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| Samsung is developing a new alternative to the Oura Ring 5. |
Samsung's health ambitions extend beyond the device itself, focusing on AI and software to transform how we monitor our wellbeing.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is celebrating its second anniversary, and it's entering an increasingly competitive market where sleek, compact designs from rivals like the Oura Ring 5 ($399 on Amazon) are gaining significant traction. But rather than simply matching specifications, Samsung appears to be taking a different approach with its upcoming sequel.
Dr. Hon Pak, Samsung's Senior Vice President and Head of the Digital Health Team, has officially confirmed to Forbes that a second-generation Galaxy Ring is indeed in development. However, in a revealing interview that shifts the conversation around wearable technology, Dr. Pak emphasized that hardware alone won't be the deciding factor in the next generation of smart rings.
The Software-First Strategy
"You look at the comparison of other rings, regardless of the competitor, the sensors are not that different right now," Dr. Pak explained to Forbes. "It's really about what services you create on the top layer. It's really the software differentiation that you see."
This represents a significant philosophical shift for Samsung. While the Galaxy Ring 2 is expected to receive hardware improvements—particularly in sensor technology and battery life—the company believes the real battleground lies in the software that interprets the data collected by those sensors.
Most smart rings currently on the market feature comparable sensors that measure heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, skin temperature, and movement. The challenge isn't in gathering this data; it's in making sense of it.
The Forbes interview with Dr. Hon Pak provided rare insights into Samsung's health ecosystem strategy, revealing how the company is positioning itself at the intersection of consumer technology and proactive healthcare.
From Reactive to Proactive Healthcare
According to Dr. Pak, the traditional healthcare model is becoming increasingly inadequate. The routine of visiting your doctor a few times a year for a handful of tests leaves significant gaps in understanding individual health patterns. He envisions a world where connected devices, artificial intelligence, and continuous monitoring enable healthcare that focuses on prevention rather than treatment.
The challenge, he argues, is that prevention ultimately comes down to daily choices—sleep, nutrition, activity, and stress management. Healthcare systems have traditionally struggled to monitor these factors in any meaningful way. Samsung believes it can bridge this gap through its ecosystem approach.
"We have a unique way of connecting devices, the data that comes together, those ambient sensing capabilities, plus the wearables," Pak said. "We think we are one of few companies that could really pull off this ecosystem."
The Ecosystem Advantage
Samsung's strategy extends well beyond the Galaxy Ring. The company's SmartThings platform already connects millions of homes worldwide, linking appliances, televisions, sensors, and third-party devices. Dr. Pak sees these connected environments becoming an increasingly important source of health-related insight.
The first mile involves identifying potential health problems early. The last mile involves helping people actually follow through on the behavioural changes doctors recommend. Samsung aims to make both easier through its connected ecosystem.
This approach addresses what Dr. Pak calls the "first-mile and last-mile issues" in healthcare. He explains that he can do a lot when someone is sick, but the real challenge lies in prevention and follow-through—areas where technology can make a meaningful difference.
AI-Powered Insights on the Horizon
One of the most compelling aspects of Samsung's health vision is the upcoming AI coaching feature, expected to launch next year. Unlike generic health recommendations, this AI coach would understand not only a person's health profile but also their behavioral profile.
"We want to know how you behave," Dr. Pak explained. "There's a language by which I get motivated. There's a tone, there's a certain way in which I respond better, and everyone's different."
This personalized approach recognizes that health motivation isn't one-size-fits-all. Some people respond to a direct, almost authoritarian approach, while others require gentle encouragement. Samsung aims to build systems that learn which nudges work for which people, adapting both timing and tone.
Dr. Pak sees the potential for remarkable accuracy in this approach. "Over the next two to three years, the AI will be able to say, based on this person's characteristics, I'm going to nudge them this way, and 70 or 80 percent of the time I can predict that person is going to exercise more or sleep more."
Hardware Upgrades: What We Know So Far
While Samsung is keeping details close to the vest, previous rumors suggest the Galaxy Ring 2 will receive at least three specific upgrades:
- Extended Battery Life: The current Galaxy Ring offers approximately one week of battery life. The second generation is expected to extend this to nine or ten days, reducing the frequency of charging and improving the user experience.
- Improved Comfort: The ring is expected to be thinner and lighter, making it more comfortable for all-day wear. This is particularly important for a device designed for continuous monitoring, including while sleeping.
- Enhanced Sensors: The sensors are expected to be redesigned to measure skin temperature more accurately and enable new features for monitoring cardiovascular health. While details are still pending, these improvements could enable more sophisticated health insights.
The Medical Technology Blur
As wearable technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, the line between consumer electronics and medical devices is becoming blurred. Samsung already offers regulated features such as sleep apnea detection and atrial fibrillation monitoring in various markets, while continuing work on more advanced technologies, including non-invasive continuous glucose monitoring.
Dr. Pak mentioned a striking example involving a physician in Jordan who received repeated smartwatch notifications warning of atrial fibrillation. "He was having a normal, healthy day. He went to see a doctor and that day had a stent and a procedure done to remove a blockage of the artery. He was asymptomatic the whole time."
Stories like that illustrate why continuous monitoring matters, but Pak believes the future potential extends much further. Research has shown that artificial intelligence analyzing thousands of sleep studies can find signals capable of predicting more than 30 diseases years before diagnosis. Other analyses have been able to assign an age to individual organs based on various measurements.
"What that tells us is that as we're measuring parameters on wearables and beyond, it's in there," Pak said. "We just haven't done all the work yet."
iOS Compatibility: A Game-Changer?
One of the most intriguing hints from Dr. Pak's interview concerns potential iOS compatibility. Currently, the Galaxy Ring is tied to the Android ecosystem, excluding iPhone users—a significant portion of the global smartphone market.
When asked whether iOS compatibility was being considered, Dr. Pak was diplomatic but suggestive: "I'm smiling but I can't say anything. I think you'll be very pleased with some of the releases and the upcoming news."
This hint represents a potentially significant shift in Samsung's strategy. Opening the Galaxy Ring to iOS users would dramatically expand its potential market and position it as a more direct competitor to products like the Oura Ring, which already supports both platforms.
The Competitive Landscape
The smart ring market has evolved significantly since Samsung first entered the space. The Oura Ring 5, priced at $399 on Amazon, represents the current standard for many consumers. While specific pricing for the Galaxy Ring 2 hasn't been announced, Samsung will need to position its product competitively while emphasizing its unique software advantages.
For those interested in seeing where the competition stands today, the Oura Ring 5 is available on Amazon for those wanting to compare current smart ring technology firsthand.
Privacy and Data Concerns
With any device that collects sensitive health data, privacy concerns are paramount. Samsung's approach to data protection and user privacy will be crucial to consumer adoption, particularly as the company expands its health monitoring capabilities.
The company hasn't detailed its privacy policies for the second-generation Galaxy Ring, but given the sensitivity of health data, this will be an important consideration for potential buyers. The ability to maintain trust while collecting increasingly detailed health information will be essential to Samsung's long-term success in this market.
Looking Ahead
The confirmation of the Galaxy Ring 2 comes at an interesting time for wearable technology. Consumers are increasingly interested in proactive health monitoring, and the compact form factor of smart rings offers advantages over bulkier wrist-worn devices for continuous monitoring.
Samsung's emphasis on software differentiation suggests that the company sees its competitive advantage not in the hardware itself—which may be comparable to other rings on the market—but in how it interprets and acts upon the data collected. The integration with the broader Samsung ecosystem, including SmartThings home connectivity, could provide additional value that standalone devices cannot match.
However, many questions remain unanswered. When will the Galaxy Ring 2 launch? What will it cost? Will it truly offer iOS compatibility? And most importantly, can Samsung's ambitious AI health coaching vision deliver meaningful improvements in user health outcomes?
Dr. Pak's interview suggests confidence in Samsung's direction, but the proof will ultimately be in the execution. As he noted, "There are a lot of signals that we're sitting on that we don't even know about. We just have to go find them."
For health-conscious consumers and technology enthusiasts alike, the Galaxy Ring 2 represents an exciting development in the evolution of wearable health technology. Whether it can deliver on Samsung's ambitious vision remains to be seen, but the company's commitment to software innovation suggests that the second generation of its smart ring will be about more than just incremental hardware improvements.
The wearable health revolution is just beginning, and Samsung appears determined to be at its forefront—not just with better sensors, but with smarter software that truly understands the person wearing the device.
Source : Forbes