We tested the Samsung Ring, a smartwatch alternative here
Samsung has fully entered into new category of wearable devicesthe one with the sentient rings, where at the moment there was only Oura. The idea is simple: for all those who don’t like wearing a smartwatch or don’t find it convenient before bed but want to discreetly record certain health parameters, Samsung Ring is a good alternative.
Made from scratch-resistant titanium, we can find it in three colors: gold, silver and black. It is very light and waterproof. There are three sensors inside it: one for skin temperature, an accelerometer and a heart biosensor. With their help, Samsung Ring is able to amazingly effectively measure blood oxygen levels, sleep quality, heart rate, blood temperature and steps at the same level as any smartwatch.
But loses many smartwatch functionsthe main reason is that it does not have a screen or haptic feedback, meaning it does not vibrate or play sound, and recording outdoor sports is 100% dependent on the phone as it does not have GPS, so it has no knowledge of the data about the speed or distance when recording the exercise. In theory, actions should be detected automatically, although we were unable to get this to work.
Samsung ecosystem only
Otherwise, the test data is quite accurate compared to other smartwatches. The most scattered one is sleep, and it will perfectly record if you fall asleep on a plane or bus, there will be difficulties with short sleep. The negative point is that we cannot use the ring outside the Samsung ecosystem, that is, if we want to use it together with a Garmin cycling computer, this is not possible.
In terms of use, it’s an extremely easy device to wear even while playing sports: we tested it while running, swimming and cycling. you almost forget you’re wearing it. It is designed to be worn on the index finger of the left hand, but it can be worn on any finger, although in doing so we will lose the ability to control the phone using the ring, since by bringing the thumb and index finger together we will be able to perform actions on the phone, for example photo or turn off the alarm.
We’ve tested it while running, swimming and cycling, and you’ll almost forget you’re wearing it.
What surprised us most was the battery life: those accustomed to watches do not exceed a day, Samsung Ring lasts up to a week, even recording daily sports activity. Samsung has included a case that allows you to conveniently charge the ring and extends its battery life. If you pair it with a Samsung watch, the battery life will increase.
Charging case
The ring synchronizes with the Samsung Wear and Health app, where we can find a daily energy score calculated based on hours of sleep, stress and exercise. But it doesn’t work with iOS, so its use is limited to Android for now.
In short, if you are not convinced by a smartwatch or you want to continue collecting information about your health with a lighter and more discreet device, this is your product, it is convenient and has great autonomy, it convinced us.