We got our first proper look at the Samsung Galaxy Ring at the MWC 2024 show this week, but we still don't have all the details about the upcoming wearable. Now Samsung exec Hon Pak has revealed a bit more with regard to smartphone compatibility.
As reported by CNET, Pak revealed that Samsung was working to make the Galaxy Ring compatible with a broad range of Android handsets, beyond Samsung's own Galaxy series – as it will of course be supported by phones like the Samsung Galaxy S24 out of the box.
However, iPhone owners are going to be out of luck, because Samsung doesn't have any plans to make the Galaxy Ring compatible with Apple's handsets, in line with the decision it previously made with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6.
"We ultimately hope that our devices are of such caliber that people will be willing to switch," Pak said, though it seems more likely that iPhone owners will go for the Oura smart ring or wait for Apple's own effort instead.
Sizes matter
Another tidbit from the CNET article is that the battery capacity of the Galaxy Ring changes with the different sizes (there are currently nine sizes in total). That doesn't tell us much about battery life, but it seems that some variants of the Galaxy Ring may do better than others in this department.
Bear in mind that we're still at a relatively early stage with the Galaxy Ring: Samsung made it clear at MWC 2024 that the models on show were still prototypes. There's no official word on a date for a full launch yet, though July is looking likely.
In our own hands-on time with the Galaxy Ring, we heard that sleep tracking would be one of the main features offered by the wearable, with Samsung keen to appeal to people who want a lightweight, simple, screen-free way of monitoring their slumber.
Of course, all the data the smart ring collects will be accessible through an accompanying app – though not, it sounds like, on the iPhone. Within the next few months we should get full details about Samsung's new product, including the all-important price points that it'll be selling at.
