No plans for a Garmin Smart Ring: Smartwatches expected to remain superior to smart rings for the time being

The market for rings with health and fitness tracking features is growing steadily. Numerous models are now available, ranging from the Amazfit Helio, the Samsung Galaxy Ring to the upcoming Oura Ring Gen 4. However, Garmin, one of the market leaders in high-end smartwatches, has no plans to enter this market segment.

As Wareable reports, Joe Schrick, Garmin's Vice President of Fitness, and Scott Burgett, Senior Director of Health Engineering, openly spoke out against smart rings at the Garmin Health Summit 2024 in Prague. According to Garmin's management, smart rings only have one major advantage: convenience. Activity tracking around the clock via a ring instead of a smartwatch otherwise comes with a significant compromise, as a smartwatch provides much more reliable, precise data.

This is simply because the form factor of a watch offers significantly more space for additional sensors and LEDs, which results in a better signal-to-noise ratio and ultimately more precise health data. In terms of battery life, Garmin's smartwatches are said to also offer significantly more over smart rings, which generally only last around a week before needing to be recharged. However, the managers suggest another reason why Garmin is currently not interested in developing a smart ring: profitability is currently lower than with high-end smartwatches.