Samsung has started the development of a new smart device that will come in the form of a ring, TheElec has learned.
The so-called Galaxy Ring will use circuit boards made by Japan’s Meiko, sources said.
Printed circuit boards are usually developed first for electronic devices, followed by the components that will be mounted on them.
Smart rings are wearable devices that customers can wear like a ring.
They contain various sensors that can collect the health data of wearers and send them to their smartphones.
Finland’s Oura offers smart rings that come with various sensors, a battery, and Bluetooth support. The company’s rings weigh between 4 to 6 grams and can be used for up to a week with 80 minutes of charging, according to the company.
While Samsung has started the development of the Galaxy Ring, it is yet uncertain when it will actually launch the product.
It will likely determine if it will mass produce the rings after reviewing the prototype it makes with Meiko.
As smart rings are more tightly bound to the wearer’s body compared to smartwatches, this could mean they can offer more accurate measurements.
However, blood flowing through fingers are weaker than those on wrists and a ring that too tightly wraps around fingers can cause errors in measurement.
Meanwhile, Samsung is also preparing to launch an extended reality headset next year.
The company originally planned to launch it as early as late-2023 but has delayed this as the display it used falls behind in quality to Apple’s OLED on silicon used in Vision Pro. The lack on contents for the device was another factory in the postponement, sources said.
