Is the Market Really There for Smart Wearables?

Smart watches and smart rings have been around a lot longer than you might think. An early version of a smart watch, called the Samsung® Gear, debuted in 2013 as did the Mclear Smart Ring, which featured NFC technology that could unlock your car door. Today, as a retailer, you may be wondering just what the 2025 market is for the smart watch and the smart ring. The 2025 U.S. Consumer Technology Ownership & Market Potential Study, © 2025 Consumer Technology Association, reveals some intriguing insights.

Wearable Technology Ownership

When it comes to ownership, American households own more than one kind of wearable tech. This should come as no surprise. Wearables are rarely shared, plus styling and target applications vary wildly. What appeals to a marathoner will probably not appeal to someone primarily interested in overall well-being. Plus, as new models and brands are constantly being added, consumers are continually tempted to upgrade or switch brands.

Wearable Technology Purchase Intent

The above chart is a welcome assurance that sales of wearable tech is on the rise.

• 27% of American households indicated they plan to buy a smartwatch in the next 12 months; 67% of those households report they will be repeat buyers and 33% of them will be first-time buyers
• 22% of households plan to buy a wrist-based activity/fitness tracker; 63% will be repeat buyers and 37% will be first-time buyers
• 17% of households plan to buy a smart ring; 47% will be repeat buyers and 53% of them will be first-time buyers entering the market

What’s the Difference Between a Smart Watch, Fitness Tracker, and a Smart Ring? 

At the heart of each of the technologies are specialty sensors and apps. Sensors are constantly being refined for improved accuracy. And the apps are becoming smarter, more sophisticated, and able to extrapolate more information.

So, it’s not surprising that each of the wearable technologies have some overlap – especially between smart watches and fitness trackers, where the lines are becoming increasingly blurred. Plus, some brands market fitness bands as smart watches, further muddying the water.

A. Fitness Trackers vs Smart Watches:

• Shape – Generally speaking, fitness trackers are more band-like with elongated displays. In the past, smart watches always had a round dial. However, some are being styled more like fitness trackers, albeit with larger displays.
• Features – Fitness trackers are more about workouts and general well-being. Smart watches offer lots more features, more apps, may be targeted toward serious athletes, and may even display maps.
• Price – Fitness trackers are smaller, lighter, and tend to cost less. But the newest smartwatches are incredibly price competitive.

Generally speaking, the greater the number of features, the higher the price and the bulkier the fit.

B. Smart Rings

For those who would prefer not to wear something on their wrist 24/7 and really want to focus on health metrics in a more passive way, smart rings are an excellent, low-key alternative. Most use research-grade health sensors that meet clinical standards, making them a reliable tool for metric gathering.

Like the other two wearables, smart rings use a companion app and can offer meaningful insights. But unlike the other two, they are lightweight, comfortable, and discreet – and most don’t have a screen that gives you constant notifications. Nor do they take or make phone calls. And they certainly are not intended to replace dedicated sports watches used by athletes. Instead, they are designed for long-haul tracking, generating a big picture look over time of the wearer’s health in a number of key areas.

The Petra® Lineup of Smart Watches, Fitness Trackers, and Smart Rings

As sensors become more accurate and more widely available - and new ones developed - new brands of wearables are coming on the market. Many are at lower price points, challenging higher-priced brands. They may not match feature by feature, but they include an impressive selection. These improvements also continue to blur the line between smart watches and fitness trackers, making it almost impossible to make clear distinctions.

Smart Watches and Smartwatch-Like Fitness Trackers

An industry-leading smartwatch brand, they make a tremendous variety of sports-centric and fitness smartwatches that are rugged and chock full of features. They even make smartwatches for golfers. All work with the Garmin Connect app.

Brand new to Petra, these rugged smartwatches use the latest sensors, are designed for the great outdoors, and are value priced. Features include dual-band satellite positioning system, military-grade durability, IP69K protection level, and comprehensive health tracking. Their TANK S2 line is designed specifically for women. The TANK M3 has a slightly rectangular face while the TANK X2 Ultra Smart Bands more closely resemble a fitness band while retaining the robust features of a smart watch. A companion app tracks performance and more.

This company has 3 tiers of smartwatches – the Watch 40, the Watch 70, and the Watch 120. The 40 and 70 feature rectangular faces while the 120 sports the round face. The 70 introduces sports modes and weather updates while the 120 adds the ability to use voice commands and access Gemini AI assistance. All integrate the gathered health data with Google Fit.

Although the company markets these as smart watches, prices and features are closer to fitness bands. They work with a free app and can even function as a camera remote for the paired smartphone.

Their Vibe Series are value-priced smartwatches. Many offer a quick reply function for Android phones. They are either GPS assisted (syncing with the paired phone for GPS information) or have built-in GPS.

Brand new to Petra and priced to sell, the R3s feature the latest sensors and are packed with features that rival the big boys. Built-in GPS syncs with 5 satellites for better accuracy. The R3 also has an altimeter, barometer, and compass, and supports over 100 activity modes. 

The Activ8 is a new entry into the smartwatch field. The company considers it a smartwatch/fitness tracker hybrid. Value priced, yet sporting an impressive array of features, it works with a free app and can sync its data with Strava and the phone’s built-in health app.

Fitness Trackers

These are fitness trackers designed just for kids. The Garmin Jr. app is loaded on a parent’s smartphone. It creates education, globe-trotting adventures to encourage 60 minutes of daily activity, can assign chores, and more.

It works with the 3Plus Elite Series app. It can track steps, distance, calories burned, active minutes, heart rate, and has a built-in timer. The band’s activity stats reset at midnight.

Smart Rings

Petra carries the complete line of RingConn® Gen 2 Smart Rings, as well as the sizing kit, charging dock, and clear ring protectors.

These smart rings are light, ultra-thin, comfortable to wear, and have a very impressive battery life. They offer sleep apnea monitoring - the world’s first ultra-thin smart ring to do so - in addition to tracking a myriad of other health metrics, including sleep quality, stress, vitals, and more. The companion app, with AI Health Partner, offers smart health insights, personalized goals, and real-time recommendations. An AI upgrade to the app is coming soon. The app also stores data up to 7 days and can sync to Apple Health, Google Fit, etc. And unlike some other smart ring brands, RingConn is completely subscription-free. Care+ insurance against theft, accidental damage, and accidental loss is available as an after-purchase optional add-on through the app.

The Data Speaks

While wearable tech (which CTA categorizes as including smartwatches, fitness trackers, smart rings, and VR/MR/AR headset and glasses) doesn’t have the same kind of 2025 purchasing intent as many other categories…

…nor does it have as many households already owning a like product…

… there is plenty of opportunity for growth.

The CTA report found:

• 34.4-million US households intend to buy a smart watch
• 28.2-million US households intend to buy a wristband activity tracker
• 21.9-million US households intend to buy a smart ring

That’s a lot of potential buyers! Don’t leave this market untapped.

Health Monitoring Options for Everyone

Although smart watches and smart rings were already on the market before COVID-19, the pandemic led to the development of new health and wellness features. And it certainly raised public awareness of the need to monitor personal health statistics.

The newest generation of smart wearables, regardless of brand, have set the bar high when it comes to tracking metrics. Not only do they track sleep quality, stress, peak performance times, recovery times, training readiness, and even ovulation and other women-specific metrics, but they can also include workout modes for well over 100 sports and even be charged by the sun.

And with MSRPs ranging from $39.99 all the way up to $1,199.99, there’s a smart wearable for every budget.

If you are not yet a Petra customer and are ready to buy wrist- and finger-based smart wearables, sign up now. We’d love to help set you on the path to success.