Last week, Samsung released the Galaxy Ring, Oura’s first major competitor in the smart rings market. Thanks to Android Authority, we now know that Oura has put forward two new models of smart rings for certification, titled “OA11” and “OA12”, which are likely prototypes for the Oura Ring 4. Whilst the specifications of each ring are not confirmed yet, we do have access to images of the prototype as seen below:
The prototype appears to keep a similar design to the previous Oura Ring Gen 3, sticking with a flat design rather than the concave design that Samsung used. We also know that the “OA11” is a golden colour and Oura is testing sizes 7 to 13. Unlike on the previous generation however, the sensors are now flush with the inside of the ring, instead of being slightly raised.
Oura has already been upgrading the Gen 3 ring’s features in order to fight back against Samsung, like the addition of a stress management tool. These new features will most likely come as standard on the new ring, but the question is what else will Oura add? Looking at other rings on the market there are many additions that could be made. For example, Circular’s Smart Ring includes haptic vibrations, Nova’s upcoming Smart Ring has Chat GPT 4o integrated, and Samsung’s Galaxy Ring features an accelerometer that allows gesture controls.
We don’t know the exact date of which the new ring will be released, but it’s more than likely going to be released later this year. Oura have usually released a new generation of smart ring every three years; the Gen 2 being released in 2018 and the Gen 3 in 2021. If Oura is able to one up the features of Samsung’s ring, then it’s likely that they will remain as the leader of the smart rings market.
SAR Insight is currently producing a detailed report on the smart ring market, which will be available in August this year. Please get in touch if you are interested and we’ll be happy to provide more information.
