Samsung’s Next Wearable Could Be the Galaxy Ring

A Samsung smart ring could be in the works, and I’m here for it. The company recently filed two new patents with the Korean Intellectual Property Right Information Services. The patents are labeled Galaxy Ring and Galaxy Glasses. Which means we might also see a pair of AR glasses, especially with the company’s extended reality push.

The patent describes the Galaxy Ring as a smart device “for measuring health indicators and/or sleep” in the form of a ring. There’s not much more to it than that, but it’s easy to imagine the proposed ring’s capabilities since it will sync up with Samsung Health to log stats. It might even have a temperature sensor, which Samsung bundled into the Galaxy Watch 5. The temperature sensor on the latest smartwatch isn’t active, but Samsung recently partnered with Natural Cycles, a temperature-reliant cycle-tracking app. Samsung said the capability would go live in the second quarter of this year.

This isn’t the first time Samsung has filed a patent for a smart ring. It’s been exploring the device type since at least 2015, though nothing has yet come to fruition. The rumors grew louder toward the end of last year as more patent filings passed, including one with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Samsung will face stiff competition if/when it launches the Galaxy Ring. Thus far, the Oura Ring has been the standard for smart ring devices, along with a smattering of lesser-known brands. The Oura Ring can track steps, body temperature, and sleep, though reviewers have noted it can be tedious to fit it on a finger. How would Samsung get around that?

As for the augmented reality glasses, they’re referred to simply as Galaxy Glasses. Samsung describes it as a “headset for virtual reality experience” and a “headset for augmented reality experience” within the patent filing, with the latter featuring a mention of a headphone. It’s unclear if these would be for consumers or the enterprise market, where most augmented reality glasses have gone to work. Lenovo already makes the ThinkReality glasses, which tether to a computer, while Google Glass has gone on to work on factory floors. We wonder if Samsung’s AR glasses will be marketed to consumers directly, like the purported next iteration of Google Glass, and if this device will truly usher Samsung’s vision for “extended reality.”