We now know when to expect the Samsung Galaxy Ring to arrive, and all it took was a lawsuit to give us that information.
Samsung has filed a preemptive lawsuit against Oura, makes of the Oura Ring, that's looking to win a declaratory judgment which would prevent Oura from filing patent claims against the Galaxy Ring. Citing what it calls a patten of Oura filing claims against other smart ring makers, Samsung wants a U.S. district court to conclude that any allegations cover "features common to virtually all smart rings." (You can read a PDF of Samsung's legal filing.)
There's a more interesting detail in that lawsuit than claims and counterclaims of smart ring technologies — Samsung also reveals when it's going to ship the Galaxy Ring that it first previewed at the Galaxy Unpacked event at the beginning of this year. According to the suit, Samsung expects to sell the Galaxy Ring in the U.S. "in or around August."
We're expecting more Galaxy Ring details, along with confirmation of a release date, during Samsung's next Galaxy Unpacked event, expected to take place in the summer. Assuming the a rumored July 10 date for that event is correct, an August ship date for the Galaxy Ring would fit nicely into that schedule.
The Galaxy Ring is exactly what its name would suggest — a ring you wear on your finger that provides fitness and health tracking features. Among the Galaxy Ring features Samsung has already teased are a Vitality Score that measures how well rested you are. We're expecting the ring to offer a built-in heart rate sensor with the possibility of blood pressure monitoring and aFib detection, assuming Samsung can win regulatory approval for those features.
Samsung hasn't hinted at a price, but based on how much competing devices cost, we're expecting something in the neighborhood of $300.
The Oura Ring currently dominates the smart ring market, and Oura likely wants to keep things that way. That's why we may find Oura and Samsung battling it out in court as their respective rings fight for space on customers' fingers. We've got a Galaxy Ring vs. Oura Ring comparison that looks at how the competition might measure up, based on early Galaxy Ring details and rumors.
