Are smart rings the next big thing in wearables?

In the last quarter of 2015, reports started coming out about patents filed by Apple and Samsung for different smart ring designs. Samsung seems to rely a lot on its smartphones, with a user placing the ring on the phone and rotating it to choose which apps to control. Apple’s ring design includes a small touchscreen that makes early sketches look more like the rings from the cartoon “Captain Planet.”

As a result of these patents, IHS puts out a report musing whether smart rings are the next big thing in wearables. IHS acknowledges that this is “difficult to conclude” based on patents alone, but for some portion of consumers, smart rings might be a compelling alternative or companion to smart watches.

Other companies such as Google and Microsoft are now looking at the market as well, according to IHS. These devices might be appealing to consumers because they only require one finger to operate or in a much better scenario, they support gestures for control.

As usual, smaller China makers are not content waiting for the future to arrive. Many smart rings have been available from Global Sources suppliers for a while. They have largely come in the form of NFC-enabled rings and have stuck to clean, simple designs. The G1 from Shenzhen Puluz Technology is a good example of this.

With bigger companies now looking seriously at the market, the capability of these smart rings should start to grow.