Believe it or not, the modern idea of smartwatches is over a decade ago. Pebble — arguably one of the most important players in bringing smartwatches to the forefront of the tech space — launched its Kickstarter campaign in 2012 before shipping units in 2013. Samsung released the first Galaxy Gear later that year, while Motorola launched the very first Moto 360 in the fall of 2014. By 2015, Apple had joined the race, and the rest is history.
We’re currently looking at a very similar trajectory in the smart ring category. Smart rings, I’d argue, hit some level of mainstream success thanks to the efforts of Oura — indeed, Oura’s third-gen ring is usually held as the best you can buy right now, with a fourth-gen model on the way. We’ve seen other competitors from the likes of Ultrahuman and Circular, but really, we’re still deep into “Pebble” territory, with Samsung once again filling in as the first tech giant to enter the arena.
The Galaxy Ring has been a looming threat over Oura’s success for practically all of 2024, and with this summer’s Unpacked having served as an official launch, it’s finally time to see if Samsung has what it takes to make the best smart ring around. That said, this remains a very untested product category, with the general public likely lacking the sort of awareness for smart rings that they have with other wearables. If reviews of the Galaxy Ring are positive, Samsung has an opportunity to really blow smaller upstarts out of the water here.
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But that also depends not just on general consumers being excited for smart rings, but enthusiasts too. AP readers, for example, are likely the sorts of people that less informed tech shoppers turn to when looking for insight on new gadgets. So, if Samsung — and Oura, and others — can convince early adopters to buy into smart rings, it’s the first positive step towards eventually developing a space that competes at scale with fitness trackers and smartwatches. In other words, the success of the Galaxy Ring really depends on shoppers like you.
So, as always, I’m curious. Do you have an interest in smart rings? Maybe you prefer the form factor over the more invasive, larger lineup of smartwatches. Maybe it all comes down to price and performance for you, or maybe you’re looking for a smart ring that’s just as capable as other wearable tech. Or maybe you’ve already decided the product category isn’t for you, either due to gadgets you already own or because you’re uninterested in wearables in general.
Either way, let us know in the poll (and comments!) below. It’s early days for smart rings, and looking at the first crop of smartwatches from a decade ago, they have a long way to go before they hit peak refinement. After all, if the first-gen Galaxy Ring is anything like the first-gen Galaxy Gear, just imagine how good future smart rings could be.
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