Getting blocked from your biggest market is the kind of problem that sinks most startups. Not Ultrahuman. The Bengaluru-based wearable maker just proved that sometimes the best comeback isn’t fighting in court, it’s building something better.
Last October, the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled against Ultrahuman in a patent dispute with rival Oura. That single decision wiped out 45% of their daily active users overnight. No U.S. imports. No new inventory. Just gone. The kind of disruption that makes investors lose sleep.
But instead of retreating, Ultrahuman went back to the drawing board and designed the Ring Pro. It’s not just incremental. The new third-generation ring stretches battery life from four to six days to a full 15 days. That’s a meaningful difference for people who actually wear health trackers. At $479, it’s priced aggressively for what you’re getting.
The Patent System Just Got Messy
Here’s what’s wild about this situation. Ultrahuman isn’t taking the loss quietly. They filed their own patent infringement case against Oura in the Delhi High Court in August 2025, and that case is still pending. Meanwhile, they’re developing a workaround product with a completely redesigned heart-rate sensing architecture specifically to sidestep Oura’s patents.
This is how technology disputes play out in 2026. It’s not a knockout punch anymore. It’s a chess match across multiple jurisdictions with new designs as countermoves.
The Ring Pro has already been submitted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for clearance. There’s no guarantee it’ll be approved, but the fact that Ultrahuman went through the engineering effort to create a legally distinct device shows they’re serious about returning to America.
Money Still Matters, Even in Disruption
Despite losing access to nearly half their user base, Ultrahuman is operating at a $150 million annualized revenue run rate. That’s actually impressive. They reported $64 million in operating revenue for the fiscal year ended March 2025, and they’re still profitable after tax.
Margins are going to take a hit though. Litigation costs, tariffs, and the entire redesign effort have real expenses. But the startup isn’t bleeding out. They’re adapting.
The company also introduced Jade, a real-time “biointelligence” system that analyzes health data and generates personalized insights. It’s available to all users, including those stuck with the older Ring Air, and doesn’t require a subscription. This is smart business thinking. You can’t charge for everything when you’re fighting for relevance.
Women Are Driving Adoption
One overlooked stat: women now account for 68% of Ultrahuman’s user base, up from 65% a year earlier. That’s not random. Their women’s health features actually work, and word travels fast in communities where health matters.
The global smart ring market grew nearly 80% year-over-year in 2025. Oura still dominates with two-thirds of the market. Ultrahuman sits at number two with about 25% market share according to IDC data from Q3 2025. That’s a solid position for a company that got kicked out of its largest market.
Their key growth markets now include the UK, Canada, Australia, and India. India alone contributes 8% to 9% of revenue, which is significant considering they’ve only recently invested in local customer support there.
The Ring Pro Charger Is Actually Useful
The pro charger can store up to 45 days of battery life for on-the-go charging. It supports wireless charging via Qi, the standard everyone uses. It’s the kind of accessory that seems minor until you realize it solves an actual problem for people who travel or forget to charge things regularly.
The ring itself stores up to 250 days of health data and weighs about 5-6% more than the Ring Air from 2023. That’s a meaningful hardware improvement without making the device cumbersome.
Ultrahuman has raised about $55 million to date and is building additional production capacity to meet demand. They’re not acting like a wounded company trying to survive. They’re acting like a company preparing to scale.
The real question isn’t whether Ultrahuman can survive the U.S. ban. They already are. The question is whether their redesigned product will actually get cleared for import, and whether the smart ring market can really sustain two major players competing on battery life and health insights when one of them already owns two-thirds of the space.
