Jenith
Well-known Member
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2019
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Samsung launched the Galaxy Ring in July 2024 and there was quite a lot of fanfare surrounding its launch. The world's largest Android manufacturer had arrived in a category that Oura had spent years building largely alone, and it had arrived with serious hardware, a no-subscription pricing model, and a worldwide retail distribution network that a minnow like Oura could only dream of.
It felt that the category was about to go mainstream. Samsung's ecosystem had enough of a pull to entice customers to buy its first-ever smart ring. It should have been enough to compel people who had never bought one before to take the plunge.
The initial hype died down and Samsung hasn't really done much since to push the device. It's been nearly two years since Samsung launched its first smart ring. The company hasn't said anything about launching a new model, while earlier this week, Oura launched the Ring 5.
Oura has made some considerable upgrades to its latest wearable. It's considerably smaller, the company actually calls it the world's smallest smart ring. It even picks up some new features such as blood pressure trend monitoring and live activity tracking. There are additional capabilities, such as GLP-1 Insights and Health Records, which tie in with healthcare providers and bring users' medications, diagnosed conditions, and lab results into the Oura app.
At $399, the Ring 5 is $50 more expensive than its predecessor, while the subscription model remains unchanged at $5.99 per month. Compared to Samsung, the subscription model has been Oura's biggest weakness, but the problem is that Samsung can only exploit a competitive advantage while it has a product on the market worth buying.
It's quite clear that there won't be a Galaxy Ring 2 in 2026. Recent reports have suggested that Samsung will launch the Galaxy Ring 2 in early 2027, but there's still nothing concrete to go on.
By the time Samsung's next ring arrives, Oura will have had the Ring 5 in market for the better part of a year, accumulating data, user feedback, and software iteration that compounds into an advantage that Samsung cannot close overnight.
There's no love lost between Oura and Samsung. The two companies have launched patent infringement claims against each other, and while Oura would much like to see injunctive action Samsung, the threat of that alone isn't likely to deter the Korean giant from bringing a new smart ring on the market.
It's more likely that Samsung is adopting a wait and see approach for the smart ring. The first attempt didn't exactly fly off the shelves, and Samsung hasn't really done much to spur sales by offering significant discounts or promotions. Some reports have suggested that Galaxy Ring sales have been underwhelming after the initial launch period and there doesn't appear to be anything on the cards that may reignite interest.
Samsung had a lot going for it when it entered into this category. It had the hardware confidence, marketing and distribution scale. So while none of that was a limiting factor, it was the consumer that didn't embrace the product as much as Samsung thought it might.
On the other hand, Oura enjoys the advantage of having been in this market for longer. It likely has a larger existing customer base, while the fact that it also supports iPhones undoubtedly works in its favor, since Apple doesn't make smart rings yet.
So while Samsung seems content with sitting on the sidelines, Oura is showcasing genuine advancement. The work it has done in reducing the ring's size while improving its capabilities won't go unnoticed by consumers. They'll notice that Oura is making strides in the form factor that Samsung has temporarily vacated.
Samsung surely needs to come out swinging with the Galaxy Ring 2, whenever it's launched. Early reporting suggests that the next smart ring will improve health and fitness tracking, comfort, and battery life. It may also enhance sleep analysis and cardiovascular health monitoring.
Those are the right priorities as they address some of the criticisms that have followed the original Galaxy Ring since launch. However, Oura customers, the ones that Samsung wanted to bring over when the first smart ring was launched, aren't going to wait. They now have a more capable device within reach when the Ring 5 arrives early next month and thus no real reason to wait until early 2027.
One can only hope that the Galaxy Ring doesn't end up becoming one of Samsung's pet projects that seem to fall out of favor with the company after a few years. The smart ring market is likely to grow in the coming years, and Samsung has much to offer users as its wider AI-connected health and wellness ecosystem is becoming one of the best solutions on the market.
It felt that the category was about to go mainstream. Samsung's ecosystem had enough of a pull to entice customers to buy its first-ever smart ring. It should have been enough to compel people who had never bought one before to take the plunge.
The initial hype died down and Samsung hasn't really done much since to push the device. It's been nearly two years since Samsung launched its first smart ring. The company hasn't said anything about launching a new model, while earlier this week, Oura launched the Ring 5.
Oura has made some considerable upgrades to its latest wearable. It's considerably smaller, the company actually calls it the world's smallest smart ring. It even picks up some new features such as blood pressure trend monitoring and live activity tracking. There are additional capabilities, such as GLP-1 Insights and Health Records, which tie in with healthcare providers and bring users' medications, diagnosed conditions, and lab results into the Oura app.
At $399, the Ring 5 is $50 more expensive than its predecessor, while the subscription model remains unchanged at $5.99 per month. Compared to Samsung, the subscription model has been Oura's biggest weakness, but the problem is that Samsung can only exploit a competitive advantage while it has a product on the market worth buying.
It's quite clear that there won't be a Galaxy Ring 2 in 2026. Recent reports have suggested that Samsung will launch the Galaxy Ring 2 in early 2027, but there's still nothing concrete to go on.
By the time Samsung's next ring arrives, Oura will have had the Ring 5 in market for the better part of a year, accumulating data, user feedback, and software iteration that compounds into an advantage that Samsung cannot close overnight.
There's no love lost between Oura and Samsung. The two companies have launched patent infringement claims against each other, and while Oura would much like to see injunctive action Samsung, the threat of that alone isn't likely to deter the Korean giant from bringing a new smart ring on the market.
It's more likely that Samsung is adopting a wait and see approach for the smart ring. The first attempt didn't exactly fly off the shelves, and Samsung hasn't really done much to spur sales by offering significant discounts or promotions. Some reports have suggested that Galaxy Ring sales have been underwhelming after the initial launch period and there doesn't appear to be anything on the cards that may reignite interest.
Samsung had a lot going for it when it entered into this category. It had the hardware confidence, marketing and distribution scale. So while none of that was a limiting factor, it was the consumer that didn't embrace the product as much as Samsung thought it might.
On the other hand, Oura enjoys the advantage of having been in this market for longer. It likely has a larger existing customer base, while the fact that it also supports iPhones undoubtedly works in its favor, since Apple doesn't make smart rings yet.
So while Samsung seems content with sitting on the sidelines, Oura is showcasing genuine advancement. The work it has done in reducing the ring's size while improving its capabilities won't go unnoticed by consumers. They'll notice that Oura is making strides in the form factor that Samsung has temporarily vacated.
Samsung surely needs to come out swinging with the Galaxy Ring 2, whenever it's launched. Early reporting suggests that the next smart ring will improve health and fitness tracking, comfort, and battery life. It may also enhance sleep analysis and cardiovascular health monitoring.
Those are the right priorities as they address some of the criticisms that have followed the original Galaxy Ring since launch. However, Oura customers, the ones that Samsung wanted to bring over when the first smart ring was launched, aren't going to wait. They now have a more capable device within reach when the Ring 5 arrives early next month and thus no real reason to wait until early 2027.
One can only hope that the Galaxy Ring doesn't end up becoming one of Samsung's pet projects that seem to fall out of favor with the company after a few years. The smart ring market is likely to grow in the coming years, and Samsung has much to offer users as its wider AI-connected health and wellness ecosystem is becoming one of the best solutions on the market.