When we got some hands-on time with Samsung’s Galaxy Ring earlier this week at Mobile World Congress, battery life was still a mystery. However, Samsung has since confirmed that the smart ring will get between five and nine days on a single charge.
The estimate comes from a few sources. As spotted by 9to5Google, Korean outlet Financial News reports that Dr. Hon Pak, Samsung’s VP of digital health, gave reporters that figure during a briefing. Android Authority also spotted a TechM report quoting Samsung Electronics chief Roh Tae-moon as saying the ring can be used for up to nine days.
But don’t put too much stock in Samsung’s battery estimates yet. The Oura Ring claims up to seven days of battery, but in practice, I only ever get three to five because I enable continuous SpO2 monitoring. The same may very well end up being true for the Galaxy Ring. We don’t know how the Galaxy Ring will use its sensors. Some wearables take periodic readings to extend battery life; others sample continuously; and others yet give you the option to choose. Usually, enabling continuous tracking causes battery life to take a significant hit.
Battery life could also depend on what size ring you get. With smartwatches, smaller models tend to have slightly shorter battery life simply because they can’t stuff larger batteries inside. The same could be true for Samsung’s Galaxy Ring, which comes in multiple sizes.
Regardless, up to nine days of battery life may be appealing to those sick of charging their smartwatches every day. It’s also a draw for smart rings in general. In addition to being smaller and more discreet, they lack battery-guzzling displays. The vast majority are also passive trackers that don’t interact with your phone except to sync data.
In other words, big if true! We’ll have to wait until the Galaxy Ring is ready for reviewers to see whether Samsung delivers.
