5 factors I’d consider before buying a smart ring

Finding ways to track your health and activity can be tricky. You may want to know more than just how many steps you’ve taken in a day. You may want to know your heart rate, the elevation that you’ve walked or run in, how warm your skin has gotten, and just how much strenuous activity you’ve done. There are different levels of fitness trackers that can provide you with basic data all the way to intense minute-by-minute breakdowns.

One of the fitness trackers that has gained a lot of traction in the past five or so years is a smart ring. Rather than needing to wear a smartwatch or a fitness tracker around your wrist like a Fitbit, you can opt for a smart ring that uses its sensors to measure your health and activity. It is less bulky than a smartwatch and is easier to wear while you sleep. Some can control smart devices and others can give you reading on your stress levels. Others can also receive phone calls.

Before you choose which smart ring is for you, there are some basic things you need to know about owning a smart ring. Here’s what you need to know before you buy a smart ring.

1 Make sure you know your ring size

This may seem obvious, but it’s important

A smart ring, at the end of the day, is still a piece of jewelry, so it’s crucial to make sure that it fits you well. Not all smart rings are built the same. Some are bulkier and other are on the thinner side. but they’re all euipped with built-in sensors, so they do stick out a bit farther than a regular band might.

You can look at the sizing guide for whichever smart ring you’re thinking of getting to give you an idea of whether it runs tight or loose. From there, get yourself a sizing or fitting kit, which comes with a number of plastic rings. This will help you decipher which ring size you should order. Most of the ring companies can send you a sizing kit, which RingConn does. Some — like Oura — have an Oura specific sizing guide you can purchase for a few dollars extra, which I highly recommend. You can also consider buying one yourself.

2 Understand your life and your habits

Helps you choose vital features

How you move day to day is important to consider when buying a smart ring. If you consider yourself an athlete, a smart ring may not give you the same amount of data that you want as a smartwatch might. It may not provide you with the best activity tracking. But, if you want a better understanding of day-to-day bodily insights, a smart ring is a great tool.

Also, there are smart rings more geared towards female-born people than male-born people. Great features for women who use smart rings can include tracking menstrual cycles, moods, and symptoms. A ring like the Evie Ring is specifically made for women. Smart rings can give you recovery stats to help you understand when you might need longer sleep. Depending on your lifestyle, the features that a smart ring presents could come into play when you’re making your decision. For any smart ring user, you may not need some of the features that a ring offers, and you may want more than what it gives.

3 Take into consideration what comes with the ring

Some rings require subscriptions

In order to give you some of the best features, certain smart rings require you to sign up for a subscription. The Oura Ring, which is arguably the most popular ring on the market, does require a user to subscribe to receive all of its tracking data.

If you’re desperately looking for certain features, you may not have an issue with having to pay a subscription because it comes with the ring you want. It may cause others to shy away from using certain ones though. It will all depend on what you want and how much you’re willing to spend.

4 Know what technology you have around

Which smart ring works best with your devices?

Different smart rings can work better with certain devices. If you have an Android phone, you probably will want to get the Samsung Galaxy Ring, as it is made to be more compatible with Android phones. Other rings may be able to work just fine with both iPhones and Android phones. If you want one that is compatible with smartwatches, you can opt for certain rings. Rings can give you great sleep tracking readings, while a smartwatch may give you better activity tracking. There’s also an opportunity to wear both a watch and a ring to reap the benefits of both.

Some smart rings may not be about activity or sleep tracking at all. If you are someone who is handicapped, you may want to wait for the Lotus Ring, which is meant for smart homes. You can wear the Lotus Ring and point to a smart home device to use it. It won’t give you health tracking, but it can help you around your home and make life simpler.

5 Are you good about charging your devices?

This may seem trivial, but it’s vital

Are you someone who has their devices constantly dying on them during the day? Do you forget to charge something until it’s too late? A smartwatch might not be the right option for you. It usually needs to be charged every day and is typically useless when it doesn’t work.

A smart ring does not need to be charged every day, and it can sometimes last for up to a week on a charge. Plus, if you just charge it for 20 minutes, it can give you a huge boost. Plus, it still looks good as a ring, even if it is dead. But the battery life on smart rings is typically far superior to those of other fitness trackers.