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Smart rings have cemented their place in the wearable technology market, with brands like Oura and Samsung leading the way, but where is Apple’s smart ring?
It is a question on many lips and not easy to answer, but there are several hints and rumors that give us an idea of what is going on.
Even the existence of the Samsung Galaxy Ring means there’s a good chance Apple will eventually launch a rival.
But when will that be and what will the Apple Ring, or iRing perhaps, look like? Here’s what we know so far…
When will the Apple Smart Ring be released?
This is one of the most difficult questions to answer, as by many accounts Apple has been researching smart ring technology for years. The company even sent a survey to Apple Watch users asking how many of them also used a smart ring.
It looked like 2024 could be the year the first-generation model would arrive – ETNews certainly thought so, saying it was ‘imminent’ – but there’s bad news.
According to Mark Gurman, a respected Apple insider at Bloomberg, Apple isn’t launching a smart ring anytime soon.
“Apple is not actively developing a ring and has no plans to launch one,” Gurman said in the subscriber section of his October 6, 2024 Power On newsletter.
He added that it would “detract from the Apple Watch… Apple has no incentive to compete with a product that still has room to grow and is the envy of the fitness industry.”
Chris Martin / Foundry
Chris Martin / Foundry
Chris Martin / Foundry
If this is true, we might not even see the launch until 2025, but plans could of course change. It seems like there needs to be some shift in the market and sales of Apple Watch before the fruit-flavored company sees this as a good move.
For now, the Apple Watch Series 10 is Apple’s newest wearable.
How much will Apple’s smart ring cost?
This is anyone’s guess at this point, but we can look at two key rivals to give us a solid enough estimate.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring costs £399/$399, regardless of which color or size you choose.
Oura’s new Ring 4 costs £349-499 (or the same in dollars), depending on which colour/finish you want.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple’s was around £400/$400 or higher, with devices like the Apple Watch Ultra 2, which is more expensive than Samsung’s rival.
Oura also charges a monthly membership fee of £5.99/$5.99 per month (or an annual fee) to access all features.
Apple has Fitness Plus for £9.99/$9.99 per month for Apple Watch users, so I’d bet this will be the same or a very similar option on the Apple Smart Ring.
See what a Google Pixel Ring could look like.
What features will the Apple Smart Ring have?
There’s a selection of features we can expect from the smart ring, as they have to do a certain number to justify the title.
It’s almost a given that Apple’s ring connects to your iPhone or other Apple devices via Bluetooth and contains several sensors that allow you to track your daily activities. This will most likely include steps, heart rate and sleep as this is what all current models can do.
The kind of core tracking you’d expect from an Apple Watch, but in bezel form, seems reasonable and you get all this data from an app because there’s no screen – although that’s not out of the question.
However, you would expect things like ECG to be absent. The question is whether Apple will add features such as GPS and NFC Apple Pay that rivals do not offer. This would certainly help it stand out from the crowd if there is room for it.
Apple has filed patents for smart ring devices over the years, with one from 2020 suggesting it could control other devices when pointed at it (via AppleInsider). It could even have a small screen.
Another 2023 patent (via PatentlyApple) showed a smart ring with an innovative rotating outer band that could be used for things like scrolling through a web page on your iPhone. The device also appeared to have storage, a touch sensor and haptic feedback.
Whether this is all reflected in the final product is unclear, although patents can generally be taken with a grain of salt. Tech companies often experiment with ideas but never bring them to fruition.
When (or if) Apple finally launches a smart ring, it will be very interesting to see how it fares in the market alongside the likes of Oura and Samsung, and how Apple fans react.
We may have to wait a long time, but we will keep this page informed of all developments that are worth telling you about.