RingConn Gen 2 Air: Price tip
Foundry
The RingConn Gen 2 Air takes almost all of the positive features of the RingConn Gen 2 and makes it even more affordable to wear this subscription-free ring on your finger. Although titanium has been replaced by stainless steel, it is still an elegant smart ring. It lasts for over a week, but you miss out on the useful charging case that is included with the more expensive Gen 2.
As far as features go, it’s only missing RingConn’s new sleep apnea feature, but it still offers reliable sleep, step and daily heart rate tracking functionality with a new AI-powered chatbot that offers more personalized insights that may be missing from similar competitive smart rings.
If you don’t want to spend a lot on a smart ring and don’t want to pay for a subscription, this is simply the best budget smart ring.
Read our RingConn Gen 2 Air review
Amazfit Helio Ring: saving tip
Foundry
The Amazfit Helio Ring is Zepp Health’s first smart ring and like other challengers for the smart ring throne, it is available without a subscription, making it one of the cheapest smart rings on the market.
Compared to other rings, you are very limited in your choice: there is only one color and the three US sizes 8, 10 and 12. In addition, the Amazfit model is not the slimmest ring on the market, but it still looks good and is waterproof to a depth of 100 meters.
It can track steps, sleep, stress and heart rate and does a consistently good job. When paired with a compatible Amazfit smartwatch, it can fill data gaps in areas like exercise where it struggles, allowing you to get the most out of its key metric, Readiness, which appears in Zepp Health’s revamped companion app.
The promised 4-day battery life seems a bit optimistic based on our testing, but if you’re looking for a smart ring that’s cheaper than the competition and fits one of the few available ring sizes well, this is a good, if not groundbreaking, entry into the world of smart rings.
Read our Amazfit Helio Ring review
Ultrahuman Ring Air: Best comfort
Foundry
Ultrahuman’s Ring Air is one of the most balanced rings on the market. Affordable (though not the cheapest) and with no subscription fees, it has a lot going for it. The design is attractive and comfortable, but like many other models it is prone to scratches.
It offers strong core tracking and an engaging companion app that presents the data and insights in a pleasant, helpful and intuitive way. However, the app relies on some third-party integrations to fill in some gaps. Battery life lags behind some rivals, and we wish it had a charging case instead of a charging dock, which would move it further up this list.
Read our Ultrahuman Ring Air review
Leep Ring: Best sleep monitoring
Foundry
As much as we appreciate the Oura Ring for all of its features, the Leep Ring takes a different approach by offering a simplified version of the smart ring concept that is arguably better suited to many people.
Not only is the Leep Ring available at a low price of just 199 euros, but there are also no significant subscription fees. The downside is that you don’t get as extensive a feature set as the competition, but if you’re just starting out with fitness training, you might prefer a stripped-down approach.
Where the Leep Ring really shines, however, is sleep tracking. When we wore the Leep Ring alongside two other sleep trackers, we were impressed by how accurate the data provided tended to be, and it’s presented in a clear and easy-to-understand format in the accompanying app.
It is also worth mentioning that the lower price does not come at the expense of the build quality. During the time we tested the ring, we did not find any scratches and it is very comfortable to wear.
Read our Leep Ring 1 review
Circular Ring 2: Best monitoring features
Foundry
The fact that Circular maintains the subscription-free model is a huge advantage for anyone looking to keep their spending to a minimum. You won’t feel like you’re missing out on anything as the Ring 2 has excellent features to monitor your health and fitness. There are a variety of sports workouts you can pursue. And sleep monitoring provides helpful information that can help you improve your circadian rhythm.
More importantly, the Ring 2 is the first smart ring of its kind to feature an ECG sensor. If you suffer from cardiac arrhythmias, an EKG scan can be crucial in detecting the problem and referring you to a specialist. Therefore, it is a great advantage that this function is now finally available in such a compact device, so that you no longer have to wear a smartwatch with an ECG function.
Even though the intelligent functions are the focus here, it is worth mentioning that the Circular Ring 2 is particularly comfortable to wear, even over a longer period of time. This wasn’t the case with all of the smart rings we tested, so it’s great to have one that won’t be noticeable when worn to bed.
We just wish the accompanying app was a little clearer, but given the hardware’s excellent performance, this is only a minor criticism.
Read our Circular Ring 2 review
Other smart rings tested
Since smart rings are still an emerging industry, not many other smart rings have made it into our tests yet. The only significant new addition that has since been pushed off this list by a newer model is the Circular Ring Slim. While it was a solid starting point for showing how a smart ring can be made slimmer, the ring itself was too lacking in terms of overall fitness tracking functionality to be an easy recommendation for most people.
With the newer Circular Ring 2 on the market, it offers a much better purchasing option for those who want to enjoy relatively high-quality features without having to pay extra for a subscription.
Of course, as more and more brands try to enter this market and we will see even more successors to the established models, it is worth checking this page regularly to see if our rankings have changed.
The best smart rings are still quite expensive. If 300 euros and more is beyond your budget, you’re better off looking for an inexpensive smartwatch.
Mike Sawh
How to choose the optimal smart ring
Unlike all the additional features that come into play when choosing a smartwatch, you should look at a smart ring from a different perspective due to the lack of a display. You should ask yourself whether you are primarily interested in fitness or health tracking.
For example, if you need a reliable fitness tracker for all occasions, you should make sure that the durability is top-notch and that the device is not susceptible to scratches, otherwise anything related to strength training could become a major problem.
Mike Sawh
However, if you’re more interested in monitoring your sleep quality, you’ll want to make sure a smart ring provides accurate data on the subject and has a long-lasting battery so you don’t have to worry about it running out of juice in the middle of the night.
Either way, it’s worth checking whether a smart ring you’re eyeing requires an ongoing subscription, as this could add up to a significant outlay over time.
Smart Ring: Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the purpose of a smart ring?
As mentioned in the introduction, the idea of a smart ring is to take on many of the functions of a smartwatch or fitness tracker, but right on your finger. Thanks to a series of sensors inside, it can typically measure your steps, heart rate, sleep, and possibly other things like stress and blood oxygen levels.
It offers a small, lightweight and discreet way to collect data about your daily activities and keeps your wrist free to wear a regular watch. Alternatively, you can also wear it in conjunction with a smartwatch. In Samsung’s case, this allows for more accurate tracking and extends the Galaxy Ring’s battery life by up to 30 percent.
2. Is a smart ring worth it?
Of course, this depends on how you answer different questions. Do you primarily want to wear a fitness tracker on your finger that, at least for now, costs more than most smartwatches? Is there a model that you like the design of as it is more of a fashion accessory than a wearable? And are you okay with the fact that it doesn’t have a display that shows you information? You have to use the companion app for everything.
Smart rings also last longer than many smartwatches and therefore often only need to be charged once a week. Due to its size, a smart ring is limited in its capabilities, meaning smartwatches can often collect more data and automatically track activities and workouts.
3. What are the disadvantages of a smart ring?
Like everything, smart rings have drawbacks, starting with the fact that they tend to be more expensive than many smartwatches and some even require subscription fees. Purchasing is a little more involved as you have to be careful to choose the right size – although many manufacturers offer a free sizing kit. Proper fit is crucial for accurate tracking and to ensure that the ring does not fit too tightly or, conversely, fall off too easily.
Since they don’t have a display, you can’t actually do anything without looking at the smartphone – although some models have a vibration motor for feedback or an alarm. In addition, unlike smartwatches, most models do not have NFC for contactless payments.
4. On which finger do you wear a smart ring?
In principle, you can wear a smart ring on any finger. However, most smart ring manufacturers recommend avoiding the thumb. You should also wear a smart ring on your non-dominant hand, and manufacturers usually agree that the index finger provides the most accurate tracking.
This is also best suited for models like the Galaxy Ring, which includes pinch gestures as a feature. Wearing it on your index finger will also prevent it from rubbing against your wedding ring if you wear one.
How we test smart rings
To ensure you get a comprehensive understanding of every smart ring we test, we put each one through the same rigorous testing as the latest smartwatches. We wear them for at least a week, often much longer, put them through a series of workouts and compare them to data-accurate devices like chest strap heart rate monitors.
We’ve been covering smartwatches since the launch of the first Apple Watch, giving our team a unique understanding of how wearable fitness technology has evolved over time. With smart rings now the new trend in this industry, we have years of knowledge backing our expertise in this area that you can rely on to make the right purchasing decision every time.
(PC-Welt)
