The Apple Watch may no longer be the only health tracker in Apple's product portfolio The company is reportedly developing a smart ring comparable to Samsung's Galaxy Ring and Oura Ring

While it is hard to imagine such a device being called anything other than "Apple Ring," it is not too difficult to imagine what it might do With Apple's longstanding work in the health field, the Smart Ring would provide an alternative form factor for things like sleep and fitness tracking

With the cancellation of plans for the Apple Car and the announcement of the Apple Vision Pro, rumors about Apple's next new device category are growing There are several possible directions Apple could take, but a smart ring seems like a natural extension of the success of the Apple Watch

The growing anticipation for Samsung's sleek looking Galaxy Ring may make Apple users eager for a similar device While it is not Apple's MO to release a device just to match its competitors (which is why the foldable iPhone has yet to appear), the Smart Ring is in development, from what we've heard

Bloomberg reports that the Apple Ring is just an idea at this stage and is not being actively developed There are apparently people within Apple promoting the concept of a smart ring, but it would be premature to talk about a possible release date for the Apple Ring

What would be attractive is for people to have "a low-cost way to collect key health data without having to wear a full-fledged watch"

This hypothetical Apple Ring would look, well, like a ring; thanks to our experience with the Oura Ring Gen 3 and seeing Samsung's Galaxy Ring up close, we are familiar with the understated design of smart rings With a number of sensors lining the inside, it appears to be a bit thicker than a regular ring, but at first glance, you would think it was just a regular piece of jewelry Smart rings even come in a variety of colors and metal finishes to maintain the jewelry effect

While some may use smartwatches and smart rings together, more people choose smart rings as fitness-tracking wearables because they cannot replace a traditional watch They are a bit more comfortable than smartwatches, even when worn all night for sleep tracking

Nevertheless, sizing is critical to the fit and proper function of a smart ring If it is too small, it is not comfortable to wear 24/7 If too large, the sensors will not be able to accurately read heart rate, skin temperature, and blood oxygen levels Smart rings come in several sizes and usually require fitting

If the Apple Ring were to be released, it would probably be marketed as a screen-free alternative to the Apple Watch Users would be able to count steps, check sleep quality, keep track of cycles by temperature sensing, and experience many other benefits of Apple Health without having to wear a smartwatch apps like Apple Fitness Plus might provide a new way to close the Apple Watch ring may offer a new way to close the "ring

But that's not all: a patent discovered by Apple Insider suggests that the Apple Ring could act like a sensor for better hand detection in Vision Pro Such a device could also enhance the headset experience through haptic feedback Depending on the design, it might also function as a joystick for VR games Currently, headsets use hand tracking, but a companion ring sounds like it would benefit overall accuracy and responsiveness It might also help in low-light situations where hands are difficult for the headset's camera to see

Not much else is known about the Apple ring, although we can speculate that it will have a longer battery life than the Apple Watch For reference, most smart rings last several days between charges

By announcing the Smart Ring, Apple could provide a convenient alternative to the Apple Watch holdout for fitness tracking Presenting a new way to engage with all of Apple Health's offerings would fit nicely with the company's current product offerings

However, price would be an important factor: the Apple Watch starts as low as $249 for the Apple Watch SE; the Apple Ring would be priced somewhere between that price and the flagship Apple Watch Series 9, which starts at $499

If Apple moves the Apple Ring from the concept stage to actual development, we will hear more rumors about this device Until then, bookmark this page for the latest news and updates on the Apple Ring