Samsung Galaxy Ring: the future of personal well-being, in a ring

From smart watches we moved on to smart bracelets and now everything indicates that the next step will be rings.

Dormant in a corner of the Samsung exhibitor, the Galaxy Ring is one of the

gadgets

that attracts cameras and eyes at the MWC (Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona 2024. The device is still in development and does not have definitive specifications, but the company expects it to go on sale in the first half of the year.

Samsung has given more details about the Galaxy Ring in a meeting with the press, to which EL PAÍS - which travels with Samsung to the MWC - was invited.

In it, we journalists have been able to touch and try on the ring, which will be manufactured in various sizes and three colors (gold, silver and black).

On the finger it seems merely decorative, a normal ring, at least the silver and gold models.

At first impression, it is comfortable and not cumbersome.

Its objective will be to act as a meter of different physiological parameters.

The Galaxy Ring will be able to record heart and respiratory rates, nighttime movements, and sleep onset latency.

The latter, an aspect that

the company's

wearables do not measure for now.

Dr. Hon Pak, vice president and director of the Mobile Experience Digital Health Team at Samsung Electronics, emphasized during his presentation the correlation between senile dementia and deep sleep and REM sleep deficit.

“Now we are beginning to understand the implications of sleeping well.

What happens when you sleep is that the bodies repair themselves.

And we have collected data on physiological patterns from which a value can be obtained,” says the manager.

Samsung's wearable

device strategy

is linked to personal health and well-being.

For Pak, the devices, including the new ring, can serve as an impetus to bring about changes in people's behavior and lifestyle habits.

He claims that the data they collect can lead to early warnings, in order to prevent certain ailments.

Using the Samsung Galaxy Ring.Samsung

One of the features that reflects this goal is 'My Vitality Score', a parameter created by Samsung that gathers data on the user's mental and physical state.

The company has used machine learning to establish the balance of measurement.

“We have collaborated with the University of Georgia to develop a score that tells you how prepared you are for the new day and how you should prepare: whether you need to sleep more, be more active or rest.

We have clinically validated it with patients and we have seen a correlation between the score and, for example, actual cognitive alertness,” says Dr. Pak.

They are personal health applications that are fed by data collected by the company's wearables, which sees in its new ring an opportunity to increase the number of users.

The Galaxy Ring is another option for consumers, those who do not feel comfortable wearing a smart watch or bracelet.

“We've come to the conclusion that sometimes comfort matters a lot more than technology and features,” says Pak.

“And I think with Ring we have embarked on a journey to understand the needs of users in a very personal way.”

The company maintains collaborations with various medical or research entities in order to validate their products through clinical trials or to create services of greater value.

One of its associations, with the company Natural Cycles, allows women to know the moment of the menstrual cycle by measuring skin temperature.

This functionality is available on the Galaxy Watch5 and will also be available with the ring.

A woman photographs the Galaxy Ring, yesterday Monday at MWC.

Albert Garcia (Albert Garcia)

In this case, the data measured with the

wearable

is passed to the

smartphone

and then sent to Natural Cycles to be returned in the form of an estimate.

However, Pak assures that this is an exceptional case: “Most of the data stays on the devices.

It is transferred to our

smartphone

and a local analysis is done, on the device itself.”

The Galaxy Ring will not be the first of these rings.

There are already others, such as the Oura Ring, which measures heart rate variability, blood oxygen level, body temperature and monitors sleep.

A second alternative is Ultrahuman Ring Air, capable of measuring circadian rhythms or the user's energy levels.

Although MWC has served as a showcase for the Galaxy Ring, Pak reminds that the ring is still in development and could change.

They could even add new sensors, although only if they can be clinically validated and if they fit with the style and comfort that the brand seeks to offer.

After all, everything there is now has been packaged in less than three grams in weight.

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