Samsung's Galaxy Ring is making a big splash as the first product of its type from a major tech manufacturer. We've seen smart rings before, but none have the ecosystem and brand recognition of a product from a company like Samsung.
And for many people, it's a great product. Like any tech product, it has drawbacks and strengths, but it fills a need for plenty of us. Smart rings are here to stay, at least until something even smaller and more inconspicuous comes along to replace them.
Smart rings are different in another way, too: they're disposable by design. This is not because a company like Samsung or Oura wants to build something with a short, useful life but because there's no way to do it differently.
Imagine a small circuit board, some sensors, a tiny battery, and plenty of epoxy, and you have what's needed to build a smart ring. Over at iFixit, they've taken the time to crack open a Galaxy Ring to demonstrate this, and this is why we love iFixit. What they found shouldn't surprise anyone.
There is no way to service any parts on the Galaxy Ring without ruining it. This isn't unique to Samsung's ring; every other model from any other company is going to be the same. There is no way to pack in the necessary tech and battery to power it and make the device serviceable without making it exorbitantly expensive. You wouldn't pay $800 for a smart ring, and neither would I.
This means more e-waste to deal with, but for us, it's not the big issue. That comes when we think about the lithium battery that powers the thing and how short the lifespan of a lithium battery is.
The warranty period for a Galaxy Ring is 12 months. I reached out to Samsung to see if there are any further details to consider but the company hasn't responded in time for publication. When it does, I'll be sure to add any information about it.
Twelve months is also about the lifespan of the tiny lithium battery inside of it. A battery of this type has a life measured in charging cycles, and after about 400 of them the battery starts to go bad — it won't hold as much charge and it loses its charge much faster. Fortunately, smart rings tend to have pretty good battery life, so you won't have to charge them as often as you would a Wear OS smartwatch.
So once you've charged your ring about 400 times, you can expect the battery to stop being "good enough." It will still work, but not for very long, and for a product designed to be worn so it can read a bunch of health data, time on the finger and not the charger is very important.
Once you reach the point where the battery isn't lasting long enough to make it useful for you, the only thing you can do is drop it in a recycle bin somewhere and buy a new one for $400.
To me, the biggest problem here is that a smart ring's "disposability factor" kills any market for used or refurbished devices. Never buy a used smart ring unless you personally know how long it has been used for and how it was used.
A smart ring isn't like a phone where you can save a fistful of cash buying used and spend a little of it to get the battery swapped out. When the battery dies, it's either covered by the warranty, or it isn't. If it isn't, you're only option is to buy something else.
I'm not trying to discourage anyone from buying a smart ring. For plenty of us, a few hundred dollars every year or so is a solid way to spend money in order to help live a healthier lifestyle.
I'm just pointing out what all the flashy ads you see aren't going to tell you: this cool product wasn't designed to last very long.
Don't lose track of anything
The Samsung Galaxy Ring lasts up to a week per charge, 10ATM and IP68 protection via the titanium frame, an ultra-lightweight design, and a complimentary charging cradle for on-the-go charging. It tracks a bunch of heart rate and sleep data passively, while being much more comfortable than a smartwatch.
