Oura Ring 5 may arrive within weeks. Samsung’s Galaxy Ring 2 now looks pushed to 2027 as lawsuits pile up. Ultrahuman has finally started US shipping, while Circular is positioning itself as the only smart ring with FDA-cleared ECG capabilities. Here’s every serious smart ring in 2026, who each one is for, and how the patent war could reshape the market before the year ends.
Smart rings became a serious category in 2024 when Samsung entered a market Oura had built alone. Two years later there are six credible players, a patent war touching almost every subscription-free competitor, and three major products about to get updated at once.
Here is where every ring stands.
Works with: iPhone and Android
A document shared on Reddit this week appears to show internal launch material listing a May 28 announcement and June 4 shipping date. Oura hasn't confirmed it, but the evidence is more solid than most leaks. FCC filings from April list the ring as model OA13 and the charger as OA14. Oura's own checkout page briefly called it "Oura Ring 5" in a sizing video before correcting it back to Ring 4. The leaked document says it's smaller and more comfortable than Ring 4, with the same health tracking and subscription features. The charging case charges the ring four times. No new sensors confirmed — Oura appears to be refining existing sensors for better accuracy and longer battery, not adding new hardware.
Design: slightly more curved than Ring 4, a new Deep Rose color replacing Rose Gold, with Matte Black, Silver, and Gold continuing. Pricing wasn't in the leaked document. Oura is working toward FDA clearance for blood pressure monitoring and has a Dexcom partnership pointing at glucose monitoring, but neither is confirmed Ring 5 hardware.
As we recently covered, Oura now lets US users get a contraception prescription from a licensed clinician without leaving the app, through a partnership with Twentyeight Health. Apple Watch and Samsung's Galaxy Ring track cycles too, but neither has a clinical care pipeline built into the product.
Pros | Best sleep tracking in the category · Clinical care pipeline no competitor has · Works on any phone |
Cons | Monthly subscription fee on top of the purchase price · No haptics · No NFC payments · Currently bulkier than newer competitors |
Works with: Samsung Android fully · Other Android limited · No official iPhone support
Samsung's Galaxy Ring launched in July 2024 at $399 with no subscription fee, which immediately set it apart from Oura. The Ring 2 is now reportedly targeting an early 2027 release, with further news likely in July alongside its "intelligent eyewear."
Hardware upgrades leaked so far: a battery targeting 9-10 days (up from 6-7), enhanced body temperature sensors, a thinner and lighter build through reorganized internals, and improved sleep tracking. A solid-state battery is rumored but not confirmed.
At CES 2026, Samsung announced Brain Health, an AI system designed to monitor behavioral patterns associated with cognitive decline by tracking changes in speech, walking speed, and sleep over time. It’s one of the most ambitious cognitive-monitoring initiatives announced by a major wearable company, though it remains in clinical testing in South Korea and the US. Samsung says the feature will not be positioned as a medical diagnostic tool at launch, and no FDA clearance has been announced.
Read our full piece: Samsung's Galaxy Ring 2 Was Built to Spot Dementia Before You Do.
Pros | No subscription fee · Tight Samsung Health integration · Brain Health cognitive monitoring is a category of its own · Solid build quality |
Cons | Does not work with iPhone at all · ITC trial in July 2026 could block US sales before it ships · No FDA clearance on any health feature · Early 2027 at the earliest |
Works with: iPhone and Android
RingConn's Gen 3 launched at CES 2026 at $299 with two features no other mainstream ring has: blood pressure tracking and a vibration motor that taps your finger for health alerts. Our smart ring battery life guide puts the Gen 3 at the top for value, with a claimed 14-day battery. Plan for 15-25% less in practice. RingConn settled its Oura patent lawsuit in October 2025 by agreeing to pay royalties, so US stock is stable.
Pros | No subscription fee · Haptic alerts on your finger · 14-day claimed battery at $299 · Works on any phone |
Cons | App less polished than Oura's · Lighter on fitness tracking than athlete-focused rings |
Works with: iPhone and Android
Ultrahuman started US shipping on May 15 after clearing Oura's patent claims through a redesigned ring. The Ring Pro claims 15-day battery life. An onboard dual-core processor handles AI analysis directly on the ring rather than sending everything to your phone. AFib detection is available through the PowerPlugs platform, powered by FDA-cleared FibriCheck technology — though Ultrahuman labels PowerPlugs as general wellness tools, not medical features.
No subscription fee for core features. The ring alone is $399. The $479 bundle adds the Pro Charging Case, which extends combined battery to a claimed 45 days. See how those numbers hold up in our smart ring battery life guide.
Pros | 15-day claimed battery, longest in the category · No subscription fee for core features · On-device AI processing · Works on any phone |
Cons | $399 for the ring alone, $479 with the case · AFib detection is wellness-grade, not FDA-authorized · US legal situation not fully resolved |
Works with: iPhone and Android
Circular Ring 2 is the only smart ring with FDA-cleared ECG and FDA-cleared AFib detection. You place your index finger on the ring's surface for 40 seconds and it records your heart's electrical activity using an advanced PPG sensor. Blood pressure is coming in a future software update at no extra cost. No subscription fee. Battery lasts up to 8 days. Starts at $379 for matte black, up to $549 for gold and rose gold.
Although Circular has some of the strongest medical ambitions in the smart ring market, the company has also faced criticism over app reliability, delays, and inconsistent execution in earlier products. Buyers should weigh the FDA-cleared features against the platform’s still-maturing software experience.
If you need a ring that does actual cardiac monitoring backed by FDA clearance, this is the only one.
Pros | Only FDA-cleared ECG ring on the market · No subscription fee · Works on any phone |
Cons | App had sync issues in early reviews · Blood pressure OTA update promised by end of 2025 — current status unclear · $379 to $549 is expensive |
Works with: iPhone and Android (full compatibility not confirmed for all models)
Dreame makes robot vacuums. At CES 2026 it launched three smart rings and followed up with a San Francisco event in April.
Model | What it does |
|---|---|
AI Haptic Ring | 2.5mm thin, haptic alerts, thinnest haptic ring on the market |
AI ECG Ring | "Professional ECG", family monitoring, emergency alerts |
AI NFC Ring | Transit card, car key, access pass, digital business card |
Battery life around a week across all three. US pricing not confirmed. RingConn Gen 3 and Dreame's AI Haptic Ring are the only mainstream rings with haptic alerts.
Pros | First mainstream NFC payment ring · Thinnest haptic ring available · "Professional ECG" option |
Cons | No track record in Western markets · No major Western reviewer coverage yet · US pricing and availability unconfirmed |
Apple has filed ring-related patents since 2019 and has reportedly surveyed Apple Watch users about smart rings. Mark Gurman has reported repeatedly that Apple has no active plans to build one because it would take sales away from Apple Watch. Some analysts still expect 2026. Most don't. The Apple Watch is doing the job Apple wants done on your wrist.
As we recently wrote about, the wearable market is literally suing itself right now.
Brand | Patent status |
|---|---|
Ultrahuman | Lost ITC import ban 2025 · Shipping after redesign · Case ongoing |
RingConn | Settled October 2025 · Paying royalties · US stock stable |
Circular | Previously settled |
Samsung | Sued November 2025 · ITC trial July 2026 |
Amazfit | Sued November 2025 · ITC trial July 2026 |
Reebok | Sued November 2025 · ITC trial July 2026 |
Noise / Luna | Sued November 2025 · ITC trial July 2026 |
Zepp Health | Filed counter-suit against Oura |
The Galaxy Ring 2, Amazfit Helio Ring, Reebok Smart Ring, and Luna Ring 2 all face potential US import bans before the end of the year. When you're buying a smart ring in 2026, the brand's legal status matters as much as the sensor count.
For the full picture of how wearables are shifting from passive trackers to something that acts on what they find, see our piece Your Wearable Stopped Watching. Now It's Doing Something About It.
Ring | Price | Subscription | Works with | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
$199 | None | iPhone & Android | In Oura lawsuit · ITC July 2026 | |
N/A | None | iPhone & Android | Orders paused since early 2024 | |
Budget | None | Android primarily | In Oura lawsuit · ITC July 2026 | |
N/A | None | iPhone & Android | In Oura lawsuit · ITC July 2026 | |
Budget | None | iPhone & Android | Available |
Your situation | Pick | Price | Subscription | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Best sleep tracking | Oura Ring 4 or wait for Ring 5 | $349+ | Required | Any |
Best value | $199 | None | Any | |
Best battery / athlete | $399+ | None | Any | |
Only FDA-cleared ECG | $379+ | None | Any | |
Samsung phone users | $399 | None | Samsung only | |
iPhone, no subscription | RingConn or Ultrahuman | $199–$399 | None | Any |
The Galaxy Ring does not officially work with the iPhone, though unofficial hacks and workaround setups exist for users willing to get their hands dirty.