When people think of wearables, smartwatches are often the first thing that comes to mind. However, 2024 was a relatively quiet year for smartwatches, with iterative updates taking center stage. This is not unusual in a maturing category, where innovation and experimentation give way to refinement and polish. But what’s exciting is that this energy is starting to bubble up again – this time with smart rings.
The Rise of Smart Rings
Smart rings are not new, but 2024 saw a renaissance of sorts for the category. In January, several smart rings caught my eye at CES, and in February, Samsung announced the long-rumored Galaxy Ring. This move by Samsung is significant, as it propels what was previously a niche form factor into the mainstream.
The New Crop of Smart Rings
This newer crop of smart rings is exciting because there are some funky ideas in the mix. The Galaxy Ring, for instance, can work in tandem with Samsung’s Galaxy Watches to optimize battery life and sensor accuracy. When paired with a Z Fold 6 or a Z Flip 6, it can recognize a pinching gesture to control the phone’s camera. While this may be seen as a way to lock users into Samsung’s ecosystem, you have to admit that these are not use cases we’ve seen from smart rings yet.
Innovations Abound
It’s not just Samsung that is coming up with innovations in the smart ring space. The Circular Slim, for example, lets you set silent haptic alarms and attempt an in-app AI chatbot. Movano’s Evie Ring caught my eye for incorporating a distinctive open-gap design while ambitiously pursuing FDA clearance for its metrics. Even Casio is getting in on the fun with its take on a more retro low-tech smart ring.
Competition Heats Up
It’s especially refreshing to see new ideas when you consider that Oura has pretty much dominated this space for the past decade. Oura primarily focuses on sleep tracking and recovery, which means that up until recently, we’ve only really thought of smart rings as health trackers. But this past year is any indication, competition is good for Oura. The company has been launching new features at a steady clip and exploring new integrations with continuous glucose monitors, and it just released a fourth-gen ring.
Challenges Ahead
While smart rings are exciting, they’re also expensive and don’t do quite as much as similarly priced smartwatches. They’re also challenging to make precisely because they’re so small – requiring even smaller components. And let’s not forget fit: watch straps adjust easily to different sized wrists, but with smart rings, manufacturers have to make 10-12 different sizes to encompass a wider range of finger sizes – as well as account for seasonal swelling.
The Future of Smart Rings
For all these reasons, I’m not sure how smart rings will fare in the year ahead. We don’t yet know how Samsung’s Galaxy Ring is doing in terms of sales, but if it does well, especially as an accessory to other gadgets, you can bet it’ll pique the interest of Google and Apple (even though Oura CEO Tom Hale is adamant that Apple won’t dip its toes into the smart ring space).
The Interest is There
But what I do know is that during my summer of wearing six smart rings, I fielded a ton of questions from curious friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances. Some of them were just sick of smartwatches and wanted to return to a good ol’ Casio. Others wanted something beautiful and discreet. A few were extremely into sleepmaxxing – a viral trend where people try to optimize their sleep quality – and thus heavily invested in something comfortable and long-lasting to track their sleep.
Conclusion
The interest is there, but the question remains: will this renaissance continue or will we go back to Oura being the only game in town? Only time will tell, but one thing’s for sure – smart rings are here to stay, and it’ll be exciting to see what innovations come next.
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- The Galaxy Ring keeps you in Samsung’s orbit
- Oura is dominating the smart ring market – but for how long?
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