Samsung is taking on Oura with the Galaxy Ring

It took Oura (pictured above) to show the world that the ring is a viable health-tracking form factor. There have since been a handful of likeminded devices on the market, but no one quite as big as Samsung has further validated the technology by offering up their own take.

The company concluded today’s Galaxy S24 Unpacked event by announcing the Samsung Galaxy Ring. Here is the sum total of what it said about the product:

By bringing Samsung Health’s cutting-edge innovations to a brand-new form factor, we’ve created a powerful and accessible health and wellness device here to change the shape of future health, like only Samsung can. Meet the Galaxy Ring, with AI technology is empowering us to stay connected, unleash our creativity and build healthier habits all in more meaningful ways. This is just the beginning, and we can’t wait for you to try it yourself.

That’s it. We know it’s a ring. We know it’s called the Galaxy Ring. We can intuit that it will tap into the existing Samsung Health app ecosystem, leveraging a number of features introduced on the Galaxy Watch line over the years. Of course, the form factor does have its feature limitations owing to a small size. That’s likely just fine for Samsung, which will try to convince folks to wear both devices to supplement one another.

More information, including release date, price and, uh, features, coming soon.

Oura CEO Tom Hale offered TechCrunch the following reaction: “Since our founding over a decade ago, we’ve invested relentlessly in service of creating the best smart ring that gives every body a voice. Our members span from Gen Z to Boomers, from pro athletes to those seeking to improve their sleep and health, from women tracking their cycles to those who want to better manage their stress. With new features released regularly, Oura has the strongest IP portfolio — in both hardware and software — for the smart ring form factor, with 100 granted patents, 270 pending patent applications and 130+ registered trademarks. New players entering the space is validation for the category and drives us to aim higher to serve our members and community.”