Not everyone needs a screen on their wrist. Despite their popularity, smartwatches can be distracting, and not everyone enjoys wearing a watch all the time. So, what do you do if you’re worried about your heart health or the quality of your sleep? You turn to a smart ring.
A smart ring provides many of the health and fitness benefits that a smartwatch offers but in a much smaller form factor. It uses a screen-free design with an emphasis on cramming in all the sensors you expect from a smartwatch or fitness tracker in a device that fits on your finger. Of course, it differs from wrist-based wearables in that it requires your smartphone to actually see your data. Smart rings are perfect for anyone looking for a fitness tracker that is more discreet or fashion-forward without the distractions of something buzzing and lighting up on your wrist. We’ve taken the guesswork out of deciding whether they’re right for you by collecting some of the best smart rings around.
The best overall smart ring
Oura Ring Gen3
Small tech with a big impact
The third-generation Oura Ring can track all the health information your smartwatch can in a far more compact package. However, you will have to commit to a monthly subscription to use it.
- Two design options
- Easily digestible companion app
- Accurate sensors
The Oura Ring Gen 3 offers the best overall smart ring experience, featuring an attractive design that can be as discrete or flashy as you’d like. Oura even partnered with Gucci to create a high-fashion version. You can choose a round style or the original plateau design to save a little money.
The ring can track just about anything you’d want to know more about, including your sleep, heart rate, activity, resilience, and readiness for your next workout. It can automatically detect workouts and even count housework towards your activity goals. Plus, Oura offers extensive women’s health features such as Cycle Insights, Pregnancy Insights, and more.
Additionally, Oura does a nice job adding new software features on a regular basis, which we think makes the sensor-equipped hardware worth the investment.
Unfortunately, most of the feature suite requires a monthly subscription. However, Oura provides comprehensive insights into your overall health and wellness without overcomplicating the data. It approaches suggestions in a friendly, positive way, so you don’t get too negative about your stats, either. Additionally, Oura does a nice job adding new software features on a regular basis, which we think makes the sensor-equipped hardware worth the investment.
The best premium smart ring
Ultrahuman Ring Air
All the features without extra fees
The Ultrahuman Ring Air is plain for a fashion accessory, but its slim profile, useful health tracking, extensive app-based features, and subscription-free platform make it a great option.
- Slim and lightweight
- No monthly subscription
- Granular data on sleep and activity
- Frequent feature updates
If you’re not willing to deal with a monthly subscription in addition to the cost of the hardware, look to the Ultrahuman Ring Air. Another benefit is that this ring offers all of Oura’s features in a slimmer package, making it less noticeable on your finger. The Ring Air currently comes in five different finishes: Raw Titanium, Aster Black, Matte Grey, Bionic Gold, and Space Silver.
The Ring Air manages to cram many sensors into its slim ring, including LEDs for heart rate monitoring, temperature sensors, motion sensors, and an Infrared Photoplethysmography sensor (for help with blood-oxygen measurements, among other things). These sensors allow you to track your heart rate, sleep, movement, and much more. Additionally, Ultrahuman consistently releases new features that harness data from your phone to give you a much more complete picture of your health than any other smart ring.
Inside the companion app, the Ultrahuman Ring Air offers plentiful insights into physical activity and readiness, like most smart rings, alongside other, more unique metrics. For example, Ultrahuman can tell you when you should stop having coffee for the day and still get a good night’s sleep or if certain physical activities throughout the day could affect your circadian rhythm. Beyond that, the app syncs with Ultrahuman’s glucose monitor and home monitoring tool for a robust picture of your health and wellness. The Ultrahuman Ring Air is worth considering if you’re looking for more health information without a monthly fee.
Use Ultrahuman’s
PowerPlugs
for a more customized look at your health.
The best value smart ring
RingConn Smart Ring
Stress tracking features included
The RingConn Smart Ring adds stress monitoring to the typical sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, and body temperature measuring of most smart rings.
- Comes with a charging case
- Seven days of battery life
- Budget-friendly
- No subscription fees
- Extremely basic activity tracking
- Data isn’t as accurate as other options
Along with the usual charts and graphs on sleep and heart rate variance, RingConn also promises to track stress levels, a unique health metric that’s begun trickling out to more wearables like Fitbit’s Sense 2 smartwatch, the Pixel Watch 2, and plenty of Garmin devices over the last few years.
If stress-tracking skills aren’t a draw, the RingConn Smart Ring also ships with a charging case that can charge the ring 18 times, something only the Evie Ring can claim. Plus, RingConn promises seven days of battery life, so you can go for a while without needing that case to begin with.
The RingConn app is easy to navigate, but it provides much more limited features than Oura and Ultrahuman. The fitness tracking tools are also extremely limited, with the ability to track only outdoor running, indoor running, outdoor cycling, or outdoor walking. But, there’s no subscription required, which is a big plus, and the initial purchase price is also lower than the competition. If you just need the basics, the RingConn Smart Ring could be the perfect option.
The best smart ring for cycle tracking
Movano Health Evie Ring
Detailed monthly information at your fingertip
The Evie Ring tracks heart rate, body temperature, and sleep, all through the lens of menstrual health.
- Unique design
- Menstrual cycle tracking
- Heart rate, SpO2, activity, and temperature tracking
Movano Health’s Evie Ring is designed with a special focus on menstrual cycle tracking and women’s health. In terms of sensors, it’s not doing anything radically different from other smart rings. It does, however, have an eye-catching and unique design.
The Evie Ring uses a body temperature sensor to help predict menstrual cycles and ovulation. It can also help you understand the reasons behind your physical and emotional states based on where you are at in your cycle. The app provides a colorful, approachable, and fun experience that is quite different from the other options.
Considering smartwatches are just now starting to do any kind of period tracking, Evie makes a strong case for itself as the go-to wearable for women, or at the very least, a strong alternative to the Oura Ring Gen 3. That could be a meaningful difference for some.
The bottom line: What’s the best smart ring?
If you’re looking for a way to stay on top of your health without having to strap a smartwatch to your wrist, it’s worthwhile to invest in a smart ring. We think the Oura Ring Gen 3 offers the best overall experience, with an attractive design that comes in plenty of finishes, plenty of useful sensors, and easily digestible insights into your health. In-depth information requires a monthly subscription, but it’s worth it for the growing list of features Oura offers, including period predictions and pregnancy insights.
How did we choose the best smart rings?
The writers and editors at Pocket-lint have decades of experience testing wearables, including smart rings. I’ve personally used multiple wearables focused on tracking your health and fitness, including multiple options included here. I combined what I liked best in the smart rings I’ve worn with what features I identified as important in past reviews to come up with a method for singling out the rings featured in this guide. I specifically evaluated the look of the rings, their features (what they tracked), the usefulness and user-friendliness of the companion app, and how they feel to wear.
FAQ
Q: How do I know if a smart ring will fit me?
In most cases, ring manufacturers will send you a sizing kit with multiple different-sized plastic rings that you’ll then have to try on and choose from before ordering your actual ring. However, you may need to order one separately before buying your ring. Getting a smart ring that’s the right size is not only good for your personal comfort but also critical for the sensors on the inside of the ring to capture accurate data so you can get the most accurate insights.
Q: Why should I choose a smart ring over a fitness tracker?
First and foremost, style. Some people don’t like wearing normal watches, so a smartwatch or wrist-based fitness tracker won’t fit their personal aesthetic. The second reason comes down to comfort. For sleep tracking, having a way to keep the tracker on your body the entire time you’re asleep is key to figuring out how much rest you’re getting. Most people aren’t used to wearing a watch to sleep, and it could legitimately bother light sleepers. A ring is smaller, hugs your finger closer, and is easy to keep on for longer periods of time. The goal with any kind of tracker, whether it’s a smart ring or something else, is to keep it on your body for as long as possible. The more data it collects, the easier time it’ll have, giving you insights into your health. Smaller trackers are just easier to wear.
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