Smart rings are not for you, and that’s completely normal

Just a year ago, everyone was talking about connected rings. This was to be the new category of fashionable products, the new El Dorado for brands after watches or connected bracelets.

To go further
Connected rings: what models are available?

However, at the end of 2024, it is time to take a first step forward. If several major players have indeed launched their own health rings in 2024, it is clear that the market does not seem to have taken off as promised.

A major year for the connected ring market

At the end of 2023, the market for connected health rings was still what could be described as a niche market. Only a few manufacturers – starting with the Finnish market leader, Oura – had invested in the development of these products. There were then a few brands specializing specifically in health rings such as Oura, but also Ice Ring, Ultrahuman, Circular or RingConn. At that time, for the general public, the ring segment was still largely unknown and full of promise.

However, the year 2024 was marked by a popularization of this type of device or, at least, by broader knowledge. Samsung was one of the first major players to try it, unveiling its Galaxy Ring at the end of January – before launching it during the summer. But behind the Korean manufacturer, the Chinese sports watch brand Amazfit also tried it with its Helio Ring. Above all, faced with the heavyweight of Samsung, renowned brands in the field have counterattacked, notably with the Oura Ring 4 or the RingConn Gen 2. Each has used its improved comfort, its more precise data or its advice generated by artificial intelligence.

But at the same time, consumers began to discover what was hidden behind connected rings. These are small wearable devices capable of measuring heart rate, number of steps, HRV, blood oxygen level, movement or temperature… yes, exactly like a connected watch.

Rings that add nothing more than a watch

This is where the problem lies. While brands have strived to launch connected rings by presenting them as the new El Dorado of connected health, they have forgotten that these are above all devices more limited than connected watches. Suffice to say that, for many, the disappointment was great. You only have to see the cover of the Galaxy Ring when it was released to understand the problem. For Numeramathis connected ring has a “ extremely limited interest ». Pour01netit is an accessory “locked into a use too restricted to be recommended“. According to BFM« the Ring ultimately does nothing more than a connected watch, even rather less things ».

Make no mistake, these criticisms are not the prerogative of the Samsung ring, but could have been addressed to all connected rings on the market.

In fact, the tests of the Galaxy Ring revealed one thing to the general public – or at least to consumers who were not yet aware of the market: connected rings are useless… if you already have a connected watch.

This is the paradox of Samsung or Amazfit which highlight the functionalities of their rings when they are used alongside their watches. According to both brands, the rings work even better when worn with a watch at the same time. Except that if you wear a watch, the ring is much less interesting. Thanks to their larger sensors, the watches are more precise, not even to mention the broader functionality offered thanks to their screens.

The heart rate sensors of the Samsung Galaxy Ring // Source: Arnaud Gelineau – Frandroid

The new heart rate sensor of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 // Source: Robin Wycke – Frandroid

This doesn’t mean that smart rings don’t have an audience, just that it’s still a niche audience.

An interest in connected rings… but niche

Concretely, the advantage of connected rings is their autonomy of almost a week. Compared to an Apple Watch or a Galaxy Watch, this is a considerable advantage which allows you not to have to recharge a ring at night… and therefore to wear it to track your sleep. More broadly, connected rings can be aimed at people who wish to monitor their sleep without having to carry a watch on their wrist during the night.

The other target audience for connected rings concerns those most resistant to watches… or lovers of beautiful watches. The author of these lines has the habit of wearing a toquant on each wrist, for professional reasons, but it is difficult to deny the ridiculous aspect. On a daily basis, fans of collectible watches or mechanical models may still want to monitor their physical activity or health. In this case, a connected ring is a perfect solution.

See you in ten years

Ultimately, the current concern with connected rings comes from the fact that they do nothing more than a watch. Worse, what they do, they often do less well. For outdoor sports tracking, they lack a GPS. For monitoring heart rate during exercise, we will come back. To view the data, you must use a third-party device.

No doubt this will change in the future. Ten years ago, when the first smartwatches appeared on the market, they did not offer a tenth of the functions currently available.

To go further
Google, Samsung, Apple… how sport and health have transformed connected watches

Brands have gradually followed user requests to make devices related to health or activity. See you in ten years to see what the uses of a mature market for connected rings will be.