perhaps you could use a double-pinch to pause without needing the remote. Or during a workout, perhaps you could tap and hold the ring with a finger to pause tracking.
I can't list out every possibility for Galaxy Ring gesture controls here, and some could feel a bit gimmicky, so it makes sense for Samsung to start small. Plus, a touchpad would make the Ring 2 look less like jewelry and more like a tech device, so I'm not sure one's necessary. But in theory, more gestures and tactile controls would make the Galaxy Ring 2 more connected to your Android phone and less dependent on your Galaxy Watch.
Additional fitness features
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is a wellness device. It focuses on sleep data, high/low heart rate alerts, breathing, skin temp, cycle tracking, steps, and movement alerts. But as a fitness device, it's pretty limited. It only auto-detects two workouts: Walking and Running. Everything else falls into "Others" as a manual workout.
An Oura Ring has dozens of auto-detected activities, including cycling, swimming, dancing, yoga, HIIT, golf, and others. It even detects things like "housework" and "yardwork," so long as you do the activity for more than 10 minutes. It's pretty cool, and our reviewer has noted that it actually recognizes activities like dancing in his daily life.
We'd hope that the Samsung Galaxy Ring 2 adds more auto-workout detection options to better compete with the Oura Ring. Plus, if Samsung adds haptics, the Ring 2 could buzz your finger when you hit certain heart rate zones or enter a new workout phase, as many fitness bands do. That would make it more of a standalone fitness tracker instead of a Galaxy Watch backup.
Plus, we'd hope the next step for Samsung's "Energy Score" is to recommend workouts or active minutes based on that energy level calculation, just as Fitbit, Amazfit, and Garmin do. Perhaps Samsung will improve the Energy Score feature by the time the Galaxy Ring 2 arrives to include workout and recovery times.
More health data
As a wellness device, the Galaxy Ring has most of what we'd expect and want. When it comes to smart rings vs. smartwatches, PPGs can be more accurate on smart rings, but something like an ECG works best with a watch since you can read data through both your wrist and fingertip. It's why most smart rings don't detect AFib.
Still, Samsung should try to add new or improved health features in future iterations. It could add passive AFib detection, as its Galaxy Watches offer, or an EDA sensor like the Amazfit Helio Ring has for better stress data.
Otherwise, we'll note that the Galaxy Ring is more petite than many smart rings. It has two photodiodes, two LEDs, and two red/infrared lasers, delivering some useful heart health data. But compared to the 13 LEDs on the Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra, you may not get as much data. If Samsung engineers find the room, future Galaxy Rings could pack in more HR sensors for better accuracy.
More colors and finishes
The Galaxy Ring is as much about aesthetics as smarts, and the more options Samsung gives customers, the better.
Most smart rings have the same titanium finishes as the Galaxy Ring: Black, Gold, and Silver. Black fits anyone looking for a more subtle look, while silver and gold target people used to more traditional jewelry. But the Oura Ring (Gen 3) and Evie Ring also ship in an attractive Rose Gold catering to feminine smart ring buyers. Other popular band colors like White Gold might be welcome as well.
We doubt that more vibrant ring colors (aka blue or green) would be as popular, but Samsung could also consider different finishes to the same colors. Oura, for instance, sells a "brushed titanium" finish that's less reflective than its glossier options.
It'd also be pretty cool if Samsung partnered with jewelers to let you add a personalized etching to your Galaxy Ring 2 (for a higher fee).
Galaxy Ring accessories
Samsung confirmed to us that they "don't have any plans" for Galaxy Ring accessories — aside from the portable charging case in the box — like protective ring covers. That's unfortunate, because smart rings can get scratched easily during indoor workouts like weight-lifting.
Our Oura Ring reviewer noticed how "awkward" a thick smart ring can be at the gym, and that "a few scuffs eventually turn into scratches. This isn't too noticeable at first glance, but the more you wear it, the more scuffed up it looks." So he found a cheap, thick plastic cover on Amazon to protect his purchase.
Samsung is charging $399 for a piece of metal that's thick enough to show damage and wear over time. Some brands like Circular let you buy an extra outer shell to attach to its Pro ring, and maybe Samsung could emulate that with the Galaxy Ring 2.
Subtle style
The Samsung Galaxy Ring comes in nine sizes and three titanium finishes (silver, gold, and black). With up to seven days of battery life per charge, tons of sleep and health data, and support for most Android phones, the Galaxy Ring is set to bring smart rings into the mainstream.
