The Apple Watch may not be the only health tracker in Apple’s product portfolio. The company is reportedly developing a smart ring to rival the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Ring and Oura Ring.
It’s hard to imagine a device like this being called anything other than “Apple Ring,” but it’s not that hard to imagine what it would do. With Apple’s long-standing commitment to health, the smart ring could offer an alternative form factor for things like sleep and fitness tracking.
With plans for the Apple Car canceled and the Apple Vision Pro on the horizon, rumors are mounting about the company’s next new device category. There’s little direction for Apple to take, but a smart ring seems like a natural progression from the Apple Watch’s success.
The growing excitement surrounding Samsung’s sleek-looking Galaxy Ring may prompt Apple users to want a similar device of their own. Releasing a device just to compete with competitors isn’t really Apple’s MO (which is why we haven’t seen a foldable iPhone yet), but from what we’ve heard, smart his ring seems to be under development.
Apple Ring: When can it be released?
According to a report from Bloomberg, the Apple Ring is currently just an idea and is not in active development. It seems like there are people within Apple pushing the smart ring concept, but it’s probably too early to talk about a possible release date for the Apple Ring.
The idea is that people now have a “low-cost way to collect important health data without having to wear a full-fledged watch.”
Apple Ring design rumors
This hypothetical Apple Ring looks, well, like a ring. Thanks to our experience with the Oura Ring Gen 3 and seeing the Samsung Galaxy Ring up close, we’re no strangers to the understated design of smart rings. Due to the large number of sensors embedded inside, it looks a little thicker than a regular ring, but at first glance it looks like regular jewelry. Smart rings also come in a variety of colors and metal finishes to maintain the jewelry effect.
While some people choose to wear a smart watch and smart ring together, many people choose a smart ring as their fitness tracking wearable because it doesn’t replace a traditional watch. It’s also a little more comfortable to wear overnight for sleep tracking than a smartwatch.
That being said, size is very important to the fit and proper functioning of your smart ring. If it’s too small, it won’t be comfortable to wear 24/7. If it’s too large, the sensor won’t be able to accurately read your heart rate, skin temperature, or blood oxygen level. Smart rings must come in multiple sizes and usually require a fitting process. Two sizes don’t all fit like the Apple Watch.
Apple Ring’s rumored features
If the Apple Ring were to go on sale, it would likely be marketed as a screen-less replacement for the Apple Watch. Users can count their steps, check their sleep quality, track their cycles with temperature sensing, and experience many other benefits of Apple Health without having to wear a smartwatch. There may be a new way to close the ring on your Apple Watch using apps like Apple Fitness Plus.
But that’s not all.patent discovered by apple insider It suggests that the Apple Ring could act as a kind of sensor to improve hand detection on the Vision Pro. Such devices can also improve the headset experience with haptic feedback. Depending on the design, it could also function as a joystick for VR games. Currently, the headset uses hand tracking, but a companion ring sounds like it would improve overall accuracy and responsiveness. It can also be useful in dark places where it is difficult to see your hands with the headset’s camera.
Not much else is known about the Apple Ring, but we can speculate that it will have a longer battery life than the Apple Watch. For reference, most smart rings last several days between charges.
Apple Ring Outlook
With the launch of the smart ring, Apple may be able to win over the Apple Watch with a convenient alternative to fitness tracking. This fits well with the company’s current product offering and will provide a new way to take advantage of all the features Apple Health has to offer.
However, price is also an important factor. Apple Watch starts at $249 for the Apple Watch SE. We expect the Apple Ring to be priced somewhere between this and the flagship Apple Watch Series 9 (starting at $499).
If Apple moves the Apple Ring from concept stage to actual development, we’ll likely hear more rumors about the device. In the meantime, bookmark this page to stay updated with the latest Apple Ring news and updates.
