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The Samsung Galaxy Ring has the ability to track various health metrics, including heart rate, and is the company’s first foray into the smart ring category, as the company wants to lock users into Samsung’s ecosystem of devices, from smartwatches to smartphones.
Arjun Karpal | CNBC
PARIS — Samsung on Wednesday unveiled the Galaxy Ring, its first “smart ring,” as the South Korean tech giant aims to integrate its products, including smartphones and wearables, with competing health-tracking features. applePush into space.
The Galaxy Ring, which Samsung has been teasing for months, is a lightweight, sensor-equipped ring designed to monitor your health around the clock, the company announced at its Galaxy Unpacked event in Paris on Wednesday.
Samsung’s expansion into new product categories comes at a time when smartphone sales are recovering slightly but people are sticking with their devices for longer, leaving device makers looking for additional electronics products to sell.
For Samsung, the Galaxy Ring adds a new device to its portfolio that can track health functions alongside smartphones and smartwatches. Over the past few years, Samsung has tried to promote health apps, which have become increasingly popular among consumers, as a key reason to buy such products.
Samsung is also positioning the ring as a device to be worn alongside its smartwatches and smartphones and equipped with artificial intelligence software to provide a comprehensive view of a person’s health, a move that could help boost sales of the company’s other products.
“This new device and category will be a big focus for Samsung,” Paolo Pescatore, founder of PP Foresight, told CNBC.
Pescatore said the ring is a “product that could help boost smartphone sales and migrate users to their platform.”
Main features and prices of Galaxy Ring
According to Samsung, the Galaxy Ring can monitor:
- sleepThe device can monitor a person’s movements while sleeping, sleep latency, heart rate, breathing rate and analyze sleep quality.
- Menstrual cycleSamsung says it uses skin temperature to track a person’s menstrual cycle.
- Heart rate: Galaxy Ring will notify you if your heart rate is abnormally high or low, and you can also see your heart rate in real time.
- exercise: The Galaxy Ring can detect the type of workout or activity a person is doing.
The Galaxy Ring weighs between 2.3 grams and 3 grams depending on the size you buy. The device comes in three colors.
Samsung claims the Galaxy Ring’s battery will last up to seven days, and like the wireless air buds, it comes with a portable charging case.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring will be available on July 24th with prices starting at $399.99.
Samsung Ecosystem Play
Samsung also announced its latest smartwatches on Wednesday, the Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra. This marks the first time the company has released an “Ultra” model of a smartwatch designed for athletes and those who enjoy activities like hiking and climbing.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (left) and Galaxy Watch7 (right) are the latest smartwatches from the South Korean giant, and this is the first time that Samsung has released an “Ultra” version of its wearable.
Arjun Karpal | CNBC
The watch is equipped with new sensors and sports tracking features.
Samsung also launched its latest foldable device on Wednesday. Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6.
With the ring, Samsung hopes to connect users more closely to its product ecosystem.
For example, when the smartwatch is connected to a mobile phone, users can use a “double pinch” gesture with their fingers to answer a call or take a photo.
Samsung says that pairing the Galaxy Ring with a smartwatch and phone allows the devices to pull data from more sources, giving users a better view of their health, especially while they sleep. Samsung also says that wearing the ring with a smartwatch will extend battery life.
“Indeed, the watch and ring are part of a growing ecosystem that will become increasingly important as AI technologies are layered on top of data collected from different devices. The more devices a user has from the same brand, the more comprehensive the data collected will be, enhancing the effectiveness of AI digital assistants,” Francisco Geronimo, IDC’s vice president of devices research in EMEA, told CNBC in an email.
“This truly personalized experience will encourage users to choose one brand’s device over another.”
Like Apple, Samsung has been pushing the interoperability of its devices for the past few years to keep users interested.
“It’s no surprise to see Samsung focus on connecting its products with an ‘ecosystem story’. Apple has shown that fostering interdependence between products is a highly effective way to lock consumers into a particular brand,” Ben Wood, research director at CCS Insights, told CNBC.
Rings are a “niche” product
While the Galaxy Ring is unlikely to be a big seller for Samsung in terms of sales volumes, it highlights how the tech company is trying to expand its customer base.
“The Galaxy Ring is an interesting bet for Samsung,” Wood said, adding that the product category is “a niche one” and that Samsung expects to ship about 4 million rings in 2025 — a “nominator” compared with the 250 million smartphones it expects to sell next year.
“But it’s a device category that fits well with growing consumer interest in tracking health metrics, particularly when it comes to sleep monitoring, and is complementary to Samsung’s current smartwatch sales.”
Although smartwatches are large devices, the smart ring is unobtrusive and comfortable to wear, even at night.
Samsung isn’t the only company selling such a device. One of the market pioneers, Oura, has sold 2.5 million units over the past nine years, according to CCS Insights. Samsung’s introduction of the Ring earlier this year has sparked interest from other companies in the market. CNBC reported in February that Chinese electronics maker Oura is Honor is developing its own smart ring.
Wood said Samsung could establish a larger presence in the smart ring market than its competitors.
“Samsung is likely to be the market leader because its global reach and large marketing budget will help drive awareness of a new product category that most consumers have never heard of,” Wood said.
The Galaxy Ring could be a new source of software revenue for Samsung: Users could pull data from the wearable through the Samsung Health app, and Hong Park, head of Samsung’s digital health team, told CNBC in February that the company was “considering” a subscription service for the app.
“While this segment may not be a big revenue driver for Samsung, it will help expand its wearables portfolio and open the door to new services in the future,” IDC’s Geronimo said.