The Oura Ring 5 is the better smart ring for most people. It works with iPhone and Android, tracks more health metrics, and has far more independent research behind it. The Samsung Galaxy Ring is the cheaper pick, with no subscription, but it only works with Android phones and has not been updated since July 2024. If you have an iPhone, the decision is already made. If you use an Android phone and want to avoid monthly fees, the Galaxy Ring is worth a look, especially at its discounted price.
Most comparison articles still pit the Galaxy Ring against the Oura Ring 4. Oura released the Ring 5 in May 2026, so that matchup is a generation old. This article compares the current Oura against the Galaxy Ring on price, battery, comfort, phone support, and accuracy, and explains why the Galaxy Ring’s future is uncertain.
What Changed Since the Original Matchup
Oura announced the Ring 5 on May 28, 2026, according to TechCrunch, with shipping starting June 4. Prices start at $399 for the Black and Silver finishes and rise to $499 for Gold, Deep Rose, Brushed Silver, and Stealth. The Ring 4 launched at $349.
Samsung has not announced a successor to the Galaxy Ring, which launched in July 2024. Android Authority reported on May 5, 2026, citing ET News, that the Galaxy Ring 2 has slipped to early 2027. The reported reasons are the pace of smart ring market growth, Samsung’s flagship launch schedule, and marketing considerations. Samsung has not confirmed any of this.
Oura Ring 5 vs Galaxy Ring Compared
Price and Subscription
The Oura Ring 5 costs $399 or $499 depending on finish, and it needs an Oura Membership for full functionality. Android Central lists the membership at $5.99 a month or $69.99 a year.
The Galaxy Ring listed at $399.99 at launch and has no subscription. 9to5Google reported on April 30, 2026 that Samsung was selling it for $299 on Samsung.com and Amazon, with trade-in credit of up to $150 bringing the price to $249. Discount timing changes often, so check the current price before buying.
Size and Comfort
The Ring 5 is the thinnest ring Oura has made. Android Central lists it at 2.28 millimeters thick and 2 to 2.69 grams across sizes. The Ring 4 measured about 2.88 millimeters and 3.3 to 5.2 grams. TechCrunch repeated Oura’s claim that the Ring 5 is 40 percent smaller than its predecessor, and noted the width dropped by about 2 millimeters.
Wareable’s 2024 measurements put the Galaxy Ring at 7 millimeters wide, 2.6 millimeters thick, and 2.3 grams. That means the Ring 5 is now slightly thinner than the Galaxy Ring, and the weight gap is small. One trade-off is sizing. The Ring 5 comes in sizes 6 to 13 only, while the Ring 4 covered 4 to 15, so people with very small or very large fingers should confirm availability.
Battery Life
Oura rates the Ring 5 at 6 to 9 days, up from 5 to 8 on the Ring 4. Real-world results are lower. Wareable’s 2024 test found the Ring 4 lasted about 5 days despite its 8-day claim, and the Galaxy Ring lasted 5 to 6 days against Samsung’s roughly 7-day rating. Wareable also preferred Samsung’s charging case to Oura’s puck-style charger.
No independent Ring 5 battery test was available at the time of writing, so treat Oura’s 6 to 9 day figure as a manufacturer claim. Android Central lists the Ring 5 charge time at up to 80 minutes, the same as the Ring 4.
Phone Compatibility
Oura works with both iOS and Android. The Galaxy Ring is Android only. Android Central noted that some features, including ring gestures, work only on Galaxy phones, and that Find My Device is severely limited on non-Samsung phones. Anyone planning to keep or switch to an iPhone should rule out the Galaxy Ring immediately.
Sensors and Features
Both rings use red, green, and infrared LEDs along with a temperature sensor and an accelerometer. The Ring 5 adds more powerful LEDs and reworked sensors designed for better skin contact, according to TechCrunch. Oura’s software now includes Blood Pressure Signals, Nighttime Breathing tracking, Health Radar background monitoring, and GLP-1 insights. Oura says the Ring 5 supports up to 50 metrics.
The Galaxy Ring’s feature set is narrower. Android Central’s review, published in November 2024, called its fitness capabilities extremely limited and its sleep tracking accuracy mediocre. It noted no manual workout tracking and no AFib detection. Wareable found the sleep tracking solid but reported signal dropouts in heart rate and blood oxygen readings. These are 2024 findings on the original hardware and software, and Samsung may have changed its algorithms since.
How the Apps and Memberships Differ
The software is where the subscription buys something concrete. Wareable’s 2024 comparison said Oura delivers extensive insights, including stress tracking and women’s health features, plus more than 600 integrations with other apps. The Galaxy Ring’s app is simpler. It centers on an Energy Score and sleep coaching built around circadian rhythms, with no fee.
Oura has added more since then. TechCrunch lists Blood Pressure Signals, Nighttime Breathing tracking, live activity tracking, GLP-1 insights for people on those medications, and enrollment in a Brain Health Study. Oura also partnered with Counsel Health for on-demand care, which carries an additional fee beyond the standard membership. That means the $5.99 monthly price covers the ring’s software and not a clinician visit.
Samsung’s strength is its fit within the Galaxy ecosystem. Android Central noted that the best features, including AI insights and gestures, depend on a Galaxy phone. A buyer with a Pixel or another Android phone gets a narrower experience than a Galaxy owner.
How Accurate Are Smart Rings?
The sheet’s framing assumes a clean accuracy gap between the two rings. The evidence does not support a clean answer.
The most useful independent source is a 2025 systematic review in the journal Biomimetics by Baik and colleagues. It analyzed 107 studies covering roughly 100,000 participants, with the authors declaring no conflicts of interest. The Oura Ring appeared in 72 percent of those studies, and no Galaxy Ring study is described in the summary. That imbalance is the real finding for this comparison. Oura has years of outside validation, and Samsung’s ring has very little.
The review reported strong results for basic measures. Heart rate showed an r-squared of 0.996 and heart rate variability 0.980 against reference devices. Sleep detection, meaning whether you are asleep or awake, reached 93 to 96 percent sensitivity. Sleep staging is weaker. The reported accuracy for identifying light, deep, and REM sleep was 53.18 percent. Anyone treating a ring’s “deep sleep” number as medical data should read that figure twice.
The review also flagged quality problems across the field. Sixty-five percent of studies carried moderate to high risk of bias, 89 percent relied on proprietary algorithms, and only 35 percent reported participants’ race or ethnicity. Adherence also dropped from 80 percent at three months to 43 percent at 12 months, which suggests many people stop wearing these devices.
This section leaves out accuracy studies that Oura publishes on its own blog, because they come from the company selling the ring. They exist, and Oura presents them favorably, but they are not independent evidence.
The Patent Fight and What It Means for Galaxy Ring 2
Oura filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission on November 24, 2025, according to Wareable. It named Samsung, Reebok, Zepp Health, and Nexxbase, and alleged that they import and sell products that infringe Oura patents covering ring design, components, and manufacturing. Wareable did not report the specific remedy Oura seeks. It did note that Oura had previously obtained import bans against other ring makers, including Ultrahuman.
That history matters for buyers. A smart ring that loses US import rights can stop receiving new stock, and a successor can be delayed. TechRadar reported in December 2025 that Korea JoongAng Daily claimed the Galaxy Ring 2 might not appear at all after underwhelming sales, though TechRadar itself said to treat that as an unsubstantiated rumor. The ET News report that followed in May 2026 was more specific, pointing to early 2027. The two reports differ on the targets for the next ring’s battery, with Android Authority citing 9 to 10 days and Memeburn citing 7 to 9 days. Neither is a Samsung statement.
What the Rings Cost Over Three Years
A subscription changes the math. An Oura Ring 5 at the $399 starting price plus the $69.99 annual membership comes to about $609 over three years. A Galaxy Ring at the $299 sale price costs $299 over the same period, or $249 with the maximum trade-in credit. At the original $399.99 list price, the Galaxy Ring is roughly $210 cheaper than the Oura over three years, almost exactly the subscription total.
The Oura Ring 4 is another option. Android Central noted that it is not even two years old and that upgrading to the Ring 5 is hard to justify financially for existing owners. For new buyers, the Ring 4 starts at $349, with discounts on premium finishes reported by the same outlet.
Which Smart Ring Should You Buy?
Pick the Oura Ring 5 if you use an iPhone, want the broadest set of health insights, or care about evidence. It has the research record, the cross-platform app, and the updated hardware. Its drawbacks are the recurring fee and the narrower size range.
Pick the Galaxy Ring if you use a Samsung or other Android phone, dislike subscriptions, and can find it near $299 or below. It is slim, comfortable, and comes with a charging case. Its drawbacks are the limited independent validation, the Android-only restriction, and the uncertainty around a successor. Because Samsung has not updated the ring in over two years, buying one now means buying 2024 hardware.
Neither ring replaces medical equipment. Blood pressure signals, breathing disturbance alerts, and similar features are wellness indicators, and the Biomimetics review shows that accuracy varies sharply by metric.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Oura Ring 5 better than the Samsung Galaxy Ring?
For most buyers, yes. It works on iPhone and Android, adds newer sensors and software features, and has much more independent research behind it. The Galaxy Ring wins on price and has no subscription, but it is limited to Android and has not been updated since 2024.
Does the Samsung Galaxy Ring need a subscription?
No. Samsung does not charge a monthly fee for the Galaxy Ring, and 9to5Google noted no mandatory subscription after purchase. Some AI-driven insights work best with a Galaxy phone. The Oura Ring requires a membership at $5.99 a month or $69.99 a year for full features.
Does the Galaxy Ring work with iPhone?
No. Wareable and Android Central both reported that the Galaxy Ring only works with Android smartphones. Oura supports both iOS and Android, which makes it the practical choice for iPhone users.
When is the Galaxy Ring 2 coming out?
Samsung has not announced it. Android Authority reported in May 2026, citing ET News, that the launch has been pushed to early 2027. Other reports have suggested the product could be shelved, but those remain unconfirmed rumors.
References and Sources
TechCrunch, “Oura unveils its Ring 5 with a thinner, lighter design starting at $399”: https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/28/oura-unveils-its-ring-5-with-a-thinner-lighter-design-starting-at-399/
Android Central, “Oura Ring 5 vs. Oura Ring 4: Slimmer, and still with a subscription”: https://www.androidcentral.com/wearables/oura-ring/oura-ring-5-vs-oura-ring-4
Android Central, “Oura Ring 4 vs. Samsung Galaxy Ring: The underdog wins again”: https://www.androidcentral.com/wearables/oura-ring-4-vs-samsung-galaxy-ring
Wareable, “Oura Ring 4 vs Samsung Galaxy Ring”: https://www.wareable.com/wearable-tech/oura-ring-4-vs-samsung-galaxy-ring
Wareable, “Oura sues Samsung, Reebok, and more in fresh smart ring patent battle”: https://www.wareable.com/wearable-tech/oura-sues-samsung-reebok-zepp-health-nexxbase-smart-ring-patent
Android Authority, “Samsung wants the Galaxy Ring 2 to fix its predecessor’s biggest weaknesses”: https://www.androidauthority.com/galaxy-ring-2-delay-3663670/
9to5Google, “Galaxy Ring has dropped to $299 again, but you can save even more”: https://9to5google.com/2026/04/30/galaxy-ring-has-dropped-to-299-again-but-you-can-save-even-more/
TechRadar, “Samsung Galaxy Ring 2 shelved, an Oura patent dispute and reported underwhelming sales casts doubt on the smart rings future”: https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/samsung-galaxy-ring-2-shelved-an-oura-patent-dispute-and-reported-underwhelming-sales-casts-doubt-on-the-smart-rings-future
Memeburn, “Oura Ring 5 Launches as Samsung Galaxy Ring Falls Silent: What It Means for the Smart Ring Market”: https://memeburn.com/oura-ring-5-launches-as-samsung-galaxy-ring-fall/
Baik et al., Biomimetics, “Smart Ring in Clinical Medicine: A Systematic Review”: https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/10/12/819
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