The Ultrahuman Ring Air: Following a lawsuit filed by Oura Ring, the Ultrahuman Ring Air has been banned in the US. It was not at the time of my testing, after which we awarded it the superlative “best smart ring if you like working out.” But if you own a ring or purchase one, you can still use it exactly as intended. The company is working on a new design and plans to launch it as soon as possible.
The Ultrahuman Ring Air came out in June 2023. Verizon team up with it to be the first carrier to sell a smart ring. The light ring, which costs $349, is available for iOS and Android. It uses infrared photoplethysmography, or PPG, sensors to track sleep, recovery, stress levels, caffeine intake, calories burned, steps and reproductive health for those who menstruate (cycle, ovulation and pregnancy insights). There is no extra subscription fee to use the Ultrahuman ring, so that’s a plus. Unlike the Oura and Evie Ring, the Ultrahuman Ring Air has more of a masculine look and a thicker band. So, if you like more dainty jewelry, this may not be the smart ring for you.
I wasn’t a fan of the app layout for this ring because it looks busy, which makes it difficult to read. Between the dark backdrop of the app and each data marker being a different background color, it’s displayed in a way where there’s too much information to take in at once. The key data markers are also not always in the same order. For example, at points when I open the app, the caffeine permissible window is shown as a line graph at the top, depicting the window that it’s okay to drink caffeine.
Right after that is the dynamic recovery data, then sleep and sleep debt, followed by data on your light exposure window as a countdown, and that’s just the first half of the page. Perhaps the app would benefit from a more consistent and simplistic approach when showing all this data. However, someone who loves data may like this, but I thought it could be presented in a more digestible manner. I was also reminded that wearables can be inaccurate: When I compared the sleep data and other data markers across the rings, they were never the same. In some cases, the readings were close, and in others they were off by a lot.
One of the features that stood out to me was this smart ring’s ability to record different types of workouts. Unlike the other smart rings I tested, the Ultrahuman Ring Air seemed to have a better version of workout tracking, but it can still use some improvement. I think it could benefit from the auto-detection feature that the Oura Ring has for movement, and even take it a step further so that it can accurately detect the type of workout you’re doing based on your exercise habits. The Ultrahuman Ring Air also lets you create zones, which you can share with other friends who own the ring. The zones are meant to share your movement stats for the day as a way to connect. If you own the Ultrahuman M1 Live Glucose Monitoring patch, you can even connect your data to the ring, which would probably give you a more detailed reading.
I mainly used this ring to record some of my strength training workouts. As I mentioned, the Ultrahuman ring has a long list of workouts you can choose from to record, ranging from outdoor running, functional strength training, outdoor walking, household chores, cross-training, hiking, Pilates and tons more. The Ultrahuman ring’s data mainly looks at your average heart rate, heart rate recovery, calories burned and the heart rate zone you’re in (zone 1 to 5). This can be helpful in some circumstances, like if you’re pregnant and want to avoid overexerting yourself or keep track of your training zone.
At one point, I wanted to see how similarly the rings collected data during a run. I usually utilize my Apple Watch to record my runs, so I’m familiar with how it calculates distance and pacing. I compared the results from the Oura and Ultrahuman Ring Air to my Apple Watch, since the Evie Ring can’t record any workout in real time. The Oura and the Ultrahuman Ring Air captured similar data (heart rate, pace, distance), but it was surprising to see that even though each wearable provided its own estimates for these respective factors, the Ultrahuman ring was the most inaccurate.
For example, the Apple Watch logged me at 10 minutes, 25 seconds per mile pace for the 30-minute run, but the Ultrahuman Ring AIR captured it at a pace of 17 minutes per mile, which is a vast difference and makes me question its accuracy if I were to rely on it as a wearable. Whereas the Oura Ring captured it as a 10:32 minute/mile pace, which is closer to the Apple Watch reading. If you don’t mind the ring not capturing the most accurate data when it comes to running and want a basic reading, you may not mind the Ultrahuman Ring Air. However, if you’re training for races and care about accurate metrics, then you’re better off using another type of wearable.
As far as sleep tracking goes, I don’t think it captured my reading as accurately as the Oura Ring. Similar to Oura, Ultrahuman Ring Air uses its own scores for sleep. The Ultrahuman ring seems to provide me with a more generous reading than the Oura. With the Oura Ring, I can tell the difference if I’m not as well-rested. Besides the ease of recording a workout in real time, I liked that the Ultrahuman ring gives you a caffeine window that’s easy to follow. I am sensitive to caffeine and I usually don’t drink a lot of coffee to begin with, but I have referred to Ultrahuman’s recommendations and tried to stick to the window. I notice when I drink caffeine outside of the window, it’s harder for me to wind down.
Like other rings on this list, the Ultrahuman ring went through some updates during the testing period, but I didn’t notice anything significant from the data I received. If you’re a fitness enthusiast, you may like the Ultrahuman Ring Air. But before I go smartwatch-free, I would like to see some improvement in a few of its wellness features.
The Evie Ring: The Evie Ring is the first smart ring on the market designed with those who menstruate in mind to help them track their sleep and other wellness factors. The ring retails for $269 (the cheapest on this list), is iOS and Android compatible and comes in three colors: silver, rose gold and gold. No subscription is needed to use this ring. The ring design is also a touch more stylish than the Oura and Ultrahuman rings, but that all depends on your personal preference. The charging case is ideal because you can take it anywhere, it has up to 10 additional charges before needing the charging cable and it’s a good way to store the ring when not in use. It has a four-day battery life, though I would argue it’s more like three days, similar to the other rings.
What is supposed to make Evie unique is that it can track menstruation cycles and automatically track your sleep, heart rate, exercise and more. However, unlike Oura or Ultrahuman, where you are provided with suggestions to improve certain aspects of your health based on the data it collects, it seems that Evie is lacking in that department. While it can log your menstruation symptoms daily, whether you have a heavy or light flow, a workout or even read sleep data, Evie doesn’t make recommendations based on this information. It functions more like a health diary than an actionable piece of wearable tech.
I didn’t find Evie did anything different to make it stand out from the other two rings I tested, even with the various software updates it went through. The app itself is basic and easy to follow but lacks in its design. I will give it credit that one of the latest updates includes an AI chatbot, which asks about health goals you have in mind and offers recommendations based on your answers. I found it more generic than I would’ve liked since the ring should be familiar with your habits based on the data it’s collecting. You can easily lie to a chatbot, and this defeats the point of wearing a smart ring that observes your health habits.
Like the other rings, I had to log a workout after the fact since it only records certain activities. It also tracks how active you are, your steps and the calories you burn throughout the day. This is fine, but I could just wear a smartwatch and get the same data. As far as the features being targeted toward menstruating people, I didn’t think it was anything revolutionary. I could easily use Apple Health to track when I’m ovulating or to log my period. I would’ve liked to see Evie take it a step further. For example, skin temperature readings could offer more information than just telling me my average at night. It left me wanting more since tracking body temperature is how some people can tell they’re ovulating or most fertile, especially if they’re trying to get pregnant.
The Evie has potential, but until it revamps its software functions and readings, you’re better off with a different smart ring that’s already ahead of the curve.
