Samsung Smart Ring Could Challenge Galaxy Watch’s Dominance

Samsung has been a major competitor in the smartwatch market for many years, but in recent years, it has fallen behind Apple. While there’s not much to say, one possible explanation is simply the company’s shift in focus.

The Watch 5 and 6 bring no major innovations in terms of the actual experience, and this year Samsung was seen as playing safe, moving back to its tried and tested methods – precisely evident by the shift to a physical rotating bezel.

This puts Samsung in a sort of, challenging position, where the company has to reassess its strategy for the future and think of the most ideal device that would essentially perform something similar, but more efficiently.

Now, what’s the one area that Samsung is particularly strong in? Well, the health tracking hardware. The Korean giant seems to be using this to its advantage, incorporating it into a completely new device – a smart ring.

Rumors about a possible smartwatch alternative have been in the air for quite a while now, but there have been indications that we might see something interesting in the not-too-distant future. Samsung’s smart ring has been in the works for quite some years now, the idea of which was first put forward more than a decade ago.

While other companies like Oura have introduced their own devices in this niche, Samsung had remained conspicuously absent until last year. In 2022, the Korean Intellectual Property Right Information Service (KIPRIS) granted Samsung the trademark for ‘Galaxy Ring,’ indicating that the project was in its final stages of development.

Then, in July, Samsung filed trademark applications for six names related to smart wearables across various global offices. These names included “Galaxy One, Galaxy Pulse, Galaxy Rhythm, Galaxy Index, Galaxy Insight, and Galaxy Circle.” While these names may not directly point to the smart ring, they strongly suggested the development of a new wearable device was underway.

Fast forward to the third week of August, and a trademark was filed under the name of “Curio,” which many believed was the name of the ring. The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) classified it as a Class 9 trademark, which comes under “smart rings and software for smart rings, wearable computers, wearable digital electronic communication devices, and more.“

Today, insider Revegnus shared pictures of Samsung’s smart ring patent that didn’t particularly show anything out of the ordinary but further cemented the idea of a Samsung smart ring in development. Reports have predicted a release date of early to mid-2024.

With all this, there is something interesting you’ll have to keep in mind. See, last year, Samsung filed a patent for the ring to work with its AR headset, and with recent delays, it seems like the ring itself will not see the light of the day sometime soon.

While all of this is pure speculation, based on the trademarks filed, there is one constant – a threat to the Galaxy Watches. Samsung hasn’t quite solidified its position with a dedicated fanbase for Galaxy Watches, and despite having the second-best smartwatch available, they’ve fallen behind Apple Watches.

The smart ring however could just be the device that changes the tide for Samsung. However, we’ll have to wait until next year to find out. Keep in mind Apple has also filed trademarks for their own smart ring. However, when it comes to Apple, rumors often fizzle out quickly, since you never really know until the very last moment.

Speaking of last moments, this is all we know for now, but rest assured that we will keep you updated as new information becomes available.