Could Apple be working on a smart ring to rival the Samsung Galaxy Ring and third party wearables such as the Evie ring pictured above? A new report based on leaks from Apple's suppliers says yes.
The Apple Smart Ring is apparently in its final stage of development, and a launch is anticipated sooner rather than later. That would make it a direct competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Ring, which is expected to launch this summer.
That's according to ETNews.com, which quotes an industry insider who says that "advanced development for commercialization appears to be imminent". A launch date is currently in discussion, although as yet there's no indication of when that might be.
A smart ring would deliver health and fitness tracking and could also be used to authorise digital payments and open smart locks.
Apple has definitely been experimenting with smart rings – it has various patents that relate directly to a ring-style wearable – but then again, Apple has filed patents for pretty much everything imaginable and its filing history is packed with patents for things it didn't end up making. But there are some convincing reasons for Apple to be working on a smart ring just now.
Why an Apple smart ring could be just the thing
The first and most obvious reason is that the tech is good enough now. As our best smart ring guide demonstrates, devices such as the Oura Ring Gen 3 largely deliver on their promises by providing unobtrusive, always-on monitoring – and crucially, it doesn't need recharging every day or so.
That's the achilles heel of the current Apple Watch, which needs a top up every two days at best. Because smart rings don't have screens they use considerably less power, so even their tiny batteries are good for surprisingly long periods.
The second reason is that it fits with Apple's focus on health and fitness, which it sees as a core feature across its wearable and mobile devices.
And the third is that it could make Apple tons of money. Predictions vary widely from analyst to analyst, but in late 2023 DataHorizon Research predicted that the smart ring market would be worth $1.4 billion by 2032. Other estimates are lower, but even those estimates suggest that there could be big money in little wearables.
