Oura Ring
Smart ring makers are circling Oura.
The latest: Samsung filed suit in a California court, alleging five of the Finnish smart ring maker’s patents are overbroad and “common to virtually all smart rings.”
Production of Samsung’s forthcoming Galaxy Ring begins this month—an estimated 400K-unit run—before shipping this summer.
Rules of engagement. Samsung is preempting a potential IP lawsuit from Oura — both devices measure activity, sleep, and stress.
But, the Galaxy is expected to be lighter, enable cognitive tests, and feature behavioral nudges, boosted by AI nutrition app Samsung Food. It’s also rumored to have ECG and CGM capabilities.
Vicious Circle
A pioneer of the form factor, market leader Oura has been pulled into a power struggle.
- In March, Oura filed an ITC suit against India’s Ultrahuman, China’s RingConn, and France’s Circular.
- Ultrahuman raised $35M in March and announced a factory in Indiana this April to overtake Oura within “12–15 months.”
Defending turf, Oura expanded retail through Amazon, launched an experimental Labs feature, and debuted insights for heart health this spring.
Her call. Vying for the female vote, both Samsung and Oura integrate with cycle tracking platform Natural Cycles.
Meanwhile, Evie is filing as a women’s medical device, Femtek’s nighttime wearable monitors menstruation, and Luna ring maker Noise acquired SocialBoat for AI-powered PCOS and thyroid insights.
Looking ahead: Samsung plans to debut as a cost + subscription service, meaning Galaxy Ring and Oura are more alike than not. Regardless of IP, a new deep-pocketed rival will fan the flames of innovation for all players.
