Samsung is pre-emptively suing smart ring maker Oura in the US to block patent infringement lawsuits over its upcoming wearable Galaxy Ring, ahead of its debut. The lawsuit revealed the planned launch window of the wearable device. The South Korean brand first teased the Galaxy Ring at its Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event in January. The wearable with several health and sleep tracking features was also showcased at the Mobile World Congress (MWC 2024) in February.
Ahead of the official debut of Galaxy Ring, Samsung pre-emptively filed its suit against Oura in the federal court in California, seeking a “declaratory judgment” that states the Galaxy Ring doesn’t infringe on five Oura patents. The suit alleges that Oura, which currently dominates the smart ring market, has a pattern of indiscriminate assertion of patent infringement against competitors in the smart ring market based on “features common to virtually all smart rings” such as the inclusion of sensors, electronics, health data scores and batteries. The case lists Oura’s litigation against manufacturers like Ultrahuman, Circular, and RingConn.
Samsung Galaxy Ring launch timeline (expected)
The lawsuit reveals that Samsung will sell the Galaxy Ring in the US in or around August. This corroborates previous rumours related to the launch timeline of the wearable device. It could be launched alongside Samsung’s latest foldables at the next Galaxy Unpacked event that is expected to take place in July.
As per the lawsuit, the Galaxy Ring monitors heart rate, heart rate variability, blood oxygen, movement, and sleep to provide users valuable insights and offer guidance to improve their health and well-being. The lawsuit notes that Samsung has completed the design for the Galaxy Ring and is expected to begin mass production by mid-June.
Samsung teased the Galaxy Ring at its Unpacked product launch event in San Jose, California in January. We got a sneak peek into the device’s design and capabilities at the MWC later in February. It features a metallic body with sensors arranged inside. It is confirmed to be available in three colour options, possibly black, gold, and silver and run on the Samsung Health platform.
The South Korean tech giant’s entry into the smart ring market will likely expand consumer interest in such products and push other brands into the competition.