Will Samsung prevail as the Lord of the Rings?

Samsung just spat in Apple's face, with the release of its new Galaxy ring. Whilst Samsung was the first big tech company to take on this niche product, it definitely isn't the first on the market. With similar products such as the Oura Ring, Ultrahuman Ring Air, Ringconn Smart Ring already market, can the Galaxy ring really be the Lord of the Rings?

Samsung's reiteration of The "One ring"

The Galaxy ring is equivalent to the "One Ring". For those of you who are unfamiliar with The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, the whole trilogy revolves around a powerful ring that everyone is trying to get their hands on. Just like the movie, many companies have been trying to get a piece of smart ring action. But what exactly is this smart ring we are talking about?

The Galaxy ring is designed to be a fitness tracker that you can wear on your hand 24/7. Coming in at just 3 grams, it is deliberately designed to be water resistant, light and so comfortable that you can forget that it's even there. The Galaxy ring also presents itself as a fashion statement with its classy titanium finish and sleek design, which makes it look like a real piece of expensive jewelry.

Under the chassis, the Galaxy ring is a health tracking machine, with power chips and sensor which works furiously to provide you with the most accurate health, sleep and workout report.

But the Galaxy ring doesn't come in a one size fit all fitting, so you would most likely need to buy Samsung's sizing kit to figure out which size best fits your hand.

Building its own Galaxy

Of course Samsung doesn't hope for you to use the Galaxy ring as a silo product, but hopes for you to be part of its ecosystem. So, Samsung is actively encouraging users to pair their Galaxy ring with all the other Galaxy products, like their smartwatches or their phone.

The Galaxy ring was designed for someone who wants the functionality of the healthtracker without the need for a chunky watch. Unlike the Smartwatch, the Galaxy ring doesn't have a screen, making it ever more compact in stature.

Samsung claims that the Galaxy ring works seamlessly with the Samsung lineup of smartwatches. When the Galaxy ring is paired with your Galaxy watch, these two devices essentially complement one another by combining the power of both devices to provide users with a more accurate reading of their activities.

The Galaxy ring also gets a superboost from its proprietary Galaxy AI to offer users more specific wellness tips. These tips can vary from exercise goals to suggestions to improve your sleep cycle.

How much is it and is it coming to Singapore?

The Galaxy ring has just been released in the US and Europe, and they are up for grabs at a price of $399 USD, which convers to approximately $540 SGD. But sadly, this product is still not available in the Singapore market.

A very specific product for a very specific task

But the caveat of the compactness of the Galaxy means that it was designed for one thing and one thing only-to be a glorified Fitbit tracker. The lack of screens means that many of the cool features of the Galaxy watch will be unavailable on the Galaxy ring; there is no voice assistant so you cannot ask it to do stuff; there is no NFC so you cannot make payments; and there are no microphones so you cannot use it to make phone calls.

I would say that the Galaxy ring is designed for three types of people: those who want basic smartwatch features but can't stand the chunkiness of one; those who want automate their health tracking efforts, and those who want to maximise their tracking by tapping on their Galaxy watch and Galaxy AI. So if you are a fitbit owner and would like an upgrade, then maybe this could be for you. But if you are looking for a productivity machine, then you should give this a pass.