After a couple of teasers, Samsung has now fully taken the wraps off the Galaxy Ring at Unpacked , but how does it stack up against its main competitor, the Oura Ring Gen 3 ?
Well, there’s good news for Samsung fans as the firm’s first-generation effort wins in a number of areas which could make it the best smart ring on the market.
No hidden costs
Although it was rumoured that Samsung would go down a similar pricing structure to Oura, it hasn’t (thank goodness).
While Oura charges £5.99/$5.99 monthly subscription fee (or £69.99 annually) to access most of the data, Samsung is not charging anything in addition to the upfront cost of the ring.
Samsung’s does cost more at £399/$399 vs £299/$299 (the starting price for the Oura) but use the Galaxy Ring for 18 months and it’s cheaper overall.
Charge any time, anywhere
Recharging the Oura is a bit of a faff, with a small circular charging puck which requires USB power to work.
Samsung has cleverly done a similar thing to the RingConn Smart Ring by way of a charging case.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
In much the same way as you charge earbuds, when the Galaxy Ring is low or empty you simply put it in the case, and it will top it back up. Since the case has its own battery and can itself be topped up by USB-C or wireless charging, it’s a neat solution.
Depending on the size of the Galaxy Ring you buy, the case can charge it between four and six times over meaning you can be away from a power source for over a month.
Strength in numbers
Oura has proven itself as one of the driving forces, if not the leader, in the smart ring industry and while making only one type of product has its benefits, Samsung can do more.
These days, with so many different types of tech products, the eco-system is important.
If you get a Galaxy Ring and use it with a Galaxy smartphone like the Galaxy Z Flip 6 or Galaxy smartwatch like the Galaxy Watch 7 , you’ll get several additional features and benefits.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
For starters, when using it with a Galaxy phone, the Ring supports pinch gestures that can do things like dismiss an alarm or take a photo.
Pair it with a Galaxy Watch and you’ll not only get more accurate tracking because Samsung’s AI can collate the data coming from each device and do things like account for anomalies, but battery life will also increase.
Both the Galaxy Ring and Oura claim 7-days of battery life but using the Galaxy Ring with a Galaxy Watch can increase the ring’s battery life by up to 30% as it doesn’t need to take readings like your heart rate as often.
Light as a feather
Weight is a factor for just about any gadget, but especially one you wear on your person 24/7 and this is another area where Samsung comes out on top.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Although Oura is on its third-generation smart ring, the device weighs 4-6g depending on what size you choose.
Samsung’s Galaxy Ring, however, is much lighter at just 2.3-3g depending on the size. This could make a world of difference in how comfortable you find the device.
Oura fights back
Although Samsung has the upper hand in a number of ways, Oura has something up its sleeve which will make all the difference to millions of people.
Those people are iPhone users, because Samsung’s Galaxy Ring does not play nicely with Apple devices. Instead, you’ll need to have a phone running Android 11 or later, and of course, Samsung would rather you had a Galaxy device to unlock those extra features mentioned above.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
With Oura’s app available on both Android and iOS, there is no compatibility issue.
Where to buy the smart rings
The Galaxy Ring goes on sale 24 July in nine different sizes (5-13 in US sizing) priced at a flat £399/$399 and comes in three colours: Titanium Silver, Titanium Black and Titanium Gold.
The Oura Ring Gen 3 is on sale now starting from £299/$299 in two different designs and a large range of colours.
Author: Chris Martin, Managing Editor, Tech Advisor
Tech Advisor Managing Editor Chris got his break as a reporter at infamous site The Inquirer and has been with us for more than 12 years. With a BA degree in Music Technology, audio is his specialism, but over the years he has reviewed all kinds of gadgets, from smartwatches to mesh Wi-Fi to coffee machines.
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