Two and a Half Years of Wearing a Smart Ring: My Surprising Experience

Four months ago, Samsung introduced the Galaxy Ring via Galaxy Unpack. Since the Galaxy Ring is the first smart ring to be officially sold in Korea, many people will see it for the first time. I have been using the Oura ring since approximately February 2022.

Oura Ring is a leader in the field of smart rings, which has already reached the third generation. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was given to NBA basketball players when it became known that it could predict coronavirus infection to some extent. in advance. So, let’s talk about general impressions of using the form factor called smart ring rather than the Oura Ring itself over a period of about two and a half years.

Why did you buy the smart ring?

First of all, many people will be curious. Isn’t a smartwatch enough? Why did you buy the smart ring? Of course, it is true that a smartwatch offers many more functions than a smart ring. However, smart rings have several advantages over smartwatches.

The first is the form factor. You have to put on and take off the watch. Although most smartwatches support sleep tracking these days, there are many people who prefer not to wear the watch while sleeping. In this case a smart ring is definitely advantageous. No matter how much you twist and turn, you won’t get in trouble. Additionally, because the area under the fingers is closer to blood vessels than the top of the wrist, it has the advantage of being more beneficial for collecting health data such as measuring heart rate and blood flow.

The second is battery life. Of course, there are cases where a single charge lasts several days, but most smartwatches need to be charged every night. Also, if you track your sleep, you should get into the habit of charging it every time you bathe. If you forget to charge it even once, the battery will run down. The smart ring boasts a battery life of about a week when fully charged. This is a difficult figure to see in smartwatches. If you charge it for 1-2 hours before bed on Sunday, you won’t have to worry about charging it all week. Especially when going on a 3 night 4 day trip or a business trip, there is no need to carry a charger with you if you fully charge it before leaving.

My love for wristwatches was one of the main reasons I chose a smart ring. (The photo shows a 1970s Rolex Datejust inherited from my maternal grandfather.)

Like the Oura Ring, the Galaxy Ring also supports water resistance up to 100m, which is a plus. This is superior to the 50-meter range of the regular Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch, and its water resistance is comparable to that of each smartwatch’s Ultra models. Of course, even though it is water resistant up to 50 meters, it can be used to measure swimming activity, but considering that I occasionally hear stories about the smartwatch being submerged on social media, I think it’s a plus to be able to continue to wear in most situations without having to worry about taking it off. Especially if it is the size of a ring. You take it off and you lose itBecause it is also significant.

I actually started wearing the Oura Ring instead of the Apple Watch for personal reasons because I wanted to wear different watches. As you can see from the watch reviews occasionally posted on The Edit, I like to wear traditional (?) wristwatches without smart features and I also have my own collection, albeit a small one. However, to take advantage of the Apple Watch’s fitness tracking features, you have to wear it every day, and as a watch lover, I didn’t like it when other watches took a backseat. In fact, there are many cases where I don’t wear a smartwatch for similar reasons, or I wear a regular watch on one wrist and a smartwatch on the other, but I think the smart ring has been a better choice for me in this respect.

I’m curious about the process of buying a smart ring.

Galaxy Ring Sizing Kit that you can try at the Samsung Store.

The most important step in purchasing a smart ring is finding the right size. Unlike a watch, a ring cannot be adjusted on its own, so you must first determine the right size. The Galaxy Ring also offers a variety of sizes from No. 5 at no. 13. In my case, when I purchased Oura Ring, Oura Ring sent me a free size kit that allowed me to select the right size in advance and I had to find the right one among the samples in the size kit and place an order . Similar to the Galaxy Ring, it appears that a sizing kit will be sent first when you first order, and once the size is confirmed, the actual Galaxy Ring will be sent.

Of course, the advantage of the Galaxy Ring over the Oura Ring is that you can try out the sizing kit in advance at offline retailers like the Samsung Store. However, we recommend trying it on for at least a day or two to make sure it fits perfectly, so it’s important to get a sizing kit and make sure you find your size. Unlike watches with adjustable bands, rings only have a fixed size.

What are the features of the smart ring?

Indeed, the smart ring is hardware, but the app is important. Since Ring’s battery and hardware are kept to a minimum, most of the data processing is done in the app.

The most important indicator in the Oura Ring app is the concept of “Readiness”. Literally translated it means ‘ready state’, but to put it simply, it is a feature that collects various data values ​​such as the previous night’s sleep, resting heart rate, body temperature and activity to predict and recommend the day’s conditions . . In a way, it can be seen as a general summary of the data collected by Oura Ring.

Furthermore, various activities can be automatically recognized when processing the data received from the ring. It also learns the user’s exercise patterns and corresponding body change patterns. I like walking long distances or hiking, so most of the time I tend to automatically recognize the walk. Data collected in this way may also be linked to third-party services such as Apple Health.

In addition to exercise data tracked with Oura Ring, records tracked with other apps can also be retrieved via Apple’s Health app.

Unlike the Apple Watch, the Oura Ring doesn’t have a screen, so you can’t start exercise tracking from the ring itself. For some types of physical activity, such as walking or running, real-time monitoring is possible by activating it in a smartphone app. In this case, the ring’s heart rate tracking will remain active continuously until you stop training tracking in the app.

Over time, various software features such as stress detection, oxygen saturation detection, and symptom detection have been added to the Oura Ring. Considering that all these feature additions have been made with the same hardware for almost three years, it is a device that has more important software than a smartwatch you might say.

What are the disadvantages of using the smart ring?

The consensus among friends who tried the Galaxy Ring at the pop-up was that it was “thick.” Since a battery and various sensors need to be placed inside that little body, it will definitely be a little thicker and larger than a typical ring. Editor B immediately made a similar comment. Especially if you have never worn a ring before, the feeling of heterogeneity will be even stronger. Indeed it is surprising to think that this level of technology has been integrated into this size, but in reality it will inevitably be compared to a normal ring.

A sample of the Galactic Ring from the same lake as the Oura Ring (left). They have almost similar dimensions and thickness.

In the case of the Oura Ring, it is recommended to wear it on the index finger for the sensor to work to its full potential, so if you wear it on the index finger, you will inevitably feel a strange sensation when holding something. Considering my Oura Ring and the Galaxy Ring are almost the same size, I assume the Galaxy Ring will be similar. That’s why I also felt very uncomfortable wearing it on my index finger at first. However, after two and a half years, I have gotten used to it to some extent. Now I wear it on my index finger without even thinking about it. Although the black coating gradually peels off due to rubbing in various places, there is no problem with its functionality.

Aside from the fit disadvantage, another disadvantage is a problem with long-term use. It’s the battery. Both the Galaxy Ring and Oura Ring have a one-week warranty when new, but if you wear them for two and a half years like me, the battery life will be reduced. So now the maximum is about 4 days. Sure, it’s still not a big burden in everyday life, but it’s now essential to carry a charger with you when you go on a trip or business trip. Also, in everyday life, if you don’t charge it a little every time you bathe, the battery may run out during sleep tracking. The advantage of the Galaxy Ring charger is that it has a lid(?) for portability and that emergency charging is possible thanks to the built-in battery.

The Galaxy Ring charging case also has a built-in battery, so it can be recharged in an emergency.

And of course, you wouldn’t expect to be able to check notifications on a smart ring that doesn’t even have a screen. However, it is also important to note that there is no vibration motor, so you can’t even tell if a notification has arrived. Some people consider this a benefit, saying it frees you from notifications, but if you’ve been using a smartwatch a lot to make up for missed notifications on your smartphone, it’s worth thinking about.

Who do you recommend the smart ring to?

To put it bluntly, I wouldn’t recommend the Smart Ring to those who often rely on the exercise tracking features of a smartwatch. Unlike smartwatches, they are at a disadvantage in real-time exercise tracking due to battery and processing limitations. When I did more intense exercises (?), such as swimming, I also monitored my training with the help of a smartwatch. Although Samsung promotes that the Galaxy Ring can be used as an add-on device to the Galaxy Watch, at the price of 490,000 won it is not easy to do so. However, if you are already used to wearing a smartwatch, there is no need to add a smart ring.

If a smartwatch’s exercise tracking features are important to you, it’s best to stick with the smartwatch. The photo is of the Galaxy Watch Ultra. (Wrist circumference 16.5cm)

However, if for some reason you are reluctant to wear a watch and want to use a device with simple health monitoring functions, a smart ring is a good alternative. Especially nowadays, as the size of smart watches continues to increase due to screen size, such as the Apple Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch Ultra, I think that if this aspect is burdensome, a smart ring can be attractive.

Frankly, I don’t think smart rings will have a more effective form factor than smartwatches. However, compared to smartwatches, there is still much more room for growth and I have high expectations in this regard.

Maybe Apple… Are you planning to make one too? ?