Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is displayed during a media preview at Samsung Galaxy Experience space, Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in New York. Samsung is dressing up its wearable devices in technology’s latest fashion — artificial intelligence.
Both the Galaxy Watch Ultra, priced at $650, and the Galaxy Ring, priced at $400, are extensions of a push that Samsung launched six months ago when it introduced its first smartphones to feature AI technology as a main attraction. The high-end smartwatch costs twice as much as Samsung’s latest standard model, the Galaxy Watch 7, which will sell for $300.
Both Samsung’s watch and ring are leaning on AI to do a better job of analyzing biometric data collected from the person wearing the devices to customize assessments of their well-being through an “energy score” that will deliver ratings on a one to 100 scale and also make recommendations like a virtual fitness coach.
Samsung’s premium phone is the more sophisticated of its latest wearable devices, capable of performing some functions - such as flagging sleep apnea - that the Galaxy Ring can’t. However, the ring requires less frequent recharging, equipped with a battery that can last six to seven days before needing to be replenished.
Samsung is likely to face more challenges in the smart ring market, even though it won’t be facing much competition so far. The segment so far has been shaped by startups such as Oura and RingConn that haven’t made a significant dent so far.