Samsung’s next big thing, Galaxy Ring, almost here
Samsung is edging closer to releasing its Oura Ring competitor. Following on from rumours from a few months ago, we now have a trademark filing for the upcoming device.
As originally reported by South Korean site Navier (via SamMobile), the tech giant is actively collaborating with multiple companies to develop the device. This is in order to secure technology such as parts and modules necessary to come up with a smart ring.
Essential reading: The best smart rings – health tracking from your finger
Smart rings have become popularised by the likes of the Oura Ring. Some new entrants have appeared in recent years such as the Circular Ring, Movano Smart Ring and UltraHuman Ring. However, there’s still the obvious absence of big names. Apple has been rumoured for years to be working on a smart ring. But nothing, so far, has come of it.
A Fitbit, Apple, Garmin or Samsung smart ring would blow away the competition. It could, very well, be that Samsung ends up being the first mainstream brand to enter this market. Perhaps in 2023.
Samsung has a patent & trademark for a smart ring
While a smart ring does not have a screen, it does come with certain advantages. For starters these types of devices are typically more durable than smartwatches or fitness bands. Also, they are in close proximity to the skin and certain nerve endings which make them conducive for health tracking.
A patent for a ring-shaped health tracker was actually filed by Samsung a while ago with the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office). The paperwork describes a device that packs an optical heart rate monitor and ECG (Electrocardiograph) sensor. The ring can also be used to control smart devices such as tablets and TVs via gestures.
We can now add a trademark filing to this patent. KIPRIS (the Korean Intellectual Property Right Information Service) has just added a Samsung “Galaxy Ring” to its database. The paperwork describes it as “a smart device for measuring health indicators and/or sleep in the form of a ring”.
The leaks, patent and trademark filing are a strong indicator we should soon get an expansion of Samsung’s ecosystem of health products. The most recent entrants in this line is the Galaxy Watch 5 and Pro version of the same.
It is no surprise that big brands are looking to other form factors for health monitoring. Fitness bands are slowly being phased out in favour of smartwatches. One day, we expect this type of tech to transition over to smart clothing. In time we will probably transition over to ingestibles, or tech that monitors your vitals signs from the inside.
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