I preordered the Samsung Galaxy Ring. Here are four reasons I chose it over the Oura Ring (and one reason why I might not have).
Is it time for smart rings to enter the mainstream? Samsung certainly hopes so, having used the latest Galaxy Unpacked as an arena to launch the Samsung Galaxy Ring. And early reports seem to suggest Samsung’s gamble is paying off, as U.S. stock of certain Galaxy Ring models sold out almost immediately.
I’m certainly not immune to the appeal. I’ve dropped my own preorder for the Galaxy Ring and am eagerly awaiting my ring-sizing kit. But my route to preorder wasn’t smooth, and I thought long and hard about whether the Galaxy Ring would be right for me — or whether the Oura Ring, Samsung’s main competition in this space, would be a better choice.
Eventually, I came down on the Samsung side of the fence, but there were a number of reasons that swung my decision. Here are four reasons why I bought the Galaxy Ring (and one reason why I wouldn’t).There’s no subscription fee
This one was a biggy, and Samsung knew it. The Galaxy Ring had as many leaks and rumors as any other mobile device, and one of the more troubling whispers said Samsung was considering a subscription for the Galaxy Ring. This would have brought it into parity with the Oura Ring, which charges its users a monthly subscription of $6 to access the majority of the data it collects.
Thankfully, this didn’t come to pass, and Samsung clearly understood how big a deal this would be to prospective buyers. As such, its denial of a subscription is loud and unambiguous.
Weirdly, I would resent having to pay Samsung a subscription more than I would to Oura. Oura is a much smaller company than Samsung, and I can more easily understand Oura needs the additional income to survive. Yes, over time, you’ll end up paying more for the Oura Ring, but that’s worth it to keep a small company going.
But Samsung? Samsung will be fine regardless of whether the Galaxy Ring has a subscription. So, while it wouldn’t have been a dealbreaker if the Galaxy Ring had a subscription cost, Samsung reacting so strongly against it won it some brownie points from me.It allows me to go without a smartwatch
Let’s be real: A smart ring is never going to replace a smartwatch. It’s a question of size — a watch has more room to include sensors, and any time sensors shrink and afford more features to a smart ring, you can be sure manufacturers will pop more sensors into smartwatches to compensate.
