Samsung’s Galaxy Ring wearable isn’t coming to South Africa — at least, not this iteration — and that might be a blessing in disguise. The folks at iFixit laid hands on the wearable tech and took it apart. As it happens, that’s a one-way operation.
iFixit is known for… well, fixing things but also for taking tech apart to see how much of a pain it would be to repair. Samsung’s newest product is right up there, being ranked as ” 100% disposable”, a trait it shares with Samsung’s new style Galaxy Buds 3.
Exploring the Galaxy Ring
The major issue is the lithium-ion battery used in the Galaxy Ring. It can’t be replaced or upgraded and even getting it out of the Ring renders the whole thing scrap. This isn’t a problem unique to Samsung’s smart digit adornment, of course. Any smart ring has the same fault, caused by laminating the whole product together. When the battery is done, so is the rest of it.
If you head over to iFixit’s post on the subject, you’ll see a very neat visual of the Ring’s time spent inside a CT scanner. This showed, before the device was deconstructed for good, that Samsung used a press connector to attach the battery. This is normally a good thing since it usually allows for parts to be easily replaced, but since there’s no way to get the battery out without destroying the ring, it’s a moot point.
The minds over at the repair shop reckon that Samsung used the connector for reasons other than repairability. This is a fair assessment since Samsung opted not to include any repairability at all. Since nobody else has (because it’s not really possible), it’s hardly the end of the world. But perhaps it’s a good thing we’re not getting the entirely disposable Galaxy Ring over here.
