What you need to know
- Samsung teased its upcoming Galaxy Ring during the Unpacked launch event.
- We don't know when it will be available, but Samsung is likely to launch the ring later in 2024.
- Oura responds to the announcement, touting its leadership in the smart ring segment for fitness trackers.
After being rumored for some time, the Galaxy Ring was officially teased at Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event following the launch of the new Galaxy S24 series. With it, Samsung is the latest company set to enter the growing smart ring market, but Oura is holding its ground.
Following Wednesday's announcement, Oura CEO Tom Hale offered his thoughts regarding the Galaxy Ring and Oura's stance on new competitors. In a statement provided to Android Central via email, Hale notes how Oura has "invested relentlessly" in creating a smart ring that gives everyone a voice.
"Our members span from Gen Z to Boomers, from pro athletes to those seeking to improve their sleep and health, from women tracking their cycles to those who want to better manage their stress," says Hale.
"With new features released regularly, Oura has the strongest IP portfolio—in both hardware and software—for the smart ring form factor, with 100 granted patents, 270 pending patent applications, and 130+ registered trademarks. New players entering the space is validation for the category and drives us to aim higher to serve our members and community."
The statement reads like a major flex from Oura, which has secured itself as a household name for smart rings. The Oura Ring Gen 3 launched in late 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic began to wind down, and by March 2022, the company announced that it had already sold 1 million rings.
In my review of the Oura Ring Gen 3, I was quite impressed with the battery life, the number of sensors packed into the small device, and the useful insights made by the app. It also has impressive activity detection features, and Oura continues to add new features and capabilities.
Oura has also flexed its patent portfolio with a few lawsuits aimed at other smart ring companies, including Circular and Ultrahuman. Knowing that, Oura's statement almost sounds threatening, practically daring Samsung to challenge its dominance.
For now, little is known about Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Ring. The company teased its design, which is admittedly quite different from Oura's, but we haven't seen or heard much beyond that. However, we expect it will tie closely into Samsung Health while possibly offering some features exclusive to Galaxy smartphone owners, similar to how Samsung treats the Galaxy Watch lineup.
We also don't blame Oura for standing its ground. Samsung is a big name with the best Android smartwatches and lots of money to throw at marketing the ring, not to mention other companies like Movano and Amazfit, which are also trying to get their piece of the pie. Of course, it's been a few years since the last model was launched, so perhaps we'll get a new Oura Ring in 2024.
