Between Oura Ring Gen 3 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6—two of the most advanced health devices—which wearable should you get? In this Oura Ring vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Review, we compare two devices with different form factors albeit having similar functionalities, and see how they stack against each other.
Oura is the leading smart ring company in the health and wellness market that became popular among Hollywood celebrities and athletes during the pandemic. This Finnish health tech firm
Meanwhile, Samsung has been around for ages and is known for electronic devices and appliances. Their foray into smartwatches has been a huge success for the South Korean brand, releasing a smartwatch model (Galaxy Gear) year after year since 2013.
Oura Ring vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Summary
Before diving deeper into this Oura Ring vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 review, here’s a side-by-side comparison summary of its specs, features, and availability:
| OURA RING GEN 3 | vs. | SAMSUNG GALAXY WATCH 6 |
| Yes | SLEEP TRACKING | Yes |
| Yes | ACTIVITY TRACKING | Yes |
| Yes | HEART RATE MONITORING | Yes |
| Yes | RECOVERY MONITORING | Yes |
| Yes | STRESS MANAGEMENT | No |
| No | BLOOD OXYGEN MONITORING | No |
| No | BLOOD SUGAR MONITORING | No |
| Up to 7 days | BATTERY LIFE | Up to 30 hours of regular use |
| 5 ATM (water-resistant up to 100 meters) | WATER PROTECTION | IP68 (water-resistant up to 5 meters) |
| $5.99/mo. | MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP | N/A |
| $279 | PRICE | $199 |
| CHECK DEALS HERE | CHECK DEALS HERE |
Oura Ring vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Features and Functionalities
Let’s dive into the most important health features and functionalities of the Galaxy Watch 6 and Oura Ring.
Activity Tracking
Activity tracking is one of the core functionalities of health wearables. Oura Ring Gen 3 and Galaxy Watch 6 keep tabs on your steps, calorie burn, distance covered, and heart rate during workouts. Oura Ring can track at least 40 unique activities, while the Galaxy Watch 6 can track up to 90 workouts. The Galaxy Watch 6 gives you an option to personalize your heart rate zone and automatically detects workouts if you have been at it for 10 minutes. Oura Ring can automatically detect activities, but its suggestions are way off.
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Heart Rate Tracking
Monitoring various heart rate metrics is another core functionality of the Oura Ring Gen 3 and Galaxy Watch 6. These wearables have a bunch of sensors for heart rate tracking, including red and green LEDs and infrared PPG. Heart rate metrics they can monitor include active heart rate (for activity tracking), resting heart rate (for sleep tracking), and heart rate variability (for recovery monitoring).
The good thing about the Galaxy Watch 6 is that it has an alert system for when your heart rate drops abnormally low or climbs too abnormally high. Also, your blood pressure is monitored on a daily basis. This comes in handy for people who want to get better at their lifestyle choices. You can even personalize your HR zone if you have a specific goal. You will be alerted when you enter your target HR zone and as you exit.
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Sleep Tracking
Sleep tracking is present for both wearables, tracking your sleep stages (light, REM, and deep sleep) and from the moment you turn in to the moment you fall asleep, wake up, and then leave the bed. Part of your sleep tracking data collected are your resting heart rate (RHR), heart rate variability (HRV), restfulness, and skin temperature.
The good thing about Oura Ring Gen 3 is that it provides you with more in-depth metrics, even providing insights into your tossing and turning. At the end of the day, the Oura Ring is more comfortable to use when sleeping as it’s less bulky than the Galaxy Watch 6. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch 6 has Sleep Coaching to guide you through your sleep habits and how you can improve them. Do note that you need to put it on sleep mode to change the PPG sensor’s green LED to an infrared LED, which is additional work, to be honest.
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The Outliers
Surprisingly, you cannot find recovery monitoring from the Galaxy Watch 6 despite it being a very common feature among wearable devices. The Oura Ring Gen 3 has it and provides you with a recovery score based on how well (or bad) your body responds to signals and factors like sleep, activities, and HRV. Oura Ring Gen 3 also has period prediction capabilities, allowing women to plan a pregnancy or avoid it, for that matter.
The Galaxy Watch 6 comes with a bunch of nifty features outside health and wellness tracking. One thing I love about it is Samsung Wallet, which allows you to store cards, digital IDs, tickets, and keys, as well as make payments whether it’s public transit or groceries. You can also use the smartwatch to make calls, send SMS, and stream music while your phone is away. Samsung’s smartwatches also have GPS enabled, letting you use Google Maps for navigation. And of course, the Galaxy Watch 6 comes with safety features like fall detection and SOS emergency in case you need emergency help while you are cycling, hiking, or running.
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Oura Ring vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Specs and Design
The Galaxy Watch 6 is one of the most good-looking smartwatches. It has a 1.5-inch Super AMOLED display—the largest screen Samsung smartwatches have. The classic variants have rotating bezels just like mechanical watches. Samsung also boasts that the smartwatch’s processor is 18% faster than its predecessor.
In terms of battery life, each charge lasts up to 40 hours. Each full charge takes 30 minutes to complete. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch 6 is certified up to IP68 standards, which means it is water-resistant up to 5 feet for up to 30 minutes. Honestly, this is a bit disappointing considering most smartwatches of its caliber can survive up to 50 meters.
Meanwhile, the Oura Ring Gen 3 is made of titanium and coated with PVD, while the inner shell is made of non-allergenic molding. It weighs 4-6 grams, depending on the size. It is slim, comfortable, and elegant enough to be comfortably worn anytime. In terms of battery, Oura Ring Gen 3 can last up to 7 days, and each full charge takes about 20 to 80 minutes. When it comes to water resistance, both wearables can be used underwater for up to 100 meters. You can swim, shower, and snorkel with it.
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Oura Ring vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Pricing and Availability
The Galaxy Watch 6 is available in 40mm and 44mm variants in gold and graphite case finishes, while the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is available in 43mm and 47mm variants in silver case finishes. Price starts at $299.99.
Get Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 here!
Oura Ring Gen 3 is available in two styles: Heritage (price starts at $299) and Horizon (price starts at $349). Colors available include silver, black, stealth, gold, and rose gold. It comes with a free 1-month premium membership, which costs $6 per month after.
The Verdict: Which Wearable Should You Get?
The question as to which wearable is better is actually a misguided question. The Oura Ring Gen 3 and Galaxy Watch 6 are different in a lot of ways. Yes, they share a lot of functionalities in common, but I honestly believe these devices can work together and bring about useful data to help you improve your overall well-being.
If you really need to pick one, I’d look at it this way. Choose Oura Ring if you want to zero in on your sleep and women’s health tracking. If you are looking for an overall wearable that does more than monitor your health, the Galaxy Watch 6 is the better option.
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