Black Shark: a competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Ring?

After disappearing from the smartphone field, Black Shark suddenly started making smart rings.

Xiaomi-backed Black Shark has been one of the few smartphone brands dedicated to gaming, but it hasn't released a new gaming phone since 2022. The company has been rumored for years to shut down its smartphone business, but has never confirmed its exit from the industry. But now the company Black Shark suddenly decided and introduced a smart ring.

A machine translation of Black Shark's Weibo post announcing the start of sales points to a similar wearable device Oura Ring and Galaxy Ring, except that it is much cheaper. The price of the Black Shark ring is around 80 USD

Its main purpose seems to be exercise management and sleep health monitoring. The company's Weibo posts mention the ring's ability to record steps, distance and energy used. Users can choose between three modes: running, walking and cycling.

The sleep monitoring function in the ring determines the quality of sleep based on heart rate, HRV and other parameters. It is not clear what other health measurements the Black Shark ring can perform.

The ring is only 2.2 mm thick and promises a battery life of up to 180 days with the included charging case. It's currently available in China, with no word on a global release yet. Given that Black Shark falls under the umbrella of Xiaomi, and that the parent company is fighting in all areas with Samsung, which announced the arrival of its ring some time ago, we can expect another ring from Xiaomi.