You could say the Galaxy Ring is unnecessary if you have a smartwatch since a Galaxy Watch does all the same things. I don’t disagree, but I wanted to try one anyway. Here’s why I specifically wanted to check out using a Galaxy Ring in conjunction with my Galaxy Watch.
Track Steps While My Watch Is Charging
Tracking steps is a bit fun. It’s hardly novel anymore, but it still gamifies something most of us do every day and probably feel we should do more of. Yet this little life hack comes with a bit of anxiety. If you take steps without wearing your activity tracker, they don’t count. They’re wasted steps! It’s absurd, but if you’ve ever worn an activity tracker, I know you’ve felt this, too (it’s even worse if you’re trying not to break a streak).
I take off my Galaxy Watch each morning before going into the bathroom. I put it back on after I’ve taken my shower and gotten dressed. All of those steps I took during that time don’t get counted. Sure, I probably didn’t take 500 steps during that time, but I know I had more than zero.
The Galaxy Ring offers a solution. Since the ring is designed to be worn in the shower without ruining a strap or turning my finger into a smelly mess, I don’t have to take it off. I can check Samsung Health later, knowing the stats are just a tad more accurate.
Don’t Miss Out on a Good Night’s Sleep (Stats)
The days are long behind us when activity trackers only measure steps. Now, it’s also about how we’re sleeping at night. You can see how your REM sleep varies from night to night, how many hours of overall sleep you’re getting, and whether you’re going to bed at a similar time each day. This is helpful information, but it gets thrown off if you miss a night’s sleep because you took off your watch.
That’s why sleep tracking is another area where I really appreciate the redundancy that wearing a Galaxy Ring provides. I personally find the Galaxy Watch comfortable to sleep in, but if I charge it before bed and forget to put it back on, the Galaxy Ring has me covered. The inverse is also true. If I charge the ring and forget about it, at least I still have my watch. The combined practice of using two devices means I can be less anal about either one.
Dismiss Alarms With the Finger Pinch Gesture
When I first saw mention of the Galaxy Ring’s ability to interact with a phone using a pinch gesture, I thought of this as a silly effort to find extra uses for a device that isn’t all that useful. Then, after getting a Galaxy Watch, the ability to dismiss an alarm using the pinch gesture suddenly seemed very appealing. I wanted to check out the ring for this one feature alone.
I share a bed, and when my alarm goes off, one of my arms is often pinned down. I have my watch alarm set to vibrate so as not to disturb my partner, but that bit of thoughtfulness is wasted if I jostle them awake, trying to free my arm to dismiss the alarm quickly.
The pinch gesture lets me tap two fingers together to dismiss the alarm, all using the same hand my watch is on. It works—but I still have a problem: I haven’t yet used this feature enough to remember it, especially first thing in the morning. I have the pinch gesture enabled, I have the ring on my finger, and I still free my arm to dismiss the alarm by swiping at my watch. It takes a while to retrain muscle memory. I am not yet sure if I will keep the watch long enough to do so.
Get Better Battery Life Out of My Watch
One thing I love about Galaxy Watch 6 over my old Pixel Watch is how much longer it’s able to go before needing a charge. I can generally expect to go for at least two days. Since I charge a bit each morning, I actually get more days than that before my watch ever actually gets low.
One promise of the Galaxy Ring is that your smartwatch will last longer between a charge. It’s also worth having a smartwatch, even if you have a Galaxy Ring, for the same reason. The two share tasks, so only one needs to track steps, sleep, or your heart rate at a time. Since each device gets to take breaks, it isn’t pushed as hard, and you don’t have to charge either one as often as you otherwise would.
When I took my Galaxy Ring off one night, the difference in my watch’s battery life was the first thing I noticed. With the ring on, my watch tends to recoup most (if not all) of the battery lost the day before when I set it to charge during my morning shower. With the ring off, my watch doesn’t quite charge enough to break even. That means without a Galaxy Ring, I can expect once or twice a week to charge during a time aside from my shower. With the ring, that situation isn’t as common.
I wondered if the added hassle of charging a separate device would outweigh the benefits, but charging the ring hasn’t been an issue. It lasts at least a week between charges, it recharges quickly, and as long as I have my watch on, I’m not losing any data by setting the ring to charge. I haven’t had the ring long, but so far it hasn’t been an issue.
The ring has delivered on each of the areas I was hoping for (though I haven’t run any tests to compare the accuracy of the information—what matters more to me is consistency). Still, I don’t know if I’ll keep the ring, despite how well it has delivered.
Why? I find it, like most rings, uncomfortable. I have thin fingers with wide knuckles, so I tend to have a difficult time sizing rings. They’re either too wide for my fingers or too small to go over my knuckles. Since I have to size the Galaxy Ring to go over my knuckles often, it’s simply too big for comfort.
But if you like to rock big rings, the perks of wearing both a Galaxy Watch and a Galaxy Ring is something the other brands aren’t yet able to deliver. If you do decide to give it a shot, be sure to do like I did. Just like when I shop for foldables, I make sure not to pay full price.
