Smart Rings: The smartwatch for your finger

Smart rings are small gadgets that take on many of the functions of smartwatches and fitness trackers, but in a much more discreet format. They are designed to record vital data such as heart rate, sleep cycles and even stress levels – without being distracting or particularly noticeable. They offer discreet notifications, vibrate for incoming calls or messages, and some models even support contactless payments.

The idea: A new product category beyond smartphones and smartwatches. If you find a smart watch too bulky or are worried about constantly being available for notifications and calls, a smart ring can be an alternative.

The providers: A market on the move

The top dog in the smart ring market is the “Oura Ring”. The product from a Finnish start-up is not the first smart ring, but it is the first to gain an international fan base. The Oura Ring was originally financed through a crowdfunding campaign – but it has now become much more than that.

But as always in the tech world, it doesn’t take long for the competition to follow suit: other providers such as Ultrahuman and Evie have long been trying to gain a foothold with their own approaches. And Samsung also offers its own smart ring – which is primarily intended to fit into Samsung’s own ecosystem around smartphones and household appliances.

Advantages and disadvantages of smart rings

The big advantage of smart rings is their inconspicuousness. They are small, light and hardly disturb you when wearing them. The battery life is also impressive: While most smartwatches need to be charged daily, many smart rings last for several days to a week.

But the simple design comes with disadvantages. The lack of displays means that you are more dependent on your smartphone to read the recorded data. The functionality is also limited compared to smartwatches: extensive apps, music control and GPS navigation are reserved for the watch on the wrist. And last but not least: Despite their small size, the rings are still surprisingly expensive at the moment and can hardly be had for less than 300 euros.

Apple could get involved

One major tech company is still missing from the market: Apple. However, as the web magazine Patently Apple reports, that could soon change. Apple has already secured several patents that point to the development of a smart ring. Here, the ring could be used, among other things, to control smart home devices, but also for complex health measurements. One detail is the idea of ​​an art “power ring” that can charge another ring wirelessly.

According to Apple’s patent applications, the smart rings can also be used as a kind of universal remote control – be it to regulate the light in the living room, control the television program or master virtual worlds in mixed reality.

However, it is still unclear whether this will actually happen. Since the end of the “Apple Car” it has been common knowledge that not every internally developed Apple product actually sees the light of day.