Apple, Samsung and many other manufacturers are engaged in smart rings, is it electronic waste or the next technology outlet?

VRAR Planet

2024-05-05 17:55Published in Beijing

Summary: Could smart rings be the next breakthrough?

Recently, the Dutch website GalaxyClub broke the news that Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Ring, its first smart ring, may be available in up to nine sizes. Previously, it was rumored that Samsung has been producing the Galaxy Ring since May, and plans to produce up to 400,000 pieces when it goes on sale.

At MWC 2024 recently, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Ring for the first time and confirmed that it will be available in three stylish colorways: platinum silver, gold, and ceramic black, and there has been speculation about when it will be released. Combined with the news revealed by a Samsung executive on LinkedIn (which was subsequently deleted), it is widely speculated that the Galaxy Ring may be officially released in the second half of 2024, and may be unveiled at the same time as Samsung's second Galaxy Unpacked conference in Paris, France, on July 10.

From the first batch of 400,000 pieces, it can be seen how seriously Samsung attaches to the Galaxy Ring. As the key development direction of smart rings, health monitoring and XR interconnection have attracted the attention and layout of many enterprises. With Apple, Samsung, Meizu, Goertek, Thunderbird Innovation, Yingmu and many other manufacturers have entered the game, smart rings seem to have become the next technology outlet.

So, could smart rings be the next breakthrough?

Smart rings: why are they highly anticipated as the new favorites of health monitoring and XR connectivity?

Today, when smart watches have become fashionable and healthy accessories, why do people still look forward to smart rings that focus on health monitoring? Why do major manufacturers have a soft spot for the new product of smart rings, and have increased their efforts to develop and promote?

In fact, smart rings are no longer a new face in the field of technology, but their unique charm has made them gradually emerge in recent years. After all, compared to smart watches, smart rings are lightweight and small, allowing them to fit the human body more closely and be worn even while sleeping, giving users a senseless wearing experience. This design not only ensures the user's comfort and convenience in daily life, but also makes the smart ring play a greater advantage in health monitoring.

What's more, smart rings perform well in terms of health monitoring. Due to its skin-hugging design, the smart ring can more accurately capture the user's physiological data, such as heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, etc., providing more powerful data support for health management. Whether it's daily health tracking or early warning of diseases, smart rings can provide users with comprehensive health analysis with their high-precision data.

In recent years, a number of outstanding products and manufacturers have emerged in the field of smart rings. Among them, the Finnish company Oura Health Oy is the most famous, and its Oura Ring has developed into its third generation, and Britain's Prince Harry and Olympic champion Gu Ailing are their customers. Evie, a smart ring from healthcare company Movano, tracks women's periods and has an innovative look that isn't a closed ring. In 2019, Amazon also launched the smart ring Echo Loop, which has physical buttons and microphones in addition to various detection components.

At present, technology giants such as Apple, Samsung, and Goertek have also shown interest in this new category, actively developing and promoting smart ring products, injecting new vitality into the market.

Among them, Apple has obtained a patent for a smart ring/finger sleeve in the latest smart ring patents, hoping to allow the wearer to touch and feel virtual things in spatial computing. The patent, titled "Finger-Worn Device with Sensors and Haptic Feedback," features sensors on each fingertip that can detect the user's hand movements to better interact with the content of the virtual reality world. An example of Apple's patent is as follows: When a user wears an Apple Vision Pro and such a wearable device, someone throws a virtual ball at you in the virtual world, and the tactile sensors at their fingertips can simulate the sensation of receiving the ball.

In addition to Apple, in April this year, according to the announcement of the State Intellectual Property Office, Goertek Co., Ltd. applied for a project called "Smart Ring", with a public number CN117882927A, and the application date is January 2024. The patent abstract shows that the present invention discloses a smart ring, and the patent abstract shows that the present invention discloses a smart ring, wherein the smart ring comprises a ring body, a contact part and a driving assembly. The technical scheme of the present invention improves the scope of application of the intelligent ring.

In addition, Huami Amazfit released a new smart product, the Amazfit Hello Ring, at the CES 2024 exhibition, which weighs about 3.8 grams and is one of the lightest smart rings on the market today. According to Amazfit, the Hello Ring provides a detailed understanding of the physical and mental condition of the athlete and is waterproof up to 10 ATM, making it suitable for swimmers.

Unlike Samsung's Galaxy Ring, which focuses on "health monitoring", companies such as Thunderbird Innovation, NOLO, Yingmu Technology, and Meizu are more keen to explore the infinite possibilities of "AR interaction". INMO has unveiled the INMO Air2, the second-generation AR glasses, and the INMO Ring, a smart ring. The Thunderbird Ring smart ring released by Thunderbird Innovation has opened up a new world for the application scenarios in the field of smart glasses. At the 2023 Meizu Autumn Unbounded Ecosystem Conference, Meizu launched the MYVU Ring smart ring, which perfectly matches with MYVU Discovery AR glasses, bringing users an unprecedented AR interactive experience.

The function of the smart ring is limited, is it just a "chicken rib" technology toy?

Today, smart watches may seem "useless" in the eyes of many people, so in comparison, smart rings seem to be even more "chicken". For smart rings, although it has a certain sense of technology and convenience, on the other hand, some people think that it is just another "IQ tax".

Compared to smart watches, smart rings are clearly lacking in terms of functionality. While it is capable of basic functions such as monitoring health data and providing message notifications, complex functions such as full motion tracking and navigation are difficult to achieve. In addition, due to the size limitation of the ring, its screen and buttons are relatively small, which undoubtedly increases the difficulty for users to interact with it, making it less convenient to view and manipulate information.

In addition, there are some challenges to the design of smart rings. In order to accommodate different finger sizes, the ring may need to make some compromises in its design, which may affect its battery life, sensor configuration, and overall wearing comfort. Some smart rings may appear bulky and not suitable for long-term wear in order to integrate more functions.

At the same time, as an emerging product, the recognition and acceptance of smart rings in the market need to be improved. Many consumers may be skeptical about its functionality, usefulness, and value, believing that it may just be another "fancy" but no practical use for a tech product.

Of course, there are many challenges that need to be overcome for smart rings to succeed in the market. For example, how to improve the practicality and user experience of the product, how to balance the relationship between functional integration and wearing comfort, how to improve the awareness and acceptance of smart rings by consumers, these issues require in-depth thinking and exploration by manufacturers.

brief summary

However, although there are some shortcomings in smart rings, with the popularization of concepts such as health monitoring and smart wearables, more and more consumers have begun to pay attention to and accept such products. This provides a good market foundation for the development of smart rings.

In addition, with the continuous advancement of technology, smart rings will be significantly improved in terms of function, battery life, and comfort, which is expected to further enhance their market competitiveness. In addition, the R&D and promotion of smart rings by major brands are also constantly strengthening, and these problems will be gradually solved in the future.

Next, can Samsung Galaxy Ring and other brands of smart rings open up the picture?

Let time tell.

Text/Vivi (The pictures not marked in the article are from the Internet)

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