Samsung Galaxy Ring vs. Oura Ring: What are the differences?
Samsung Galaxy Ring vs. Oura Ring: What are the differences?
Samsung Galaxy Ring vs. Oura Ring: Price and specs
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is $399; it's available for preorder on July 10.
The Oura Ring starts at $299 for the Heritage model, but $349 for the Horizon variant. (I'll dive into the differences between the two in the design section.)
Galaxy Ring does not require a subscription for a personalized analysis of your health data, including insights that dive into your sleep, heart rate, and skin temperature. The Oura Ring, on the other hand, does requires a $6 membership for the same insights.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy Ring
Samsung Galaxy Ring vs. Oura Ring: Design
Samsung boasts that the Galaxy Ring has a unique, concave design.
The tech giant says it prioritized comfort with this ring so that users can wear it overnight without issues. It's slim and compact (it's just 2.6mm thick and 7mm wide).
Samsung Galaxy Ring dimensions: 7mm (width) and 2.6mm (thick)
Oura Ring dimensions: 7.9mm (width) and 2.55 (thick)
In other words, compared to the Galaxy Ring, the Oura Ring has more width, but it's less thick.
Oura claims that its ring is lighter than the size of a wedding band; it comes in at between 4 and 6 grams, depending on the ring size. The Samsung Galaxy Ring is even lighter, roughly the same weight as a penny.
Samsung Galaxy Ring weight: 3 grams or less
Oura Ring weight: 4 to 6 grams
While Galaxy Ring has one design, the Oura Ring has two: Horizon and Heritage. The former has a full, smooth circular design while the latter has some flat sections, making it reminiscent of a washer.
The Horizon design comes in six finishes: Silver, Black, Stealth, Brushed Titanium, Gold, and Rose Gold.
The Heritage model, on the other hand, comes in four finishes: Silver, Black, Stealth, and Gold.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring offers three unique colors: Titanium Black, Titanium Silver, and Titanium Gold.
Keep in mind that Titanium Black and Titanium Silver come in matte finishes; Titanium Gold has a glossy finish.
Winner: Oura Ring
Samsung Galaxy Ring vs. Oura Ring: Water resistance
The Samsung Galaxy Ring, similar to the Oura Ring, can tolerate up to 330 feet of water. You'll be fine wearing them in the shower. Plus, you can go swimming with them.
The Galaxy Ring is scratch resistant, too. However, Oura warns that it "may get scratched and can itself scratch softer metal jewelry or other objects close contact with the ring." To reduce the risk of scratches, Oura recommends wearing its ring on your non-dominant hand. Plus, it suggests taking it off while handling things made of metal, ceramics, or stone (e.g., pots and pans).
Oura Ring users often recommend the Stealth finish for better durability regarding wear and tear; it's made of a diamond-like carbon coating.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy Ring
Samsung Galaxy Ring vs. Oura Ring: Sizing
The Samsung Galaxy Ring comes in 9 ring sizes: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
The Oura Ring comes in 8 ring sizes: 6, 7, 8, 9. 10, 11, 12, 13.
Both Samsung and Galaxy Ring offer sizing kits to help you determine the best fit for you.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy Ring
Samsung Galaxy Ring vs. Oura Ring: Sensors
According to Oura, its ring has the following sensors:
Infrared photoplethysmography sensors (PPG) for heart rate
Negative temperature coefficient sensor for body temperature
3D accelerometer for movement
LEDs
IR sensor
Samsung has these sensors packed inside the Galaxy Ring:
photodiode sensors (heart-rate monitoring)
IR sensor (blood-oxygen levels)
accelerometers (workout detection)
LEDs
skin temperature sensor
Samsung Galaxy Ring vs. Oura Ring: Health features
The Galaxy Ring can monitor your heart rate and issue alerts to your phone as a part of its live heart-rate check feature. It also has a menstrual prediction feature that is based on your skin temperature.
Samsung Galaxy Ring also has an Energy Score feature, which rates your daily health with a figure anywhere between 0 and 100. It takes a look at your physical capacity, sleep consistency, sleep heart rate to determine your Energy Score. However, keep in mind that this feature requires a Samsung account and a Galaxy phone that supports Galaxy AI, which includes the following:
Samsung Galaxy S24 series
Samsung Galaxy S23 series
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
The Samsung Galaxy Ring also provides a feature called Wellness Tips via the Samsung Health app. This takes a look at your sleep, body composition, steps, and stress data. Wellness Tips celebrates your wins, but also prompts you to take health-focused actions and offers advice.
Both the Oura Ring and Samsung Galaxy Ring track the following in some way or another:
Menstrual cycle
Respiratory rate
Heart rate
Sleep
Blood-oxygen levels
Stress
However, Galaxy Ring may have a slight edge. Unlike the Oura Ring, it issues alerts for high-and-low heart rate alerts and allows you to track your food and water intake.
Regarding exercise, both have auto workout detection. The Galaxy Ring, according to Samsung, can tell if you're walking or running.
Samsung Galaxy Ring vs. Oura Ring: Other features
The Galaxy Ring has something called "Samsung Find," allowing you to locate your ring if it's ever misplaced. This is a must because ring wearables are, of course, small and compact by nature, making them easy to lose. It will light up in red and green, allowing you to find it.
While the Oura Ring has something similar for iOS users, this feature isn't supported for Android users.
You can also use the Galaxy Ring to control your Galaxy devices.
For example, you can use the double-pinch feature to snap a picture, record a video, or snooze your alarm.
Samsung Galaxy Ring vs. Oura Ring: AI
Artificial intelligence plays a role in both health rings, but it's more prevalent on the Samsung Galaxy Ring, thanks to its suite of AI-powered features called "Galaxy AI," which you can already find on Galaxy phones such as the Galaxy S24 series.
For example, the Galaxy Ring's aforementioned Energy Score feature is an AI-powered utility. AI ensures that recommendations from Energy Score are tailored to the user, allowing them to understand how their health habits affect the way they feel.
Samsung also claims that it has the "best in class" sleep analysis, thanks to an "advanced" AI-powered algorithm that helps users understand their sleep pattern. This AI-powered tracking delivers something called a Sleep Score Indicator, which provides data for the following activities: sleep latency, time in bed, nighttime movement, heart rate, and respiratory behavior.
This is an addition to features you'll find on the Samsung Galaxy Watch, including blood-oxygen levels and and skin temperature. Oura has some AI-based features, too, but according to an interview with the CEO, it mostly powers the transcription of journal entries and automatic context creation for Oura Ring data. Recently, Oura announced a new AI advisor, but even with this feature, it can't catch up with Samsung in the AI race.
Samsung Galaxy Ring vs. Oura Ring: Battery life
Oura says that its ring can last up to seven days on a charge. Samsung claims the same battery life rating: 7 days on a single charge.