Ultrahuman has announced the return of its smart ring business in the United States, opening pre-orders for its new model following clearance from US Customs and Border Protection. The move marks a significant reset for the Indian wearable maker after its US business was disrupted in October 2025 after the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled in Oura's favor in a patent dispute.
The ban lasted six months. The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled against Ultrahuman and RingConn for patent infringement related to the Oura Ring form factor. The ITC's final ruling enforces exclusion and cease-and-desist orders, effectively banning the import and sale of Ultrahuman smart rings in the U.S. The dispute centred on a specific layered arrangement of internal ring components covered by a patent Oura had recently acquired.
Rather than abandon the US market, Ultrahuman redesigned from the ground up. To work around Oura's patent, Ultrahuman developed the Ring Pro with a new design, and the device has been submitted to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection for clearance. That clearance has now been granted, allowing pre-orders to begin immediately. Pre-orders in the US are open immediately, with shipping set to begin on 15 May 2026. The first 1,000 customers get Ring Pro and the Pro Charging Case for $349, a $130 savings over the $479 retail bundle.
The new ring addresses what many users found frustrating about earlier models: battery endurance. The Ring Pro, Ultrahuman's third-generation smart ring, offers up to 15 days of battery life compared with four to six days on the Ring Air. Pair it with the new PRO Charging Case, and that jumps to 45 days. For Australian businesses with supply chain exposure to the US wearables sector, the Ring Pro's market entry matters. Ultrahuman is currently operating at an annualized revenue run rate of about $150 million, with $64 million in operating revenue in the financial year ended March 2025.
The patent dispute itself raises broader questions about how intellectual property law shapes product development in emerging tech categories. Global smart ring shipments grew nearly 80% year-over-year in 2025, driven by demand for compact wearables with advanced sleep tracking and longer battery life. Yet the ITC issued exclusion and cease-and-desist orders banning all Ultrahuman and RingConn smart rings and components from being imported into and sold in the U.S. market. This legal weaponry has real consequences: Ultrahuman's U.S. market share rose from 11.5% in 2024 to 24.6% by Q2 2025, before falling to low single digits by the end of the year as the restrictions took effect, while Oura's share climbed from 63.3% to 85%.
What makes the patent dispute noteworthy is not merely its outcome but its foundation. The patent at the center of Oura's case was only issued on 9 January 2024, based on an application filed on 24 May 2023, and Oura acquired the patent family from another company in 2023 (Proxy), who themselves acquired it from yet another company in 2020 (Motiv). This patent acquisition strategy reflects how established players can acquire intellectual property after the fact to challenge newer competitors. For traders and investors tracking the wearables supply chain, the Ring Pro's US launch signals that Ultrahuman intends to remain a force in a market where Oura continues to lead with more than two-thirds of the market, while Ultrahuman holds the second position.
A key differentiator remains Ultrahuman's no-subscription model. Everything the ring tracks, every insight it generates comes included with the purchase price, in direct contrast to Oura, which charges a monthly subscription fee. For cost-conscious consumers, particularly in health-conscious demographics, this matters over two or three years of ownership.
The case also highlights genuine limits on patent-based competition policy. When patents covering basic combinations of existing technologies are used to exclude competitors entirely from major markets, questions arise about whether the system rewards innovation or merely punishes latecomer execution. Ultrahuman's key growth markets include the U.K., Canada, Australia, and India, with the latter contributing about 8% to 9% of overall revenue after recent investments in local customer support. The US represents a critical market for recovery: The U.S. accounts for about 45% of Ultrahuman's roughly 700,000 daily active users globally.
For Australian exporters and investors in the health tech space, the Ring Pro's clearance demonstrates that patent disputes, while costly and disruptive, need not be terminal. Redesign, persistence, and regulatory engagement can provide a path back to market. What remains unclear is whether the new design will withstand Oura's continued legal assault, and whether other wearable makers facing similar patent claims will be able to afford the same engineering and regulatory effort.