The Galaxy Ring, the company’s first smart ring, is now available in South Africa for R7,999. That’s a lot of money for something that doesn’t show you notifications, doesn’t tell the time, and doesn’t really do anything unless you already own a Samsung phone.
But it is a very nice ring.
What you’re paying for is a minimalist-looking titanium band that’s stuffed with sensors: optical heart rate, skin temperature, blood oxygen, and an accelerometer. Samsung’s betting that you’ll want 24/7 health and wellness tracking without the bulk of a smartwatch — and, to be fair, this ring pulls it off with style.
No screen. No apps. Just data.
The Galaxy Ring is all about passive tracking. It runs silently in the background, feeding data into the Samsung Health app: sleep stages, heart rate variability, blood oxygen, skin temperature — and, if you’re using a Galaxy phone, it’ll even pick up snoring. You can wave your hand to answer calls (again, Galaxy-only), and each morning you’ll get a new AI-generated “Energy Score” that tries to quantify how recovered and ready you are.
Battery life is solid — up to 7 days on a single charge — and it ships with a glossy little case that doubles as a wireless charger. Think Galaxy Buds meets proposal box.
Samsung first teased the Galaxy Ring at its Galaxy Unpacked event in January 2024. It got a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at the end of the Galaxy S24 keynote, with zero context or explanation — a classic Samsung move. The actual product took a few months to arrive, but now that it’s here, it’s clear this isn’t some side project. The Galaxy Ring is a fully-fledged part of Samsung’s wearables lineup — and maybe even the future of it.
Here’s the thing: the Galaxy Ring works with any Android phone running Android 11 or newer. That includes Pixel, Nothing, Xiaomi, etc. But if you’re not using a Galaxy device, you miss out on some key features. There’s no Samsung Find support (so good luck locating a lost ring), no gesture controls, no snore tracking, and no Energy Score. It’s still usable — but it’s the Diet Coke version.
And iPhone users? You’re out of luck. There’s no iOS support, and no indication it’s coming anytime soon.
And about that price…
R7,999 puts the Galaxy Ring in the same ballpark as a Galaxy Watch or a top-tier Fitbit. There’s no monthly subscription (yet), unlike the Oura Ring, which charges extra for advanced metrics. But you’re still paying a premium for a device that doesn’t really do anything on its own — it’s a passive data collector, not a standalone gadget.
That said, it might be the best-looking wearable Samsung has ever made. If you hate sleeping with a smartwatch, love minimalist hardware, and already live inside the Galaxy ecosystem, this is probably the sleep tracker you’ve been waiting for.
Just don’t expect it to change your life. Or your sleep. Or your stress levels. That’s still on you.