Last week, Samsung surprised everyone by announcing its upcoming smart ring at Galaxy Unpacked 2024, where the headline act was its new Galaxy S24 range of smartphones, and a slew of new AI features (lots of them, including a not-so-good one). While the new Galaxy S24 Ultra was what most people were focusing on for the event, a new product launch is certainly worth being excited about.
But I’m not the only one who’s a little confused about what a smart ring is meant to do, right? Samsung’s ‘smart’ product range currently includes earbuds, watches, tags, and a wide range of household appliances. The brand has more smart devices than its closest competitors, Google and Apple, but how is an electronic ring supposed to factor into any of this? Let’s find out.
What is a smart ring?
Perhaps the best example of what a ‘smart ring’ is comes from, well, an actual smart ring – one that you can buy today (albeit from the U.S.) – the Oura Ring. Oura has released two versions of this device now and is three generations in, with the current lineup including a device that’s completely rounded, and one with a ‘plateau’ design. Our colleagues in the U.S. reviewed it.
For the most part, the Oura Ring tracks biometric data. It can track sleep data, daily movement, temperature, heart rate, stress (based on factors like heart rate and temperature), and blood oxygenation.
It’s reasonable to expect as Samsung enters the market, it’s looking at the Oura Ring as inspiration, and it’ll be a fitness-focused wearable. This makes the most sense – what else really could a smart ring do for you? It would be cool if Samsung’s ring had a wrap-around LED display that you could change with an app, but we’re not here to give you a wishlist.
What will the Samsung smart ring be capable of?
Based on reporting from Korean outlet Naver, which picked up on patents Samsung had filed that looked very ring-like, the ring could be capable of heart rate and temperature tracking.
No doubt it’ll also integrate into Samsung’s technology suite as well – Samsung’s fitness features on its smartphones and watches are extensive (if a bit unnerving), and the ring would likely compliment the company’s fitness ecosystem. Whether or not it’ll introduce any new features or tracked data, we’ll have to wait and see, but there’s no reason that it couldn’t do much of the tracking that the Oura Ring can already do.
At Galaxy Unpacked, Gizmodo Australia learned the ring would be released alongside the rest of Samsung’s wearable product range (no surprises there), and that it will collect long-term health data with a focus on 24/7 tracking. We also learned that it’ll provide a “simplified” health experience, which makes sense, considering that, to me, it just seems like a faceless smartwatch for your finger.
Pricing, availability, and models haven’t been discussed yet, but as rings come in all shapes and sizes, there will likely be some personalisation to the gadget. Whether it’s in the form of, for example, a different material or colour, we’ll have to wait and see. Additionally, sizing hasn’t been discussed by the company, but it’s unlike that Samsung would offer only a single size for a device meant to fit on your finger – Oura offers eight sizing options and four finishes (Silver, Black, ‘Stealth’, and Gold) along with two styles.
Oh, Oura also has certain features locked behind a subscription. Let’s hope Samsung doesn’t do this.
Image: Oura
Zachariah Kelly travelled to San Jose as a guest of Samsung.