Samsung Unveils Galaxy Smart Ring

Samsung is coming for Oura.

The news: The global electronics maker teased a new piece of health-tracking hardware, the Galaxy Ring.

Showing off the device at its Unpacked event, details were sparse, and no launch date was provided. However, the company said its Oura rival will include several sensors and integrate with the Samsung ecosystem.

Health-minded. Keeping pace with Apple and Google, Samsung’s interconnected health ecosystem is answering consumer demand for personalized, preventative wellness.

It spent the past year ramping up its wearable tech, adding sleep, heart rate, and menstrual cycle insights for the Galaxy Watch. More recently, it launched AI meal planning and medication tracking features.

Finger fight. While Oura pioneered the smart ring market, earning a $2.55B valuation, competitors are giving chase.

• Movano Health debuted its women’s health-focused Evie Ring.
• India’s Ultrahuman pairs its ring with metabolic health insights.
• France’s Circular claims its device is the “world’s thinnest” smart ring.

Elsewhere, smart rings headlined CES 2024, with Lotus, Amazfit, and YogiFi moving in. Not to be outdone, Apple has filed ring patents of its own while pushing new sensors for Watch.

Punchline: As we await official word on the Galaxy Ring’s debut, demand for smaller, more powerful health-tracking hardware will see consumers and wearable makers trade wrist-worn devices for sensor-packed, always-on rings.