Galaxy Ring vs Oura Ring: Samsung Does It Better?

Samsung’s Galaxy Ring recently made headlines with its first public appearance at the MWC 2024 event. However, these were prototypes with the official release confirmed for “later this year.” But, the MWC appearance of the Galaxy Ring enlightened us with some pretty vital details. Now, there’s no doubt that the Galaxy Ring will directly compete against the likes of the popular Oura Ring upon launch. So, how will the Galaxy Ring fare against the current smart ring market leader? We probably have an idea! Read on to find out.

Galaxy Ring vs Oura Ring: Design and Fit

Right off the bat, you will notice how the Galaxy Ring and Oura Ring seem like two peas in the same pod. On the design front, they are just that identical. However, there is a key difference that sets the two rings apart. While the Galaxy Ring features a concave design, the Oura Ring is convex.

Several smart rings in the market, like the Ultrahuman Ring AIR and even the Oura Ring, come with a concave structure. This automatically makes these rings an absolute scratch magnet, conflicting against surfaces easily.

It’s good to see Samsung keeping an eye out for such details and implementing them on the Galaxy Ring. However, it’s not just scratches that the concave design keeps at bay.

You can also wave a polite goodbye to discomfort, thanks to this structural choice with the Galaxy Ring. You can expect to wear the ring for longer periods (also thanks to its battery life, more on this below) as a concave design just feels more natural to wear and seamlessly becomes one with your finger. It is something that an Android Authority writeup (thanks Rita!) backs up pretty well.

Going by this writeup, the Galaxy Ring edges are round enough to not dig into your skin. That makes it all the more comfortable to wear as compared to the Oura Ring.

Talking about comfortability, size matters when it comes to rings. Smart rings are no exception, and hence, we see the Oura Ring come in 8 different size options (6 to 13). However, Samsung is not one to stay behind and took it one up with the Galaxy Ring offering 9 different size options (5 to 13).

The sensor bumps are also said to be smaller than that of the Oura Ring, as per Rita’s report. So, it is likely that you won’t feel the Galaxy Ring’s sensor bumps as much as you would with the Oura. That is also something to note here.

Galaxy Ring vs Oura Ring: Weight & Colors

The most important thing, however, is the weight of such smart rings. You don’t want a ring to feel like a pile of bricks on your finger. Galaxy Ring’s weight ranges from 2.3 to 2.9 grams, which is super lightweight and probably the most ideal choice.

This just knocks the Oura Ring’s 4 to 6 grams and the Ultrahuman Ring AIR’s 2.4 to 3.6 grams out of the, well, ring. However, note that if Samsung does go with a metal body for the final product, it will weigh heavier than the current plastic prototype. So, there’s some uncertainty here as well.

However, if you do want more versatility in terms of color options, the Oura Ring will probably do it for you. The Oura Ring comes in the Brushed Titanium, Gold, Rose Gold, Stealth, Silver, and Black colors. Yeah, quite a lot of options there. Meanwhile, going by the MWC 2024 showcase, the Galaxy Ring only comes in the Platinum Silver, Gold, and Ceramic Black color options.

As for the material being used in the two rings, it is hard to draw an exact conclusion. This is mostly because the Galaxy Ring being showcased at the MWC 2024 are still prototypes made out of plastic. Samsung has not confirmed anything about the final product coming with a metal finish.

Now, if it does arrive with a metal finish, it will clearly allow the Galaxy Ring to compete against the Oura Ring’s titanium body. However, nothing can be said for sure on that front right now.

Galaxy Ring vs Oura Ring: Health Features

While the Oura Ring has been out for some time now, the Galaxy Ring’s complete set of features is still a mystery. So, while there’s not a lot to compare here, Samsung sharing a bunch of details gives us something to go on.

For starters, just like the Oura Ring, Samsung is really focusing on the Galaxy Ring being this cool, stylish and advanced sleep tracker. The South Korean company confirmed the presence of features like My Vitality Score, which works similarly to the Oura Ring’s Readiness Score and Recovery Score on the Ultrahuman Ring AIR.

These features basically extract data from the various sensors on the smart rings such as the heart rate monitor, temperature sensor, sleep tracker, and more that work 24 x 7, to give a mental and physical preparedness score for the next day.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy Ring will also offer something called a ‘Booster Card’ to further back this Vitality Score. The Booster Card feature will be integrated seamlessly within the Samsung Health mobile app to give users additional recommendations and insights into being a healthier version of themselves.

On the other hand, the Oura app functions based on three scores, namely, sleep, readiness, and activity. These three scores will be based on the data that Oura Ring’s heart rate, temperature, and other sensors measure.

In addition, Samsung has also confirmed that period and fertility tracking tech that its Galaxy Watches use with the brand’s partner app, Natural Cycles, will also be extended to the brand’s first smart ring. However, do note that the Oura Ring uses Natural Cycles as well since it is the only FDA-approved birth control app at the moment. So, you can expect to see similar results with the Galaxy Ring as well.

However, there is a catch here. The most vital features that offer in-depth insights and personalized guidance are locked behind a paywall with the Oura Ring. So, unless you pay the monthly fee of $5.99, you are missing out on the true potential of the Oura Ring. The Ring won’t be completely useless, but the locked features are what make it particularly special.

Now, that will most likely not be the case with the Galaxy Ring, as Samsung can survive without imposing a subscription fee on its users. If that is indeed the case, features like the Vitality scoring and Booster Card will not be locked with a subscription fee. That will instantly give the Galaxy Ring significant leverage over the Oura Ring.

Mostly, from the looks of it, it’s not just the design statement but also the functions and features that both the smart rings will widely have in common.

Galaxy Ring vs Oura Ring: Can You Make Payments?

If you are getting a smart ring, you probably expect it to facilitate contactless payments for you too. Even the India-based 7 Ring smart ring was introduced last year with NFC, thereby, addressing this very commonly asked for feature.

Right before this smart ring was announced, Oura had acquired Proxy, a digital identity platform. So, the next-gen Oura Rings are expected to arrive with the ability to make contactless payments, confirm an individual’s identity, etc.

Meanwhile, Samsung is not deaf to people wanting to make payments using a smart ring and is already exploring the different “use cases” of the upcoming Galaxy Ring. If that is indeed the case and the Galaxy Ring makes it to the market with NFC before the next generation of Oura Rings, it will certainly take a major leap forward in the game.

Before we know it, people will probably just be tapping their rings instead of taking out their phones or going through the hassle of making payments via their watches for contactless payments. I mean, from the looks of it, that’s the vision here.

Galaxy Ring vs Oura Ring: Battery Life

But, what’s the point of all these features if there is not enough juice to fuel them? Moreover, when it comes to smart day-to-day gadgets like smartwatches, earbuds, and rings, you wouldn’t want to spend time charging them multiple times a day. Instead, you want a device that allows you to forget the adapter for a while.

That’s something both the Oura and Galaxy rings bring to the table. However, the Galaxy Ring may just do it a tad bit better. At least that’s what the latest reports suggest.

When speaking to Financial News, Samsung confirmed the Galaxy Ring offers a battery life of 5 to 9 days on a single charge. However, when it comes to the Oura Ring, it lasts up to 6 days. That’s an additional 3 days, which is quite the juice that you are getting from the Galaxy Ring. However, only upon the product’s release can we put this claim to the test.

But, the worst-case scenario is that the battery life will be as good as the Oura Ring, and that’s far from being a bad thing. Thanks to the absence of a display, smart rings just offer a commendable battery backup. For now, on paper battery life of the Galaxy Ring seems pretty impressive!

Galaxy Ring vs Oura Ring: Price & Subscription

The Oura Ring variants cost between $300 to $550 with the addition of the previously mentioned $5.99/ month subscription fee. Now, if Samsung wants to pit its Galaxy Ring against the likes of the Oura Ring, it needs to come out with competitive pricing. Our guess is somewhere between $250 to $400 is where the Galaxy Ring will hit the sweet spot.

In addition to lower pricing, if Samsung also manages to keep it subscription-free, the Galaxy Ring will be a no-brainer for most (including me, yes). If Samsung even sets the pricing similar to that of the Oura Ring without adding a pay wall of any sort, it will still be the ideal choice. By the end of the day, what matters is the value you are getting for your money.

Because, so many of the Oura Ring’s valuable features like Body Clock, monthly/ yearly reports, and the like are locked till you pay the subscription fee. So, Samsung going for a no-subscription strategy with its smart ring will solve this major problem and be an instant hit.

Right now, this is just a mere assumption though. Only time will tell what Samsung has up its sleeve for its very first ring.

Verdict: Should You Wait for the Galaxy Ring?

Right now, it would be unfair to straight away declare a “winner” in this comparison. This is mainly because of how vague the Galaxy Ring details still are. We still have no idea about all that the final product will arrive with.

Prototypes are always subject to change and you never know what last moment stunt Samsung may pull. However, there are a couple of things you can indeed note when deciding which wearable you should buy once the Galaxy Ring officially lands.

For starters, the clear platform choices of the two rings. While the Oura Ring supports both Android and iOS, the Galaxy Ring will most likely only provide support for the former. The reason being that after Galaxy Watch 3, Samsung ended support for iOS devices.

We also saw Samsung working towards building an ecosystem, and that very fact was solidified with the Galaxy S24 series launch. Samsung’s plans for streamlining its devices and bringing them together with AI is no surprise anymore.

Moreover, Dr. Hon Pak, Samsung’s Vice President of Digital Health Team, has also confirmed how wearing a Galaxy Watch and the Galaxy Ring at the same time will further improve the accuracy of sleep tracking metrics.

In this way, Samsung is probably aiming to solve the possible problem of product cannibalization, since most people will understandably prefer the Ring’s form factor over a Galaxy Watch. With this, users who want to get into the Samsung ecosystem can just take complete advantage of it.

Finally, if the Galaxy Ring does arrive with all the features not being locked behind a paywall, Oura Ring will definitely have a hard time trying to prove its worth. Of course, it does come down to how the Galaxy Ring manages to perform in real life once it lands.

Then there’s the BIG question of pricing. Samsung may reveal the pricing and other details in the next few months. That will give us a lot more clarity about where the Galaxy Ring will stand in the market upon launch. Till then, one can only bounce their legs and wait in anticipation.

What do you think? Will Samsung be able to corner the market with the Galaxy Ring? Let us know in the comments down below!