Smart rings are expected to be the trendy wearable device this year and beyond, but if this leaked information about the Samsung Galaxy Ring is correct, I won’t be buying one.
Although Samsung has already announced the Galaxy Ring twice, there are still plenty of details to uncover. Price is part of it and a leak suggests the ring will cost between $300 and $350 in the US.
This isn’t too surprising since it was always likely that Samsung would position it close to its main rival, the Oura Ring Gen 3, which is priced at $299. But it’s not the recommended price that’s the problem.
I was crossing my fingers that Samsung would avoid one of the main reasons we didn’t score the Oura higher in our review – and that’s a subscription model.
A subscription to Samsung Health will cost “less than $10” per month, according to GSMArena, so I expect it to cost $9.99 matching Fitbit Premium and Apple Fitness+ (and similar prices in the UK ).
Samsung may, like its competitors, offer an annual fee of around $80 to save you money, but that won’t cut it for me.
Chris Martin / Foundry
Chris Martin / Foundry
Chris Martin / Foundry
It’s unclear what features and data will be hidden behind Samsung Health’s effective paywall, but it will immediately deter me from getting a Galaxy Ring.
I already have enough subscription fees coming out of my bank account on a monthly basis with companies like Spotify and Amazon Prime to add another to the list.
I should mention that I wouldn’t call myself a “fitness fanatic” or anything like that, but Samsung might withhold even basic stats for those with a Samsung Health subscription.
And if the price of around $10 per month is right, then Oura will suddenly look like a good value option at $5.99 per month.
We will undoubtedly know this information when Samsung holds its next Unpacked event, which would take place on July 10. The Galaxy Ring is expected to fully launch alongside many other new devices.
Among these will be the Galaxy Watch 7 range and possibly a cheaper Galaxy Watch FE, the latter of which could be a good alternative for me I suppose – unless Samsung, God forbid, decides to also add a Samsung Health subscription to its smart watches.
