Ever since the Galaxy Ring was first announced earlier this summer, Samsung insisted that the best way to wear it is on the index finger. Even the official Sizing Kit instructs buyers to use the sample rings on their index finger “for optimal performance and accuracy.” Until now, however, Samsung has never entirely clarified why that is.
The big question we always had on our minds is whether there are any health or fitness-tracking benefits to wearing the Galaxy Ring on the index finger instead of others. What does “optimal performance and accuracy” actually mean in this case? We asked Samsung for a definitive answer.
Here is what Samsung had to say
Samsung told us that it performed many tests with the Galaxy Ring on every finger to determine if there's an ideal choice for the best tracking results. We figured this might be the case, as perhaps Samsung might have to use a different algorithm for each finger.
It turns out that's not the case at all. Surprisingly, Samsung found that it doesn't matter which finger you wear the Galaxy Ring on. At the end of the day, you'll get the same tracking results.
So what was all that talk regarding accuracy? Well, there is one small caveat, and it is the entire reason why Samsung even recommends a specific finger for the Galaxy Ring. It's called Gestures.
More details after the video
Gestures is a Galaxy Ring feature that lets you capture photos with your connected phone or dismiss alarms remotely by performing a pinching gesture. Although you can technically perform this gesture using your thumb plus any other finger, the Galaxy Ring might have a higher accuracy at detecting the pinching gesture if you wear it on the index finger.
This appears to be the entire reason why Samsung mentions “optimal performance and accuracy.” It has nothing to do with fitness or health tracking accuracy and everything to do with the mechanism that enables pinching gestures.
So, there you have it. If you don't care much about the accuracy of the pinching gesture and you prefer wearing the Galaxy Ring on a different finger, you technically can, without compromising the biometric and health/fitness-tracking side of things.
You'll just have to make sure to use the right sample rings in the Sizing Kit for whichever finger you want to put the Galaxy Ring on and ignore some of the official instructions.
