Ring has dropped prices on two of its most popular video doorbells, the Wired Doorbell Pro and the Battery Doorbell Plus, according to The Verge. The deal matters because these devices are today's version of the always-on cameras and AI features that AR glasses will soon carry on your face.
What actually happened
The Verge reports Ring's Wired Doorbell Pro is priced at $199 (USD), $50 off its usual $250 (USD), sold through Amazon and Best Buy. The Battery Doorbell Plus, second generation, is priced at $119.99 (USD), $60 off its usual $180 (USD), also available at Amazon and Best Buy. Both prices sit $20 (USD) above their Prime Day lows, according to The Verge, published 5 August 2026. The Wired Doorbell Pro records 4K video and can send prerecorded auto-replies to visitors. The Battery Doorbell Plus records at 2K resolution. Both support two-way talk, motion detection, color night vision, and a head-to-toe doorstep view. A $4.99 (USD) monthly subscription adds package and vehicle alerts. A $19.99 (USD) Ring Pro plan adds facial recognition and AI-generated activity summaries, free for the first month.
How we got here
Ring built its current doorbell lineup around tiered subscriptions, pairing hardware discounts with recurring AI fees. This sale is the second-best price The Verge has tracked for both models, trailing only a recent Prime Day promotion by $20 (USD). Facial recognition and text-based activity summaries, once rare extras, now sit behind Ring's $19.99 (USD) Pro tier as a standard offering. That progression mirrors a wider shift in consumer hardware. Cameras that once simply recorded video now run on-device AI to identify faces, objects, and patterns, the same groundwork that outdoor AR wearables and smart glasses will eventually need.
Why this matters for you
For shoppers, the discount means 4K or 2K doorstep coverage and Alexa integration at a lower upfront cost than usual. For existing Ring users, the free first month of Pro-tier facial recognition and AI summaries is worth testing before committing to $19.99 (USD) a month. For builders in AR and wearable hardware, Ring's model, hardware plus subscription plus premium AI, works as a live pricing template. It shows how face recognition and always-on video features get adopted at consumer scale, lessons that apply directly to smart glasses makers weighing subscription costs against one-time hardware pricing.
The bigger question
If facial recognition and AI activity summaries already come standard with a $20 (USD) monthly doorbell subscription, how much will people expect that same capability for free once the camera moves from a fixed post at the front door to a frame worn on someone's face all day, and who gets to decide where that line sits for everyone?
What to watch
Ring has not announced an end date for this sale, and prices typically shift around retailer promotions from Amazon and Best Buy. Shoppers should watch whether either retailer revisits these prices ahead of the next major sales event. Bonuz will keep tracking how doorbell-level AI features, like facial recognition and automated summaries, migrate toward wearable and AR hardware in the months ahead.
