Smartwatches have long dominated the wearable world. Smart rings have been around the periphery, but earlier this week, Samsung ended its Unpacked event with the elegance of the Galaxy Ring. It seems to me that the company wants to shake up the order of the wearable world.
That might sound hyperbolic, given that all Samsung is doing is sporting a shiny bezel with a few visible sensors inside the band. Some details were given in the scene. But in an email, Samsung spokeswoman Amber Reaver told me the ring is designed to “give more people the ability to manage their health at home with a comprehensive yet simplified approach to everyday health.” Part of this is having consistent and accurate tracking data over a long period of time – hence the smaller form factor. Reaver also mentioned that the ring will have “leading sensor technologies” and will be comfortable enough for 24/7 use. Some folks at Unpacked also got their hands on a prototype, which analyst Avi Greengart noted is lightweight, comes in three colors and up to 13 sizes, and will be available later this year.
It sounds a lot like Oura Ring – and Oura knows it. Not long after the Galaxy Ring was announced, Oura CEO Tom Hale sent this unexpected announcement The Verge:
With new features released regularly, Oura has the strongest IP portfolio in both hardware and software for the smart ring form factor, with 100 issued patents, 270 pending patent applications and 130+ registered trademarks. The new players entering the space are a validation for the category and drive us to higher goals to serve our members and community.
Hale is right. Competition does confirmation form — and Oura has a ton of new players to contend with soon. Last week at CES, I argued that 2024 would be the year of the smart ring because I saw more on the show floor than I have in years. However, it’s easy to dismiss a bunch of small companies that get caught up in a trend. It’s another thing for a tech heavyweight like Samsung to say it believes there’s something to this form factor.
If you think about it, it’s easy to see why. Smart rings are more discreet than smartwatches and more suitable for sleep tracking. (Samsung has spent the last two years improving its sleep tracking features.) The underside of your finger is also a more accurate place to track blood oxygen and heart rate. than your wrist. As smartwatches become more and more popular, I’ve heard from many readers who long for simpler trackers. don’t do it they act as extensions of their phones. Given Apple’s stranglehold on the smartwatch market, it’s smart for Samsung to try to have a newer form factor with just one major, but still relatively niche, player.
Details are scarce, so it’s hard to tell what Samsung thinks of the Galaxy Ring in its broader wearables portfolio. However, I can see it becoming an accessory for the Galaxy Watch. For example, the Amazfit Helio is a smart ring that can either act as a standalone tracker or be paired with existing smartwatches. The idea is that when it’s time to sleep, you can stick your smartwatch to the charger without worrying about missing out on sleep tracking. It’s also a natural fit for Samsung, especially since it can easily create a discounted wearable package. (It worked well enough for Google when it introduced the Pixel Watch with its Pixel phones.)
This is also an area where Oura will have a tougher time competing. While the Oura Ring works with other smartwatches, you’ll need a third-party app like Apple Health or Google Health to pull data from each device together. This means there are a lot of apps cluttering up your phone. You may not like being tied to the ecosystem, but the convenience of owning a Galaxy phone, Galaxy Watch, and Galaxy Ring is the ability to view everything from the Samsung Health app.
If Samsung succeeds, you can bet other big companies will follow. If so, the way we view smart rings may ultimately shift from standalone devices to something more of an accessory. other gadgets. We’ll have to see how things shake out once the Galaxy Ring becomes available later this year. But I, for one, am happy to see some action in a segment that has been in a very long time.