One (Smart) Ring to Rule Them All
We Tried It

One (Smart) Ring to Rule Them All

Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.

One (Smart) Ring to Rule Them All

There is a lot of cool gear in the golf equipment world that doesn’t always fit neatly into Most Wanted Tests or Buyer’s Guides. You still want to know how it performs. In our We Tried It series, we put gear to the test and let you know if it works as advertised.

What We Tried:

The Samsung Galaxy Ring. A smart, wearable fitness tracker in the shape of a ring.

Who Tried It:

Connor. Director of Content and resident sneakerhead. I’ve been a habitual WHOOP user for nearly a year now. That said, I’ve always been intrigued by the thought of a fitness tracking ring. When I heard Samsung was coming out with one, I knew I had to give it a go.

What does it do?

The purpose behind the Samsung Galaxy Ring is to provide fitness tracking in a minuscule, barely noticeable package. This is a great value prop for me because even the WHOOP 4.0 can feel a little bulky at times.

The idea of having something the size of a ring that can monitor your overall health, track sleep, stress and more is very novel. If it works, it’s great. But if it doesn’t, it’s nothing more than a piece of jewelry.

The following is my experience with the Samsung Galaxy Ring.

What I like

Size and Comfort

My initial worry about the Galaxy Ring was the size. I wear a wedding band on a daily basis but the Galaxy Ring is quite a bit thicker than that. As someone who works with their hands (I work at a place with four golf simulators, duh), it’s crucial that the ring not interfere with my daily activities. A fitness tracker is no good if you have to take it off to do the actual activity you want to track (golf, basketball, etc.).

After hitting hundreds of balls in the Galaxy Ring, I can assure you that you’ll have no issue with the girth of the ring. It’s not small by any means but it’s not so bulky that it interferes with golf. Most days, I didn’t even notice I was wearing it.

This is in stark contrast to my WHOOP fitness tracker that tends to choke down on my wrist like an alligator giving the death roll. It’s hardly comfortable, especially in comparison to the Galaxy Ring.

Battery and charging

It’s a small detail but the charging case that the Galaxy Ring comes with is really cool. It’s got fun LED lights and the ring sits inside like it’s on a little throne. It’s very functional and pocketable.

It is worth noting that the battery life has been stellar so far. I’m getting more than a week on each charge.

Sleep tracking

The Galaxy Ring excels at tracking sleep. This is my No. 1 priority for a fitness tracker. When compared to my WHOOP or even my Garmin Approach S70, the Galaxy Ring seems to do a better job at recognizing when I’m awake versus asleep.

We’ve got a three-month old baby right now so, as you can imagine, I’m up quite often at night. Occasionally, my other fitness trackers don’t recognize the awake time while the Galaxy Ring has nailed it each night.

As for comfort while sleeping, the ring is hardly noticeable even if you sleep with your hands under your pillow like I do.

What I don’t like

Energy score

While the Galaxy Ring provides an energy score, the number itself feels pretty vague. With the WHOOP recovery score, I know exactly what went into my recovery (sleep, strain, HRV and resting heart rate). The energy score on the Galaxy Ring seems more ethereal than anything else.

Workout detection

I have the Galaxy Ring set to auto-workout detection. It does OK when I’m going on walks but fails to automatically track my golf like the WHOOP does. Within a few shots, the WHOOP starts to recognize that I’m golfing and will start tracking the activity, heart rate and more.

The Galaxy Ring was supposed to do this but struggled to do so. Manually starting an activity worked just fine, though.

The verdict

The Galaxy Ring is now my go-to fitness wearable. I can’t overlook the small, almost unnoticeable size and the accurate sleep tracking. I’ll take a bit of wonkiness with auto-workout detection and the harder-to-understand metrics if that means I can accurately track my sleep and heart rate with a device that’s 10 percent the size of my WHOOP or Garmin.

It’s non-invasive, nonchalant and, best of all, provides me with actionable health data, all from my index finger. I consider that a win.

For You

For You

LIV USGA LIV USGA
LIV Golf
Feb 5, 2025
USGA Makes Sensible Move By Creating LIV Qualifying Pathway
News
Feb 5, 2025
PING G430 Versus G440 Drivers (What’s New for 2025?)
Maxfli Honors Maxfli Honors
Buyer's Guides
Feb 5, 2025
Head To Head: Most Expensive Versus Least Expensive Stand Bag
Connor Lindeman

Connor Lindeman

Connor Lindeman

Connor is MyGolfSpy's resident sneakerhead who believes that golf is more enjoyable with a fresh pair of kicks. When he isn't scrolling Twitter to find his next golf shoe purchase, you can find him at the piano or trying a new dessert place with his wife. #Lefty

Connor Lindeman

Connor Lindeman

Connor Lindeman

Connor Lindeman

Connor Lindeman





    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

      vito

      5 months ago

      From the email: “This technology is insane!” What’s insane is the price. Still doesn’t beat my fitbit worn on my wrist.

      Reply

      Kuso

      5 months ago

      This is what they came up with? To compete with that other one you wear on your upper arm?
      There is no way to grip the club when it’s this thick, haha that’s a pun on their intelligence, get it? LOL

      Reply

      Gabe

      5 months ago

      I’ve had an Oura ring (which was also reviewed on this site BTW) for about 3 years and I always have to remove it for golf and lifting. I just add them after the fact thru the app.

      Reply

      Joe

      5 months ago

      I love the concept. I’ll have to wait for the price to come down a bit

      Reply

      McBurdie

      5 months ago

      i don’t know how you swing a golf club (or lift weights) with a ring on. I’ve tried and it’s impossible. Good review though.

      Reply

      ctg44

      5 months ago

      I agree 100%. I can’t even wear my silicone (Halo-style) rings for golf. They drive me nuts inside the glove….

      Reply

      Dave

      5 months ago

      I take my wedding ring off and it’s not close to this big. I think it would bug me a lot. Also my Garmin S70 works great for golf.

      Reply

    Leave A Reply

    required
    required
    required (your email address will not be published)

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    LIV USGA LIV USGA
    LIV Golf
    Feb 5, 2025
    USGA Makes Sensible Move By Creating LIV Qualifying Pathway
    News
    Feb 5, 2025
    PING G430 Versus G440 Drivers (What’s New for 2025?)
    Maxfli Honors Maxfli Honors
    Buyer's Guides
    Feb 5, 2025
    Head To Head: Most Expensive Versus Least Expensive Stand Bag