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

From smart watches we moved to smart bracelets and now everything indicates that the next step will be rings. Sleeping in a corner of the Samsung screen, the Galaxy Ring is one of gadgets which attracts cameras and attention at MWC (Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona 2024. The device is still in development and has no final specifications, but the company expects it to be released sales in the first half.

Samsung gave more details about the Galaxy Ring during a press meeting, to which EL PAÍS – who is traveling with Samsung to MWC – was invited. In it, we journalists were able to touch and try on the ring, which will be made in different sizes and three colors (gold, silver and black). On the finger it just seems decorative, a normal ring, at least the silver and gold models. At first glance, it is comfortable and space-saving.

Its objective will be to act as a counter 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 which for the moment is not measured by portable devices the company. Dr. Hon Pak, Vice President and Head of the Mobile Experience Digital Health Team at Samsung Electronics, highlighted in his presentation the correlation between senile dementia and deep sleep and REM sleep deficiency. “Now we are beginning to understand the implications of good sleep. What happens when you sleep is the bodies repair themselves. And we have collected data on physiological patterns from which a value can be obtained,” explains the manager.

The device strategy portable of Samsung 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 specifies that the data they collect can lead to early warnings, in order to prevent certain ailments.

One of the functions that reflects this goal is “My Vitality Score”, a setting created by Samsung that collects data on the user’s mental and physical state. The company used machine learning to balance the metrics. “We worked 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 for it: whether you need to sleep more, be more active or rest. We validated it clinically with patients and found a correlation between the score and, for example, actual cognitive alertness,” explains Dr. Pak.

These are personal health applications powered 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 don’t feel comfortable wearing a smart watch or bracelet. “We came to the conclusion that sometimes comfort matters much more than technology and features,” says Pak. “And I think with Ring we’ve embarked on a journey of understanding user needs 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 higher value services. One of its associations, with the company Natural Cycles, allows women to know the time of the menstrual cycle by measuring skin temperature. This feature is available on the Galaxy Watch5 and will also be available with the ring.

In this case, the data measured with the portable move on to smartphone and are then forwarded to Natural Cycles to be returned as a quote. However, Pak assures that this is an exceptional case: “Most of the data remains on the devices. It is transferred to our smartphone and a local analysis is performed, on the device itself.

The Galaxy Ring will not be the first of these rings. There are already others, like the Oura Ring, which measures heart rate variability, blood oxygen levels, body temperature and monitors sleep. A second alternative is Ultrahuman Ring Air, capable of measuring the user’s circadian rhythms or energy levels.

Although the MWC served as a showcase for the Galaxy Ring, Pak reminds that the ring is still in development and could change. They might even add new sensors, but only if they can be clinically validated and if they match the style and comfort the brand seeks to offer. After all, everything that exists today has been packed into a weight of less than three grams.

You can follow EL PAÍS Technology In Facebook And X or sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.