November 23, 2024

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Samsung Electronics displayed prototype Galaxy Rings in silver, black, and gold at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, offering unobtrusive, always-on health monitoring with concealed sensors, slated for release later this year. (Samsung Electronics)

Samsung Electronics shared Monday that it is expanding its wearable technology portfolio with the introduction of the Galaxy Ring, a health tracker designed for unobtrusive, continuous wear, at a press briefing at the Mobile World Congress 2024 that kicked off this week in Barcelona.

Following a teaser at Samsung's Unpacked Event last month, the company has now shared more details about the product. The Galaxy Ring, characterized by its unique ring design, is Samsung's foray into a new product category, promising a launch within this year.

The Ring builds on Samsung’s healthcare efforts since 2012 when the company released the S Health application. It is part of Samsung's broader strategy to provide AI-enhanced healthcare services that require vast amounts of data, although details on its features and pricing are yet to be disclosed.

(Samsung Electronics)

"Today's healthcare industry struggles with scattered data. The Galaxy Ring, designed for continuous wear, especially excels in sleep tracking, offering valuable insights for sleep improvement. Its ring form factor, easier to wear than smartwatches, is key to collecting extensive, long-term data essential for truly useful, AI-driven healthcare analytics," said Dr. Hon Pak, Samsung Electronics vice president of digital health.

"By leveraging extensive global data from 64 million monthly active users and combining it with Galaxy AI technology, Samsung Health is set to offer a personalized healthcare experience,” he added.

Samsung aims to integrate the Galaxy Ring with a new metric in its Health app called My Vitality Score, based on research from the University of Georgia, assessing sleep, activity, resting heart rate, and heart rate variability. This metric will also be available on Galaxy Watches, starting with the Watch 6, but will necessitate a Galaxy S24-series phone.

The ring's capabilities also include fertility tracking data from partner Natural Cycles, initially available on the Galaxy Watch. Additionally, the Galaxy Ring will feature Booster Cards within the Galaxy Health app, offering goal-specific updates and tips.

Pak also shared his personal experience with the device for three months.

"Wearing the Galaxy Ring made me realize I was actually sleeping less than others my age, which was a surprise. It highlighted how my late-night eating or drinking affected my sleep quality, as my heart rate wouldn't decrease as it should. Getting this kind of immediate feedback from the Galaxy Ring, I believe, can motivate users to adopt healthier habits," he said.

Plans are also in place to equip the Galaxy Ring with on-device generative AI, enhancing its capabilities based on user data.

The Galaxy Ring in gold. (Samsung Electronics)

The Galaxy Ring will be available in nine sizes, with weights from 2.3 grams to 2.9 grams, catering to a wide range of users. The device will come in platinum silver, ceramic black, and gold, featuring a design that conceals its health-tracking sensors unless removed. The battery life was not disclosed, but Pak said that it would match industry averages of five to seven days.

The most notable player in the niche smart ring market is Oura Ring, made by the Finnish company Oura. With over 1 million units sold since its debut in 2015, the Oura Ring has gained popularity among celebrities and athletes, alongside forging significant partnerships, including with the NBA and UFC.

By Moon Joon-hyun (mjh@heraldcorp.com)