Samsung Galaxy Ring: Everything we know so far

The Samsung Galaxy Ring may not be official – but there’s no doubt that Samsung is working on a smart ring behind closed doors.

Smart rings are having a big moment in wearables, with multiple companies chasing Oura Ring 3, the smart ring incumbent, which has cornered the market with a strong suite of health features. And we've also seen patents for an Apple smart ring – so everyone is looking at the form factor. 

Smart rings are attractive because they’re (in theory) less noticeable than a hulking great smartwatch. They also enable you to keep wrist space free for nice watches or jewelry, and as they don’t have a screen, you’re not pestered with notifications. What’s more, sensor accuracy at the finger can be better than at the wrist.

We’ve seen multiple patents for the smart ring over the past year, and Samsung has also officially named the device to regulators. So it really seems more of ‘when’ than ‘if’ at this stage.

Here’s everything we know so far about the Samsung Galaxy Ring.

> Best smart rings 2023

What do we know so far

The existence of a Samsung Galaxy Ring first appeared in a patent, which we reported back in October 2022.

And it didn’t take long to rear its head again.

A trademark for the Samsung Galaxy Ring was granted by KIPRIS, the Korean Intellectual Property Right Information Service.

The description read: "A smart device for measuring health indicators and/or sleep in the form of a ring.”

No other details are really available in the application for the Galaxy Ring moniker – but the fact that it has a name is great news.

Big health features

Samsung

So what will the Galaxy Ring do?

According to the patent filings, it could feature the ability to take ECG measurements, monitor temperature and even control other connected devices.

Filed in October last year with the USPTO - and first spotted by Korean outlet Naver - the filing's sketches and notes point to a fairly sensor-packed ring, with ECG and PPG sensors.

And may also feature the ability to take blood pressure readings, matching the capabilities of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro.

So this would be a smart ring with a big health focus – something that would more than match the technology offered by the Oura Ring 3.

Smart home integrations

But it’s not all about big health features – and Samsung could be looking to bolster its smart home ecosystem with any future smart ring. That's backed up by a patent from back in 2016.

The Galaxy Ring patent talks up functions to help link up with and control the likes of smartphones, tablets, and TVs, too.

It’s the kind of integration we've yet to really witness on a smart ring, and it would be interesting if Samsung could build in meaningful features without adding to the overall size.

Possible release date

Wareable

The trademark means that there's a slim chance we could see the Samsung Galaxy Ring in 2023 – but we'd have expected to see more leaks by now. So we'd say this isn't something likely to land any time soon.

As with any patents of this nature, though, there's really not a lot of concrete information to go off - only that this, at the very least, shows Samsung is kicking the tires on the form factor.

It does make plenty of sense for a big-name company to join a smart ring market currently dominated by startups, however, and, given Samsung's reputation as an innovator, it's possible that a Galaxy Smart Ring would prove to be a popular alternative to the company's smartwatches.

Even without any of its usual competition, though, Samsung has plenty of catching up to do, with the likes of the Oura Ring 3 offering up excellent sleep tracking accuracy and plenty of health insights in form factors that are getting both thinner and lighter.

Only time will tell if this is a route Samsung ends up taking, of course, but we'll be sure to track any further rumblings on the topic ahead of what could be a big 2023 for Samsung's wearable lineup.