When people think of wearables, they often conjure up images of smartwatches. However, 2024 was a relatively quiet year for smartwatches, marked by iterative updates rather than revolutionary new ideas. This is not unusual in a maturing category like smartwatches. The energy and excitement that come with exploring new technologies are often lost as the market becomes more established.
However, it seems that this energy has begun to resurface in the form of smart rings. Smart rings have been around for a while, but 2024 saw a mini renaissance in the category, with several new devices making their debut at CES and beyond.
The Galaxy Ring: A Game-Changer?
Samsung’s announcement of the long-rumored Galaxy Ring was a major turning point for smart rings. As one of the largest players in the wearable market, Samsung’s entry into the ring space is significant. The Galaxy Ring offers a range of innovative features, including the ability to 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, the Galaxy Ring can even recognize a pinching gesture to control the phone’s camera. While some might view this as a way for Samsung to lock users into its ecosystem, it’s hard to deny that these are new and exciting use cases for smart rings.
Other Innovations in Smart Rings
It’s not just Samsung that is pushing the boundaries of what smart rings can do. The Circular Slim offers silent haptic alarms and an AI chatbot, while Movano’s Evie Ring incorporates a distinctive open-gap design and pursues FDA clearance for its metrics. Even Casio has jumped into the ring space with its take on a retro low-tech smart ring.
The Rise of Competition in Smart Rings
Until recently, Oura had dominated the smart ring market with its focus on sleep tracking and recovery. However, the recent renaissance in the category suggests that competition is good for innovation. With several new devices vying for attention, it’s exciting to see what the future holds.
Challenges Facing Smart Rings
While smart rings are gaining traction, they still face significant challenges. They are expensive compared to similarly priced smartwatches and don’t offer as much functionality. Moreover, making a smart ring that fits comfortably on different fingers requires careful consideration of size and seasonality. Manufacturers must create 10-12 different sizes to accommodate various finger sizes, which adds complexity to the production process.
The Future of Smart Rings
It’s unclear how well the Galaxy Ring will perform in terms of sales, but if it does well as an accessory to other gadgets, we can expect Google and Apple to take notice. However, even if Samsung’s Galaxy Ring doesn’t immediately succeed, it has already pushed the boundaries of what smart rings can do.
As someone who spent the summer testing six different smart rings, I can attest that there is interest in these devices. People are looking for something more discreet than a smartwatch and want to track their sleep, exercise, or other metrics with ease.
Conclusion
The resurgence of smart rings marks an exciting new era for wearables. With innovative features like gesture recognition and AI chatbots, it’s clear that this category is here to stay. However, manufacturers must address the challenges facing smart rings, including cost, functionality, and fit. As we move forward into 2025, it will be fascinating to see how the market evolves.
Related Articles
- We tested six smart rings, and there’s a clear winner
- The Galaxy Ring keeps you in Samsung’s orbit
- Oura Ring 4 review: still on top — for now
