I’ve been a longtime iPhone and Apple Watch user, and that should tell you everything you need to know about how I track health parameters and fitness routines. I use the Apple Watch almost around the clock, whether training for my next marathon or sleeping. The problem I’ve always had with the Apple Watch is battery life.
Since the first generation, the wearable has only been good for one day of use. I need to recharge it during the day to track my sleep. I could get the Apple Watch Ultra and get multi-day battery life out of it, but the size of it is currently the main obstacle.
That’s why I’m so interested in smart rings, with Samsung’s Galaxy Ring at the top of my list. Apple is reportedly making its own smart ring. As for the Oura alternative, it’s not widely available in Europe.
I’d like a device like the Galaxy Ring to complement the Apple Watch, not replace it. The ring could cover the hours when the Apple Watch is charging. And it sure looks like Samsung might deliver the multi-day battery life I expect from such a device.
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Samsung soft-launched the Galaxy Ring at MWC in late February. We saw the Ring in various colors and sizes, and Samsung revealed some details about it. Among them was a battery life estimate of nine days, which would be two days longer than the Oura Ring.
I’ve always assumed Samsung is going after the Oura Ring standard. Therefore, Samsung should target battery life similar to that of the latest Oura Ring.
Samsung will only confirm the Galaxy Ring features, including battery life, at some point in July when it’ll supposedly announce the wearable. But the company has filed documentation for the Galaxy Ring that MySmartPrice uncovered.
From S to XL, the Galaxy Ring sizes. Image source: Chris Smith, BGR
The paperwork reveals that Samsung plans to sell various ring sizes, something we already knew from MWC. But it also lists the battery capacity for each ring size. We’re looking at a range between 17 mAh and 22.5 mAh.
This information isn’t good enough to confirm that the Galaxy Ring will last nine days on a charge, but those battery capacities match the Oura Ring’s range. That’s 15 mAh to 22 mAh for the Oura, which comes in sizes starting at 6 and going up to 13.
From the looks of it, a Galaxy Ring size 5 would feature a larger battery than an Oura Ring size 6. Therefore, the Galaxy Ring’s battery life should be at least as good as that of the Oura Ring, if not better. Again, I’m talking about the estimates Samsung will provide, which might differ from real-life use.
I don’t even need that many days from a smart ring. A wearable that can last several days on a charge would be great to cover those hours of the day or night when the Apple Watch is on its charger. I could even stop wearing the Watch to track my sleep if the Galaxy Ring is good at it. That’s assuming Samsung convinces me to buy a Galaxy Ring this summer and that the wearable works well with the iPhone.