Samsung Galaxy Ring vs. Oura Ring: Which wearable should you buy?

1. You don’t want to pay a subscription

The Samsung Galaxy Ring may be more expensive than the Oura Ring, but it has a key advantage that makes users like myself reconsider: The Galaxy Ring’s gathered data and features can be accessed without a subscription. That’s right, you can buy a $300+ smartwatch and access its features without a subscription. Other expensive fitness wearables should work this way.

Also: Samsung Galaxy Ring’s best feature would be to not lock my data behind a paywall

Oura requires a monthly $5.99 subscription to use its smart ring, which gives you access to sleep analysis, live heart rate monitoring, temperature trend monitoring, and personalized health insights. A subscription fee is par for the course for Fitbits too, but these fitness trackers tend to be relatively inexpensive, whereas an Oura Ring costs between $300 and $350. 

The Galaxy Ring, with many of the same features as the Oura Ring and then some, is more expensive at $400. That said, you save on the monthly subscription, making up for the $50 difference in less than nine months of use. 

2. You want a more portable solution

The Samsung Galaxy Ring includes a portable charging case for setting the ring down wherever you are, just like an earbuds case. The Oura Ring, however, includes a plug-in charging stand, so you can’t just put your ring in a case in your bag and go.

Also: This $299 smart ring is my new go-to sleep tracker, and it’s not by Oura

Although these smart rings are efficient and feature an up to seven-day battery life, having a wireless charging case is helpful when you’re about to get your hands dirty or when you want to take a break from the device. Plus, charging your ring on the go is useful if you forgot to do so at home.

3. You want to try ‘the next big thing’

Samsung is going all out with its Galaxy Ring, offering a high-end smart ring with all-new AI capabilities built into Samsung Health. The Galaxy Ring will give you many of the same features offered by the Oura Ring — including a sleep score, cycle tracking, an energy score, and the ability to track the ring with the app — but without a subscription.

Also: How I improved my fitness performance by tracking this often-overlooked metric

The Galaxy Ring is also lighter and features Gestures, which lets you double-pinch to complete tasks on your smartphone, including taking photos and dismissing alarms. The Galaxy Ring integrates seamlessly with the Galaxy environment, as evidenced by the support of Samsung Find to locate the ring when needed.

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You should buy the Oura Ring if…