In this Evie Ring vs. Oura Ring review, we’ll examine the two smart rings, how they perform, and which is the better choice for women.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS FOR WOMEN

Evie Ring vs. Oura Ring Quick Comparison

Before diving deeper, here’s a quick comparison of the two devices:

Evie Ring vs. Oura Ring: First Impressions

The Evie Ring is the first smart ring designed exclusively for women’s tastes and needs (although the Femometer Ring was the first to be released). It has a unique open design that allows for comfort regardless of whether the user’s fingers are bloated with hormonal changes or not.

It also comes in three shiny finishes—gold, rose gold, and silver. It won 11 “Best of CES” awards when it was unveiled in 2023 and is a medical-grade health tracker that can be counted on to provide women with the information they need to care for their health.

The Evie Ring is made using a proprietary material called “LiquidMetal.” This is a zirconium-based alloy coated with titanium PVD coating for a shiny finish.

The smart ring measures 8mm wide and 3mm thick and weighs 3.2 to 3.7 grams, depending on the size. It’s available in sizes from 5 through 12 and is water resistant to a depth of 1 meter, meaning it is limited to light water exposure only.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS YOU CAN GET

Oura, on the other hand, has been in the smart ring industry for years. This device is the result of 10 years of research and development and has improved features compared to older iterations. There are two Oura Ring versions: the classic Heritage and the sleek Horizon.

The Oura Ring features research-grade sensors that are capable of making accurate measurements day in and day out. Its exterior is made using durable biocompatible titanium with PVD coating, and its interior is made using non-allergenic, non-metallic seamless molding.

The Oura Ring has six finishes: silver, black, stealth gray, brushed titanium, gold, and rose gold. It measures 7.9mm wide, 2.55mm thick, and weighs 4-6 grams depending on the size. It’s available in sizes from 6 through 13. The ring is water resistant up to 100 meters, and you can use it when swimming, snorkeling, and even recreational diving (with caution).

ALSO READ: BEST FITNESS TRACKER RINGS

Evie Ring vs. Oura Ring: Features and Functionalities

Both the Evie Ring and Oura Ring feature the latest technologies in personal health tracking. Here’s a quick look:

Evie Ring Features

Evie Ring has several sensors that are used to monitor vitals. These include:

• Optical heart rate sensors (red and green LED)
• Infrared heart rate sensors
• Skin temperature sensor
• Photodiodes
• An accelerometer

These sensors allow the Evie Ring to be used for the following purposes:

Personalized Health Monitoring

The Evie Ring considers differences between men’s and women’s vitals and does its best to accurately measure RHR, HRV, and blood oxygen saturation (Sp02) to provide helpful insights. Healthy women have slightly higher RHR compared to men (at 78-82 vs. 70-72 BPM). By getting the right measurements, Evie will be able to provide a more accurate picture of its user’s overall health condition.

The Evie Ring measures vitals in three different ways: passively measuring vitals every five minutes during daytime and nighttime, on-demand real-time measurements for a period of 40 seconds, and also monitoring of vitals while the user is working out.

ALSO READ: BEST SLEEP TRACKER RINGS

Workout and Fitness Tracking

Evie can also be used to track heart rate and HRV while the user exercises. These biometrics give users insights into whether they can keep exercising or if they need to rest and prioritize recovery.

The device can also tell if the user is experiencing stress. However, the device won’t track workouts automatically. Users will need to log their exercises if and when applicable.

Aside from monitoring vitals during exercise periods, Evie will also monitor the number of steps users take each day. Combined with the user’s heart rate, this will help users know how many calories they have burned and provide them with detailed insights about their overall fitness.

Sleep Tracking

The Evie Ring is a good choice for a smart ring that can help users improve their sleep. In addition to tracking biometrics, the device will also monitor sleep patterns, sleeping respiration rate, and the duration of every sleep stage. These help Evie determine how the user’s sleep affects overall health. The Evie app will then provide recommendations on how users can improve their sleep.

What’s best about this is that the user’s finger remains comfortable even if it bloats, thanks to the unique gap created by the Evie Ring’s design.

Menstrual Period Logging

Hormonal changes that occur during a woman’s monthly period can affect sleep quality and overall health. Users can use Evie to keep track of their menstrual cycle and PMS symptoms to get recommendations on how to cope and improve their overall well-being.

The longer Evie is used, the more it can identify patterns and predict certain conditions. It can also provide better insight by using the first date of its wearer’s last period.

Mood and Energy Monitoring

Users can log their mood and energy levels to Evie daily as if they were keeping a journal. Evie will use the information over time to help users identify patterns in mood changes and provide users with insights to help them understand how their vitals affect their mood and energy levels daily. These insights can then be used to help manage issues related to mood changes and energy levels.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS FOR PAYMENT

Oura Ring

The Oura Ring uses research-grade sensors to monitor vitals. These include the following:

• Infrared PPG sensors
• Green LED sensor
• Red LED sensor
• Skin temperature sensors (negative temperature coefficient sensors)
• Photodiodes
• 3D Accelerometer

Oura has spent years improving these sensors and the technology behind them. With these, the Oura Ring can be used for:

Sleep Tracking

The Oura Ring is known for reliable and accurate monitoring of vitals during sleep. It will monitor specific information such as actual sleep duration, how deep the user’s sleep is, restfulness, how quickly the user falls asleep, and whether the user’s sleep is in sync with their circadian rhythm.  

The smart ring will also monitor breathing rate and Sp02 and combine this to give you your Sleep Score, which is a detailed and actionable analysis meant to help users improve their sleep.

ALSO READ: BEST OURA RING ALTERNATIVES

Readiness Scoring

The Oura Ring will then use the sleep score, along with the user’s HRV, body temperature, and RHR, to determine their Readiness Score. This score helps users determine whether they have had enough rest and are in optimum health to take on the day’s activities.

Activity Monitoring

The Oura Ring also monitors users’ movements, such as the steps they take during the day. It will combine activity data with users’ vitals to provide them with their Activity Scores.

This score helps users determine whether they are getting enough rest in proportion to the activities they engage in each day or if they are not getting enough exercise and should do more to stay fit and healthy. The device will also indicate the amount of calories burned.

Accurate Vitals Monitoring

The Oura Ring boasts of having the same accuracy, or even better, than that of the leading health trackers and smartwatches in the market today. Using its technologies, the device will accurately monitor vitals to provide users with reliable insights to help them stay on top of their health condition daily.

Stress Management

The Oura Ring can help users manage their stress levels. With prolonged use, it can learn the user’s biorhythms and eventually recognize stress and predict when it occurs. The device will provide users with information about the factors that cause their stress and give insights on how to build stress resilience to combat it.

Menstrual Tracking

Female users will be able to use the Oura Ring to track their monthly periods. Over time, the device will learn about the user’s specific body temperature trends that change with their hormones from time to time. The Oura Ring will then help users predict their menstrual cycles per month.

ALSO READ: BEST OURA RING DUPES

Evie Ring vs. Oura Ring: Pros and Cons

Both the Evie Ring and Oura Ring have their own sets of advantages and disadvantages that should be considered before buying. Here’s a quick look at each of them:

Evie Ring’s advantages over Oura Ring

• Cheaper than any Oura Ring model on the market
• All features are unlocked with purchase—no monthly subscription fees
• Charger can be used to charge Evie on the go for up to 10 times
• Charger doubles as a carrying case—no more worries about dropping or misplacing the Evie Ring
• Gap provides maximum comfort when fingers get bloated
• Very friendly user interface, especially for those using a smart ring for the first time
• Accounts for differences between men’s and women’s biometrics for better insights and recommendations

Oura Ring’s advantages over Evie Ring

• Boasts of better features as a result of 10 years of R&D
• Made with more durable materials—doesn’t scratch easily, unlike Evie
• More accurate measurements whether you’re awake or asleep
• Tracks movements better than Evie
• Works with over 40 apps, including Peloton, Strava, Apple Health Kit, Google Health Connect, and more for an integrated and well-rounded user experience
• Fully charged battery lasts for up to 7 days
• Has better water resistance

The Verdict: Which is Better for Women’s Health Monitoring?

Perhaps it’s easier to see that the Oura Ring is better than the Evie Ring in terms of accuracy, overall usefulness, and durability. It’s worth noting, however, that this gap in performance results from Oura’s 10 years in the health tracking industry. The Evie Ring still has some room for improvement, but that’s because it’s still considerably new.

If you’re in the market for a female-focused health tracker and do not mind waiting for updates and fixes to come in the future, then the Evie Ring could be a great choice. It’s cheaper than the Oura Ring at $299 and shows a lot of promise.

That said, it might be better to wait for Movano to iron out issues before spending money on this device. And if you’re already using a smart ring that works, wait for bugs to be solved before making the jump.

If you’re looking for a reliable smart ring and do not mind paying more for accurate measurements, then go ahead and get the Oura Ring. You can get the Heritage version for $299, and the sleeker and more stylish Horizon for $349. With an additional $5.99 per month for membership, you can get access to in-depth sleep analyses, temperature trend monitoring to predict sickness and monthly periods, personalized health insights and recommendations, and live and accurate heart monitoring.

Get the Evie Ring here. Get the Oura Ring here.

For the latest wearable tech news and updates, follow Smart Ring News on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

The post Evie Ring vs. Oura Ring: Which Is Better for Women’s Health Monitoring? first appeared on Smart Ring News.

The Evie Ring, from Movano Health, was created to fill a gap left by health trackers available in the market. Aside from monitoring basic vital stats such as heart rate, blood oxygen saturation (Sp02), and so on, it is also meant to keep track of women’s menstrual cycles, as well as mood and energy levels.

Before we proceed into the specifics, let’s take a quick look at the Evie Ring’s characteristics and specs.

Evie Ring Quick Summary

Before we start, here’s a quick summary of the Evie Ring’s functionalities:

ALSO READ: BEST FITNESS TRACKER RINGS

Evie Ring Review: Specs and Features

First, the Evie Ring is made using a proprietary material its makers call “LiquidMetal.” This is basically a zirconium-based alloy coated with titanium PVD coating for a shiny finish. It measures 8mm wide and 3mm thick and weighs 3.2 to 3.7 grams, depending on the size you choose. It’s available in sizes 5 through 12 and comes in Gold, Rose Gold, and Silver finishes.

The Evie Ring has a unique design—it has an opening on one side of the ring to accommodate daily changes on the wearer’s finger. It’s worth noting that the opening itself has a distinct look, with one end a square and the other end angled like a triangle. The gap created by this opening is very helpful in keeping your finger free in certain situations, such as when you feel bloated in the morning. With the Evie Ring’s gap, you won’t have to resort to using things like soap to remove your smart ring painlessly.

Next, the Evie Ring has several sensors that are used to monitor vitals. These include:

• Optical heart rate sensors (red and green LED)
• Infrared heart rate sensors
• Skin temperature sensor
• Photodiodes
• An accelerometer

All of these sensors are meant to monitor the user’s heart rate, resting heart rate (RHR), heart rate variability (HRV), skin temperature variation, respiration rate, and SpO2 levels. The team behind the Evie Ring claims that it also tracks period and sleep and monitors steps taken, active minutes, distance traveled, and calories burned. Let’s talk about these later.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS YOU CAN GET

The Evie Ring is water resistant to one meter deep, which means users should avoid using it while swimming or beside deep water. Its battery can be charged from 0 to 100% in just 90 minutes and can last for up to 4 days on a single charge. The device comes with a charging case that contains 10+ charges, meaning you can take it with you anywhere without worrying about the battery running out.

The device works with a well-designed companion app for the iPhone. It is not compatible with Android devices at the moment. It costs $269 with no monthly subscription fees, making it more affordable than other more popular brands such as Oura and Ultrahuman.

ALSO READ: BEST SLEEP TRACKER RINGS

What the Evie Ring Is Best Used For

With all of its features, you can use the Evie Ring for the following purposes:

Personalized Health Monitoring

The Evie Ring accounts for differences in vitals between men and women and does its best to measure RHR, HRV, and SpO2 accurately. For instance, healthy women tend to have slightly higher RHR compared to men (78-82 vs. 70-72 beats per minute (BPM)). By getting the right measurements, you will be able to get a better picture of your overall health condition.

The Evie Ring measures your vitals in different ways. It passively measures every five minutes whether you’re awake or asleep, gives you real-time measurement on the spot for a period of 40 seconds, and also keeps track of vitals while you work out.

ALSO READ: BEST OURA RING ALTERNATIVES

Workout and Fitness Tracking

Speaking of working out, you can also use Evie to keep track of your heart rate and HRV while breaking a sweat. These biometrics will give you insights as to whether you can keep going, or if you need to take a break and prioritize recovery. The device can also tell you if you’re under stress so that you can take it easy. However, the device won’t track your workouts automatically. You will need to log in when you are about to start exercising.

Aside from monitoring vitals as you exercise, Evie will also monitor the number of steps you take each day using its built-in accelerometer. It will combine this with your heart rate to tell you how many calories you have burned and give you detailed insights about your overall fitness levels.

Sleep Tracking

If you’re looking for a smart ring to help you improve your sleep patterns, the Evie Ring is a good choice. In addition to tracking biometrics, it will also monitor your sleep patterns, sleeping respiration rate, and the duration of every sleep stage you go through. These data, combined with your biometrics, allow the Evie Ring to determine how your sleep affects your overall health. The Evie app will then provide you with recommendations on how you can improve your sleep.

What’s best about this is that the Evie Ring does this while your fingers remain comfortable, thanks to the ring’s design.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS FOR PAYMENT

Menstrual Period Logging

A woman’s menstrual period brings hormonal changes that can affect many things, including sleep quality and overall health. By using your Evie Ring to log and keep track of your menstrual cycle and PMS symptoms, you can get recommendations on how to manage your well-being.

Over time, Evie will use the first date of your last period and cycle length to provide an estimate of your next period, fertility window, and ovulation date, presented in a calendar format. It will also help you identify patterns and gain insight into how your period affects your overall health.

Mood and Energy Monitoring

Evie can also help you understand how your mood and energy levels are affected by your biometrics so that you can manage it better. To do this, you must log your mood and energy levels daily as if you’re writing in a journal. Evie will then use the information over time to help you spot patterns regarding the changes in your mood.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS FOR WOMEN

Evie Ring Pros and Cons

Just like any other smart ring on the market, the Evie Ring has advantages and disadvantages. You need to consider these before deciding to purchase it—or at least be informed of the following if you’ve already paid for it.

Pros:

• Looks really good as a smart ring. Some may not even notice that it’s a health tracker because of its appearance.
• Gap provides a lot of comfort whether you’re bloating or not, awake or asleep.
• Can be used by men, but it has special features designed specifically for women.
• Able to track patterns better the longer you log more information on it. This means it can provide better recommendations over time.
• App interface is friendlier compared to those from competing smart rings.
• Long battery life, with the ability to charge on the go.
• More affordable compared to other smart rings available today.
• No monthly subscription fees.

Cons:

• As a first-gen smart ring, it still has some issues that need a lot of ironing out.
• It looks good, but it tends to get scratched very easily. You need to avoid doing things that can affect its aesthetics.
• Sleep tracking measurements can be inaccurate at times.
• Ability to count steps taken can be inaccurate at times as well, especially when compared to other devices like the Apple Watch.
• Does not automatically track exercises. If you forget to log your exercises, it won’t store any relevant data.
• Menstrual tracking feature has room for improvement.
• Water resistance is limited to a depth of 1 meter.

ALSO READ: BEST OURA RING DUPES

The Verdict: Is The Evie Ring the Best Women’s Health Tracker?

So, is the Evie Ring worth buying? For us, it’s both a yes and no—yes if you’re a woman and you don’t mind waiting for Movano to drop some updates to improve Evie, and no if you’re already using another smart ring that does its job properly, and has no need for a specialized device to keep track of your monthly periods.

It’s worth considering that Evie is still very new at this point, which means there could be bugs affecting its overall performance. Since it’s their first smart ring, the team behind Evie is sure to make some improvements down the line so that the device will work properly as intended. It has so much promise, and if its makers eventually succeed in making its features work accurately, women everywhere will have a powerful health tracker worn on their fingers, not their wrists.

That said, if you’re already using another smart ring from another company, such as Oura, and are merely considering switching to Evie because of its women-focused features, we suggest waiting for updates to fix the current errors plaguing the device before buying it. You can use other apps to log your periods while you wait for Evie’s menstrual period logging features to improve.

For the latest wearable tech news and updates, follow Smart Ring News on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

The post Movano Evie Ring Review: Is It the Best Smart Ring for Women? first appeared on Smart Ring News.

For this comparison we are taking a look at their specs and features, how they perform in real-life scenarios, what they are best used for, and how to choose between the two.

Circular Ring vs. Ultrahuman Ring Air Quick Comparison

Before diving deeper, here’s a quick comparison of the two devices:

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS YOU CAN GET

Circular Ring vs. Ultrahuman Ring Air: First Impressions

While both the Circular Ring and Ultrahuman Ring Air look good, each has a uniqueness that will appeal to various users. Both come in clean-looking packaging designed to entice buyers, and both come with chargers inside the box. Ultrahuman included a USB Type-C cable in the box, but Circular did not, which users might want to have for convenience.

The Circular Ring comes with replaceable outer shells made using an alloy of stainless steel and carbon fiber and coating. The interior is made using medical-grade material that feels a bit plastic. The outer shells come in four different colors—silver, gold, rose gold, and shiny black—and you can always buy an extra in case yours gets scratched or dented with use. The smart ring is 9mm wide and 2.75mm thick and weighs 4 grams. This means it’s quite comfortable, but you’ll feel it on your finger, especially because of its size and the two metal prongs. It has sizes from 6 through 13.

The Ultrahuman Ring Air, on the other hand, doesn’t come with replaceable shells but is designed to last very long. It’s made using fighter jet grade Titanium, reinforced with tungsten carbide carbon coating. The part that sticks to your finger is made using medical-grade hypoallergenic epoxy resin. It’s 8.1mm wide and 2.4mm thick and weighs 2.4 grams. Its thickness and weight vary with size, from size 5 to 14.

ALSO READ: BEST OURA RING ALTERNATIVES

Circular Ring vs. Ultrahuman Ring Air: Features and Functionalities

Both smart rings are packed with the latest technologies used to monitor and stay on top of one’s health conditions. There are some differences, however, and these could be the deciding factor when you choose to buy one of them. Here’s a quick look at the features the Circular Ring and Ultrahuman Ring Air have:

Circular Ring

The Circular Ring boasts of the following sensors:

• 1 Photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor with infrared
• 1 red LED sensor
• 1 green LED sensor
• 3-axis accelerometer
• 1 surface temperature sensor

 With these sensors, the Circular Ring Slim and Pro variants can be used for the following purposes:

Health monitoring

Circular Ring can be used to monitor your heart rate 24/7 and get real-time measurements on demand, as long as it has a battery. This includes monitoring your HRV (heart rate variability), Sp02 levels, max HR, and activity intensity.

Sleep tracking and improvement

The Circular Ring can be used to keep track of your vitals while you sleep. It will also monitor your breathing patterns, and will give you recommendations on improving your sleep using core sleep and nap data.

ALSO READ: BEST FITNESS TRACKER RINGS

Stress and energy monitoring

Circular Ring Pro can also monitor your stress and energy levels and provide you with feedback and recommendations for predicting and handling stress. It can also launch guided breathing exercises to help you relax during the day and even as you prepare for sleep.

Overall health recommendations

Circular Ring Pro will monitor your vitals and notify you if there’s something that needs immediate attention. The device keeps track of your body temperature to help you determine if you have a fever. And if you have any medications, the smart ring will remind you to take them on time. Using its proprietary AI named Kira, the device will provide you with recommendations on how to improve your health.

Alarms

The Circular Ring Pro features a smart alarm that can help wake you up gently at the right time so that you feel rested and refreshed at your preferred time. It also uses a strong vibration motor to alert you at your set time.

ALSO READ: BEST SLEEP TRACKER RINGS

Ultrahuman Ring Air

The Ultrahuman Ring Air, on the other hand, has the following sensors:

• Infrared PPG sensor
• Non-contact medical-grade skin temperature sensor
• 6-axis motion sensors
• Red LEDs (heart rate monitoring and Sp02)
• Green LEDs (heart rate monitoring)
• Infrared LEDs (heart rate monitoring)

With these features, the Ultrahuman Ring Air provides important information you can use. These are classified into the following:

Movement Index

While the Ultrahuman Ring Air is capable of monitoring your overall vitals, it places emphasis on your movements so that it can help you maximize your metabolism and increase your non-exercise energy usage on a daily basis. For instance, it will inform you of the number of steps you’ve taken and the amount of calories you’ve already burned for the day. It will then give you helpful nudges so that you can develop and maintain healthy movement habits.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS FOR WOMEN

Sleep Index

Next, the Ultrahuman Ring Air will monitor your vitals as you sleep to provide you with an accurate picture of your sleep quality at night (or day if you stay up at night). It monitors sleep duration, your heart rate and HRV while sleeping, and your movements to calculate restfulness. If you’re interested, it can also provide details as to how deep your sleep is (sleep stages) and how long you have been sleeping that way. The device will also monitor your blood oxygenation and temperature and indicate how they impact your sleep as well.

Recovery Scoring

The Ultrahuman Ring Air also uses the information to provide you with insight about your body’s condition and then gives you recommendations on how to improve recovery. For example, it will monitor your vitals to determine whether you’re under stress or have a higher temperature than normal. The device can gather enough data so you can monitor how you’ve been doing for some time. It will then provide you with helpful tips on what you should do to improve your overall well-being at the moment.

Overall health improvements

Aside from the above, the Ultrahuman Ring Air also uses the data it gathers to provide you with recommendations to improve your overall health. These include providing tips for improving your body clock, getting better restful periods in between activities, eating your meals on time, and more.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS FOR PAYMENT

Circular Ring vs. Ultrahuman Ring Air: Pros and Cons

All that said, both the Circular Ring and Ultrahuman Ring Air have their own sets of advantages and disadvantages that you should consider before buying. Here’s a quick look at each of them:

Circular Ring Pro advantages VS Ultrahuman Ring Air:

• Slightly bigger size means you’re more conscious that you’re wearing the device and will be cautious about it
• Replaceable outer shells allow you to refresh your Circular Ring Pro’s looks
• Physical button allows for a more tactile feel when using the Circular Ring Pro
• Charging takes only 45 minutes from 0 to 100%.
• Battery lasts up to 5 days
• Can work with iPhones running on iOS 11 (Ultrahuman Ring Air is limited to iPhones running iOS 15 and newer)

Ultrahuman Ring Air advantages VS Circular Ring Pro:

• Ultrahuman Ring Air is smaller and lighter, and more comfortable to wear for longer
• Has more sensors, allowing for more accuracy when monitoring your vitals
• App has better UI
• Premium looks and better feel compared to Circular Ring Pro
• Does not have prongs, unlike the Circular Ring Pro
• Has better water resistance
• Provides more accurate readings and more useful insights
• Comes with USB Type-C in the box
• More affordable

ALSO READ: BEST OURA RING DUPES

The Verdict: Which is Better?

By now, you might be asking, “What should I buy?” Regardless of the pricing and design, you’ll have to consider what they are meant to be used for.

If you want to get a good smart ring that can help you sleep better and wake up refreshed and on time, the Circular Ring might be the better option. Its features are clearly designed to help you prepare to get better sleep, improve your sleeping patterns, and wake you up gently as opposed to getting shocked by a loud alarm beside your bed. The Circular Ring also matches your mood and daily get-up, thanks to its replaceable outer shell.

If you’re looking for a smart ring that can help you accurately monitor your vitals and improve your metabolism and daily activities, then go for the Ultrahuman Ring Air. It has loads of sensors to assess your overall well-being accurately and provides you with the necessary insight you need to make sure you stay healthy. It’s not a full-on fitness tracker, but it can help you keep track of your steps, the calories you burn, and the rest you get. It’s more affordable, definitely reliable, and a really good option if you’re always on the move.

Get Circular Ring here and Ultrahuman Ring Air here.

For the latest wearable tech news and updates, follow Smart Ring News on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

The post Circular Ring vs. Ultrahuman Ring Air: Which Health Tracking Device Is Better? first appeared on Smart Ring News.

The Circular Ring is designed to have a thin profile on your finger while still being able to do what a smart ring should—monitor health metrics, wake you up at your preferred time, and so on. It’s the latest smart ring from French company Circular, which released two variants—Circular Slim and Circular Pro.

There’s no big difference between the two other than the Pro model’s option to switch the outer shells. In addition, the Pro variant has a bigger battery and a physical button.

The Circular Ring is still new, but we were able to get our hands—er, finger—on it for a quick trial. So, for this review, we’ll be discussing first impressions, how the device looks and feels when you’re wearing it, how it works, and what we actually think about it.

ALSO READ: BEST FITNESS TRACKER RINGS

Circular Ring Quick Summary

Before we start, here’s a quick summary of the Circular Ring’s functionalities:

Circular Ring Review: First Impressions

First, let’s talk about the packaging. The Circular Ring comes in a cleanly designed box with an opening secured using a magnet. There’s not much to see outside the box, which means you’re actually encouraged to open it immediately to get the smart ring inside. Once you open the box, you’ll find the Circular Ring and its charger safely tucked in foam.

The Circular Ring looks simple and unassuming, but it feels premium. It’s very different from its predecessor in terms of appearance because first, there’s no physical rubber button that can be pushed; second, it has a matte finish different from the shiny finish on the Circular Pro’s outer shell; third, the Slim variant is noticeably slimmer; fourth, it has a simple but good-looking logo, which serves as the button; and lastly, its metal prongs that are used to charge the device are smaller compared to the ones found in Circular’s older smart ring.

As for the charger, there are two magnetic terminals that connect to the prongs on the smart rings. It has a USB-C connector, so you can connect it to your laptop, iPhone, or Android smartphone to charge the device. It also has an LED light that tells you if the ring is charging.

ALSO READ: BEST SLEEP TRACKER RINGS

Using the Circular Ring Slim

Like the Circular Pro, the Circular Slim is used with a smartphone app. You will first need to download the app and then connect the Circular Slim to your smartphone using Bluetooth. You will also need to wear the smart ring to take advantage of all of its features, although some will still work while it’s not being worn.

First steps

To set it up, first charge your Circular Slim using the supplied charger. You can attach the charger to any device with a USB-C port, but this could be challenging if you are using your smartphone for the purpose, especially because you will need to use your smartphone in the succeeding steps. This will be easier if you have a USB-C cord extension, which you can also order from Circular.

Next, get the Circular Ring app for the iPhone or Android. Once you have it, you will need to Sign Up for an account with Circular if you don’t have one yet, or Sign In if you’re already have an account and/or are using a Circular Pro smart ring.

ALSO READ: BEST OURA RING ALTERNATIVES

Once you’re already signed in, it’s time to connect the ring to the app. Tap on My Ring at the top-right corner of the screen, then tap on Set up new ring under General. From there, you will need to select Slim, then follow the slew of instructions that appear on the screen.

You might experience some connection issues, as we have. When you do, you might need to do a soft reset on the Circular Slim, remove it from the list of connected or recognized smart rings from the Circular app, and also forget the device in your smartphone’s Bluetooth settings. If you do this, simply connect the device to your smartphone as you did the first time.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS FOR PAYMENT

What the Circular Slim Is Best Used For

If you succeed in connecting your Circular Slim to the app on your smartphone, congratulations! You are now on your way to enjoying its features, some of which can be compared to similar features on more expensive devices. We’ve tried it and can vouch for its effectiveness.

Health Monitoring

The Circular Slim smart ring is fitted with a slew of sensors used to measure your health statistics. The device accurately monitors your heart rate, HRV (heart rate variability), breathing rate, blood oxygen (SpO2), and the intensity of your current activity. Don’t worry about the information’s accuracy—the Circular app will give you tips on how to get these statistics best.

In our case, we were advised to clench our fists while the smart ring was measuring. The app showed that the data accuracy was “poor,” so we had to wait a bit longer for the data to become more accurate. Eventually, we decided to remove the Circular Slim, wait a few seconds, and then put it back on, but this time, it was in a relaxed position. The app indicated that the information is now more accurate, and we have confirmed it using other health monitoring devices. For reference, we wore the Slim on our right index finger.

Aside from the usual stats like heart rate, the Circular Ring also monitors your body temperature to help detect certain conditions, like a fever. It monitors your stats 24/7—as long as it has a battery—and gives you tips on how to improve your health.

ALSO READ: BEST OURA RING DUPES

On-Demand Measurement

While the Circular Ring monitors your health stats every minute, you have the option to get measurements on demand. This gives you instant access to the information you need at the time you need it, allowing you to stay on top of your health condition.

Monitoring and Handling Stress

The Circular Ring provides live stress score feedback and stress predictions based on the stats it measures while you engage in activities. It can then give you guided breathing exercises to help you relax, whether you’re still doing activities or are already preparing to sleep.

Improving Sleeping and Waking

Speaking of sleep, the Circular Ring is designed to help improve your sleep. It helps you ease into sleep by giving you notifications about your set bedtime. Then, it monitors your sleeping stages (REM, light sleep, deep sleep) and napping habits and provides tips on how they can be better. It also has a Smart Alarm feature that gently nudges you before your set alarm time so that you wake up gently and refreshed instead of abruptly due to strong vibrations.

Wellness Recommendations

Aside from the above, the Circular Ring also monitors your energy and provides you with helpful recommendations to improve your overall health and wellness. These include recommendations such as getting some sun, getting a cup of coffee, and working in what Circular calls your “Productivity Zone.” It also reminds you of your medications, if you have any, and alerts you if there’s anything wrong with your vitals.

Keeping track of time

While the Circular Ring is not a watch, you can use it to keep track of time. Simply set the alarm and Slim will vibrate at your specified time. This is perfect for instances when you aren’t wearing a watch and do not want loud noises to wake you up, like a blaring alarm from your phone. Use case scenarios include when you’re sleeping, driving, in a meeting, or in a noise-free zone.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS FOR WOMEN

Circular Ring Slim Pros and Cons

All that said, Circular Slim has some advantages and disadvantages. Here are some of the smart ring’s pros:

• 2.2mm-thin profile and 2-gram weight make it very comfortable to wear
• Aluminum build makes it durable
• IPX8 rating lets you use it while swimming for 30 minutes

Now, some of its downsides:

• You might forget you’re wearing it and end up doing something that can damage the ring
• Matte finish scratches easily
• You might forget that you’re not wearing it and end up having to reset it to reconnect
• Disconnection issues can be very annoying
• Slow to produce accurate measurements at times
• Does not track workouts or exercise
• No third-party integrations (does not work with Apple Health or Google Fit, and other apps)
• Circular app could be better
• Battery doesn’t last as long as Circular claims

The Verdict: Is Circular Ring Worth It?

Perhaps by now, it’s painfully obvious that the $297 Circular Slim looks and sounds good at first glance, but it’s not a powerhouse like other devices. It’s mainly used as a health tracker for everyday activities, a sleep tracker to help you get better sleep, and an alarm for when you want to wake up or be notified of certain times without any noise. It has some potential, as indicated on paper, but our user experience leaves a lot to be desired.

If you’re looking for a wearable that does these three things, don’t mind spending a week or so to let the device get acquainted with your habits, and don’t want to spend on more expensive but more powerful options, then Circular Slim might be good enough for your needs. But if you’re looking for something more reliable and do not mind spending more to get your money’s worth, get the Ultrahuman Ring Air, Oura Ring, or check out other smart rings.

Get the Circular Ring here!

For the latest wearable tech news and updates, follow Smart Ring News on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

The post Circular Ring Review: Is It Worth It? first appeared on Smart Ring News.

Vera Ring Summary

Vera Ring Features and Functionalities

Primed as your “live health dashboard,” the Vera Ring keeps tabs on your health 24/7 and personalized insights based on your tracked data. The smart ring is touted to learn about the user’s health issues before it gets worse. While its maker Vera Health did specify how this works, the ring might look at symptoms like body temperature and heart rate variability to determine one’s state of health.

To give you a 360-degree view of your health, the Vera Ring tracks six major health metrics—heart, respiratory, sleep cycles, immune system, stress levels, and activities. This set of metrics is not new at all except for one thing—the immune system. Vera Health has not given any details as to how it goes about tracking the user’s immune system as of now.

With heart monitoring, the ring will look at beats per minute (BPM), heart rate variability (HRV), resting heart rate (RHR), and soon blood pressure (BP). When it comes to sleep tracking, the ring will dive into sleep cycles (REM, light sleep, deep sleep), time awake, and sleep duration. The user’s respiratory health will be determined by blood oxygen levels (Sp02), VO2 Max, and breathing rates.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS YOU CAN GET NOW

In terms of tracking the user’s immune system, the ring will take into account the data gathered through the temperature sensors combined with data from sleep, stress, and HRV. Talking about stress, the smart ring will mainly use heart rate metrics to identify stress levels as well as triggers.

For activity tracking, Vera Health will use its signature ActiveZone technology to track the user’s daily activities, including heart rate zones. Fertility tracking will also be available later on.

With personalized insights, the mobile app that comes with the ring will push out practical recommendations based on your data. In addition, one thing that makes the smart ring unique is its ability to predict illnesses based on extreme drops or spikes in the user’s vital signs.

ALSO READ: BEST OURA RING ALTERNATIVES

Vera Ring Design

The smart ring will be made from aircraft-grade titanium material. It is designed to be discreet, durable, and waterproof.

Its sensors include its signature Mirror Prism Technology PPG sensors, skin temperature sensors, and 6-axis accelerometers.

In terms of battery life, the ring is designed to last for up to 7 days. It has a charging case that can extend the battery life of the ring for an additional 30 days.

ALSO READ: BEST FITNESS TRACKERS

Vera Ring Price and Release Date

The Vera Ring costs $249 for a start. It’s available in light blue, white, matte black, silver, gold, and rose gold.

Each ring comes with a sizing kit which is expected to be shipped in April 2024. The shipment of the actual ring will commence in May 2024.

Pre-order the Vera Ring here!

For the latest wearable tech news and updates, follow Smart Ring News on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

The post Vera Ring Features, Pricing, Release Date, and Everything You Need to Know first appeared on Smart Ring News.

The first three iterations of the Oura Ring have been heavily focusing on health tracking, helping users keep tabs on their sleep, activities, recovery, period, and heart rate, among many others. The smart ring became a global phenomenon during the pandemic, creating a cult following of Hollywood celebrities, world-class athletes, and thought leaders because of its impressive health-monitoring capabilities. For $299, you get a wearable device that allows you to anticipate whether you have COVID-19 or not through monitoring early signs of the disease.

It was the turning point for Oura that it became a crazy popular globally. Several smart ring makers followed suit, releasing smart rings that allow users to keep track of their overall health and wellness. While a lot failed to achieve Oura’s success, we’ve already seen some smart ring brands making headways and could potentially rival Oura’s prominence.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS

The third-generation Oura Ring is still a robust device, but it needs to be updated soon. The current Oura Ring was released in November 2021—nearly three years ago! From the design to the functionalities, Oura needs to release a smart ring soon in order to maintain its dominance in the market.

We’ve seen many worthy contenders of Oura already, including the Ultrahuman Ring Air and Circular Ring. And very soon, the market will be graced by rings from tech stalwarts Samsung and Amazfit with the Galaxy Ring and Helio Ring, respectively. It also makes sense for Oura to pick up the pace very soon.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS FOR PAYMENT

One of the biggest upgrades Oura can bring for its fourth-generation smart ring is the contactless payment feature or the ability to tap to pay at payment terminals through a smart ring. This feature is not new at all as the UK’s McLear RingPay pioneered it almost a decade ago. However, if Oura decides to integrate contactless payments into the future smart ring, it would be the first time a mainstream device would do so.

This is not the first time we’ve heard about Oura incorporating contactless payments into the smart ring. In May 2023, Oura acquired Proxy, a digital security company that can be used for mobile access in corporate environments as well as contactless payments.

ALSO READ: BEST FITNESS TRACKERS

This is a pivotal decision for the Finnish health tech company as it faces tougher competition with Samsung, Amazfit, and other players. It needs a new major upgrade to give users a reason to use Oura.

If this comes to fruition, Oura would also be the first smart ring for payments to be globally available. At the moment, contactless payment rings are only available in select countries. For instance, McLear RingPay is only available in the UK, Evering in Japan, and K Ring in the EU.

Would you like to see the Oura Ring 4 with contactless payments? Let’s discuss in the comments!

For the latest wearable tech news and updates, follow Smart Ring News on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

The post Is Oura Ring 4 Really Getting Contactless Payments Feature? first appeared on Smart Ring News.

At the end of this review, you should be able to understand whether Ultrahuman Ring Air is worth buying over other smart rings. But before that, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of this wearable first, including its features and functionalities.

What Is Ultrahuman Ring Air?

Developed by Bangalore-based health technology company of the same name, Ultrahuman Ring Air is marketed as a real-time nutrition and fitness tracking device. Unlike most smart rings, Ultrahuman Ring Air’s core functionality is to provide a range of health insights and metrics that directly affect your metabolism.

Factors like sleep quality, sleep zones, stress levels (largely based on heart rate variability (HRV)), and activity distribution contribute to the smart ring’s overall health and wellness index. In essence, you can use Ultrahuman Ring Air for tracking sleep, activities, heart rate metrics, and skin temperature. Here’s a quick summary of Ultrahuman Ring Air’s features:

Ultrahuman Ring Air Review: What Does Ultrahuman Ring Air Measure?

To understand how Ultrahuman Ring Air works, here are the highlights of the smart ring:

Sleep Index

Your sleep health is presented through its Sleep Index, which includes metrics like total sleep duration, resting heart rate (RHR), and restfulness. You also get insights after your sleep if you need to slow down for the day or do more based on your sleep patterns. Compared to Oura Ring, everything is pretty much the same, giving you almost similar metrics and a breakdown of sleep stages.

Circadian Phase Alignment

This is something unique to Ultrahuman Ring Air. Honestly, it’s the first time to get a glimpse of this kind of feature, so I have no baseline as to whether it’s really working or not. Basically, the Circadian Phase Alignment mode looks at how factors like light exposure, food intake at certain times of the day, and physical exercise negatively impact your circadian rhythm. These factors affect your sleep and wake-up times, so it’s good to be aware of these factors in a clear presentation.

Also Read: Apple Watch vs. Oura: Which Is the Best Health and Wellness Companion?

Stimulants Permissible Window

A similar feature is the Stimulants Permissible Window, which tells you when to consume stimulants like coffee and soda. The goal is to boost your productivity, enhance your mood, and improve your mental clarity. You won’t see this from other wearables.

Movement Index

Of course, Ultrahuman Ring Air comes with fitness-tracking capabilities. Metrics like steps, calorie burn, active hours, and workout frequency are presented on the app through its Movement Index, which is designed to keep you moving to maximize your glucose metabolism. The step tracking is pretty much in line with the data from my Oura Ring and Apple Watch SE 2. If you use the MyFitnessPal app like me, Ultrahuman supports it along with several others.

Also Read: Garmin Venu 3 Review: Is It a Good Fitness and Health Wearable?

Recovery Monitoring

Like most health and fitness wearables, the smart ring comes with a recovery monitoring feature. Do note that they are not all definitive, including this one, but it certainly does help when it comes to getting an idea about your readiness.

Heart Rate Variability

A variety of heart rate metrics are available on the Ultrahuman app, including HRV, which is largely tied to your recovery. So far, Ultrahuman Ring Air returns pretty good heart rate data like my other wearables.

Also Read: 5 Best Smartwatches for Sleep Tracking in 2023

Ultrahuman App

The mobile app is one of the most important things for these health and fitness wearables. The good news is the Ultrahuman app is as good as the apps of Oura and Garmin. In fact, it looks a lot like Oura’s, so you can imagine how user-friendly the data presentation is. The app also comes with extras to boost fitness goals, such as workouts, meditations, and sleep stories.

Also Read: Oura Ring 3 vs. Garmin Fenix 7 Review: Which Device Fits You Best?

Ultrahuman Ring Air Review: Specs and Design

Is the ring comfortable? Can I wear it in style? Ultrahuman Ring Air weighs 2.4-3.6 grams, depending on the ring size. Regardless, it’s lightweight and slender suitable to be used for any occasion without worries.

The ring’s build is almost the same as the Oura Ring. The outer shell of Ultrahuman Ring Air is made from fighter jet-grade titanium and coated in tungsten carbide carbon, while the inner shell is coated with medical-grade hypoallergenic epoxy resin. Overall, it’s comfortable enough to wear day in and day out.

Also Read: RingConn vs. Oura Ring 3 Review: Battle of Health Monitoring Smart Rings

However, in terms of style, it’s not the most stylish at all. It looks ordinary to me compared to Oura Ring’s elegant finish.

In terms of battery, you can use it for up to 6 days. Each full charge takes about 2 hours to finish. The standard battery life of a smart ring is up to 7 days, so this one’s right within the range.

It’s also worth noting that the ring is water-resistant up to 100 meters. Therefore, you can swim, snorkel, or dive with it.

Also Read: RingConn Smart Ring Review: Is It Worth It?

Ultrahuman Ring Air Review: Pricing and Availability

Ultrahuman Ring Air costs $349 and is available in aster black, matte black, bionic gold, and space silver. Ultrahuman does not have a membership. You get all features on a single purchase, unlike Oura Ring, Whoop, and many other wearables. They also have a trade-in program that allows you to swap your Oura Ring Gen 3, Oura Ring Gen 2, and Ultrahuman R1 for credits toward your Ultrahuman Ring Air. Get Ultrahuman Ring Air here!

Also Read: Oura vs. Apple Watch vs. Whoop: Which Is the Ultimate Health and Fitness Device?

The Verdict: Is Ultrahuman Ring Air Worth It?

Overall, Ultrahuman Ring Air is a promising smart ring. It’s not an Oura Ring killer at all. It’s just another option available for you. So, should you get it?

If you are currently using Oura Ring Gen 3, you don’t need to switch to Ultrahuman Ring Air. If you are currently using Oura Ring Gen 2, Ultrahuman Ring Air is a significant upgrade. And if this is your first time using a smart ring, Ultrahuman Ring Air is definitely worth buying if you want to improve your sleep and fitness.

For the latest wearable tech news and updates, follow Smart Ring News on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

The post Ultrahuman Ring Air Review: Should You Buy It? first appeared on Smart Ring News.

Galaxy Ring Design

The first thing that stands out when you look at the Galaxy Ring is its design which is unlike any other smart ring. The shell is arched in, resembling the rim of a wheel.

The Galaxy Ring has not been allowed to be touched by the public as of now, so we can’t be certain how light and comfortable it is to wear. Nevertheless, Samsung assured the press that the ring is light and easy to wear at any time of day.

Galaxy Ring Colors

The Galaxy Ring was revealed in three colors: ceramic black, platinum silver, and gold. However, we believe there might be more colors available soon. Whichever color you pick, the ring has a glossy finish. Based on what we’ve seen so far, it looks pretty but picks up smudges easily.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS YOU CAN GET NOW

Galaxy Ring Sizing

Like most smart rings, the Galaxy Ring will be available in US ring sizes 5 to 13. The size of the ring will be etched on the inner molding of the ring.

Galaxy Health

While the Galaxy Ring looks like a promising health-tracking device, one thing you need to know right off the bat is that you need a Samsung Galaxy smartphone to take full advantage of all its features. For instance, you need the Samsung Health app in order for you to view your health data and insights, and this app is only available on the Galaxy line of smartphones. That said, we can only conclude that the Galaxy Ring is designed as a companion for the Galaxy Watch.

You can also set goals and receive feedback on your progress via Booster Cards on the Galaxy Health app.

ALSO READ: BEST OURA RING ALTERNATIVES

Vitality Score

Users will get a Vitality Score, the same metric used in the newer Galaxy Watch series. This is based on a combination of metrics related to sleep, resting heart rate (RHR), heart rate variability (HRV), and activities.

What to Expect

There’s no word from Samsung as of now as to which sensors the smart ring will have. Nevertheless, we know the Galaxy Ring will be used for sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, respiration monitoring, and activity tracking. Samsung will zero in on detecting early signs of sleep apnea, which many health rings on the market such as Oura Ring and Ultrahuman Ring Air can do.

With these details, we are certain the ring will have infrared photoplethysmography sensors (PPG) for heart rate and breathing rate, a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) sensor for body temperature monitoring, and a 3D accelerometer for monitoring movements.

As for the official release date, we don’t have a clear timeline yet, but we suspect it’s going to be available in the second half of 2024.

ALSO READ: BEST SLEEP TRACKER RINGS

For the latest wearable tech news and updates, follow Smart Ring News on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

The post Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions and Everything That’s Been Confirmed first appeared on Smart Ring News.

About the Oura Ring Test

We tested Oura for 30 days in regular daily and nightly use. The ring was rated on a scale of 1 to 5 in four categories: Purposefulness, User Experience and Design, Functionalities and Tech, and App and Ecosystem.

Purposefulness ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5.0)

We evaluated Oura’s purposefulness — how it helps, if it fulfills a genuine purpose, or if there is a need for the device. Find out!

Readiness

Oura’s ‘Readiness’ score measures how prepared you are to take on tasks for the day. It is based on contributors like RHR, HRV, body temperature, previous night’s sleep, and previous day’s activities, among other things.

My ‘Readiness’ score peaked at 87 for two consecutive days, which is optimal — no complaints at all.

A few days into the ring test, my score tanked to 59 after a rough night. When I say a rough night, I mean I was able to sleep at 2:40 a.m. and woke up after 5.28 hours. This is where Oura warned me to pay attention and gave me great advice on how to take on the day.

Oura suggested taking a power nap in the afternoon or taking a moment to breathe. I did take short breaks and breathing exercises here and there. Oura has several guided and unguided meditation practices to give your body its much-needed help. But if I have to be honest, I did not feel any significant difference from every time I had restless nights. Although I still felt tired, the breathing exercises I took somehow helped me keep my focus throughout the day.

Ultimately, Oura is not some kind of voodoo to help users feel good if they need to. It needs some time to understand how your body operates, and most certainly, your body needs more time to heal if it’s experiencing so much distress.

ALSO READ: BEST OURA RING ALTERNATIVES

Sleep Tracking

The ‘Sleep’ score evaluates how well you have slept throughout the night. Oura uses factors like total sleep, restfulness, REM sleep, deep sleep, and timing to come up with scores.

As someone with erratic sleeping habits, I figured Oura would give me a clearer picture of this problem. To my surprise, it did not just provide me with sleep data but gave me a blow-by-blow account of my sleeping stages and which sleep contributor I can improve on. Two nights I only had a little more than 5 hours of sleep, and my ‘Sleep’ score dropped below 60 from the usual 70 and above.

Oura suggested getting some fresh air, avoiding a long nap in the afternoon, and getting more sleep at night, which I appreciated given that I sometimes tend to resort to oversleeping in the afternoon, overeating, and overworking myself.

Even more amazing is the detailed sleep stages — what time your REM, light, and deep sleep fall and how long. These also have a huge impact on your readiness. Also, you get a detailed view of your resting heart rate, which can also be useful data for those who are suffering from heart or cardiovascular diseases. Overall, Oura’s sleep tracking is the most useful feature for people with sleep apnea, chronic insomnia, and other sleep-related problems.

ALSO READ: BEST OURA RING DUPES

Activity Tracking

The ‘Activity’ score measures how active you are for the day. It is based on your daily goal progress, total burn, walking equivalency, and steps, among other things.

Oura’s activity-tracking component is something fitness enthusiasts would love. It functions a lot like a smartwatch or any other fitness tracker. The app keeps track of your daily activities, including steps, movement, and inactivity, to calculate your active calorie burn and total burn.

Oura also offers a detailed graph of your daily movements — what time you are or are not moving, the walking distance covered, and the intensity of your movements (inactive, low, medium, high). In case you fall below the minimum, Oura gives you alerts. For instance, in the middle photo, I got an alert to move every hour. I was most likely working, sitting on my desk at that time. Overall, it’s a nifty feature to help you get moving when you need to.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS YOU CAN BUY NOW

User Experience and Design ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5.0)

The ring’s overall design is impressive. In fact, if you are into a minimalistic, no-frills design like me, you will fall in love with Oura’s simplicity. The ring is made of titanium alloy, an ultra-strong metal often used for spacecraft parts, and is covered with PVD coating. Rest assured, you will get a durable ring that can withstand even the most extreme conditions. Although made of titanium alloy, Oura is not invincible against scratches, especially if you are lifting weights. If you want to preserve its shiny, speckless exterior, avoid wearing it while weightlifting. This is also Oura’s suggestion.

The ring is not as slender as a regular ring, but it’s fairly lightweight, weighing 4-6 grams, depending on the ring size. In terms of the interior, the inner molding is non-allergenic. As someone with highly sensitive skin, I never felt any itch around my middle finger at all, not even once.

Most importantly, Oura is waterproof. You can submerge it up to 100 meters deep. I love that you can bathe with it, swim with it, dive with it, wash your hands with it, and do pretty much everything involving liquid. The sensors are covered well from water and dust particles, so you don’t have to worry about removing and wearing and then removing the ring.

Meanwhile, I have nothing to complain about Oura’s iOS app. It’s professionally designed to be user-friendly. Overall, it’s clean and very easy to navigate around.

ALSO READ: BEST SLEEP TRACKER RINGS

Functionalities and Tech ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.0)

Oura is just a piece of metal without the technologies behind it. So I set out to know what goes into the ring itself and found out that Oura, despite its tiny body, is carrying three different sensors responsible for tracking different body signals. These are infrared photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors for heart rate and respiration, a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) sensor for body temperature, and a 3D accelerometer for movements.

What I like about Oura’s accelerometer is that it can automatically detect activities like strength training and walking. In such a case, it would ask you to add the suggested data, so your activity tracking is more accurate. I did an apples-to-apples comparison between Oura and my smartwatch’s activity data, and the two seem to coincide. Overall, the activity-tracking functionality is reliable enough for anyone to use.

The PPG and NTC sensors are accurate for the most part. Oura for some reason did not track my daytime sleep. It happened a few times, but I was not exactly sure what went wrong until I did a little digging and found out that the ring only tracks one sleep period during each 24-hour segment. Daytime sleep and naps are only counted as restful periods, which are categorized as activities just like walking and strength training. 

Also note that if you sleep in a position that causes your hand to go numb, you might see gaps in your RHR and HRV graphs just like what happened to me a few times. Blood circulation is blocked in this case, and the sensors cannot find your pulse. There are, however, other causes for these gaps, such as the ring being too loose or dirty LED sensors.

In terms of battery life, Oura promises the ring can last for 7 days. And it’s quite accurate. Sleep tracking, however, does not work right if it’s below 20%. One time I slept with the ring’s battery at 17% and woke up at 2%. To my surprise, it did not track anything that night at all. And then I found out later that Oura cannot track and analyze when the ring is below 20%.

In addition, there was one time when Oura failed to connect to my iPhone’s Bluetooth. I’m not sure where the problem occurred, but it took me some time to figure out what happened, after trying a few ways to troubleshoot the problem based on Oura’s recommendations. Despite that, Oura’s Bluetooth connection is reliable in general. The app automatically syncs with the ring, as long as the mobile phone’s Bluetooth is on.

ALSO READ: BEST FITNESS TRACKER RINGS

App and Ecosystem ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5.0)

The smart ring experience won’t be complete without the mobile app, and that’s why a well-designed one is imperative. The good news is that Oura has an impressive app for both Android and iOS devices, wherein the ring’s collected data are presented and analyzed. 

Oura’s data like steps, walking and running distance, and active calorie burn can all be synced with third-party apps. It supports a slew of integrations, including Apple Health for iOS devices, Google Fit for Android devices, and Samsung Health for Samsung devices. If you are using any of these apps as a control center for your health data or other purposes, Oura is a great source of information. Oura also supports dozens of other apps like Natural Cycles, HRV4Training, Wattson Blue, Bioloop Sleep, Heads Up Health, and Health Sync, among others.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS FOR PAYMENT

Oura’s Overall Score ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4.75)

A lot of Oura’s suggestions are really basic if you think about it. However, it pays to have a ring that has concrete data and an app to guide you, because sometimes — admit it or not — we tend to brush off the thought to, say, take a 20-minute power nap after a restless night when we are not told. Although there are a few things about Oura that I would a miss, the ring still did a pretty good job overall.

Do note that the longer you use the ring, the better it understands your body signals. Overall, Oura is a great device for people who have a sleep-related problem, cardiovascular disease, or anyone really who wants to drastically get better at their overall health.

ALSO READ: BEST FITNESS TRACKERS

Compare Oura with Other Devices

Based on my experience with Oura, it is perhaps the best device available for sleep tracking. However, the ring form factor limits its functionalities to pretty much that. If you want to expand from mere sleep tracking to also activity and fitness tracking, smartphone notifications, or GPS, you might want to see how some of the smartwatches compare against Oura. Here are links to some of our most popular blogs:

• Oura vs. Apple Watch
• Oura vs. Fitbit
• Oura vs. Whoop
• Oura vs. Garmin

Oura Ring Alternatives

This test was one more evidence of Oura’s superior capabilities in sleep and activity tracking. However, it is not a wearable that everybody wants to use. Our blog on Oura Ring alternatives introduces seven health monitoring gadgets that can provide you with similar functionalities!

For the latest wearable tech news and updates, follow Smart Ring News on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

The post Oura Ring Test: What’s the Verdict After Using it for 30 Days first appeared on Smart Ring News.

Oura has dominated the smart ring market for almost a decade, and rightfully so, given it has been the most reliable and consistent device ever available. Over the past couple of years, despite the challenges in form factor, several brands have already made inroads into the smart ring market, including Ultrahuman and Ringconn. Fast forward to date, we’ve seen more familiar names like Samsung, Movano Health, and Amazfit joining the race.

The smart ring market, however, is not limited to health monitoring. There are smart rings that can be used for other purposes, including contactless payments, remote control, travel passes, and car access. 

Fortunately for you, there are now many impressive smart rings available. From sleep tracking to contactless payment and blood oxygen monitoring, we selected the best smart rings according to their functionalities. But before diving into the list, how do we choose the right smart rings?

Choosing the Best Smart Rings

When we created our list of the best smart rings, we first took into account a couple of things to make sure they serve you the ultimate way possible. Here are some criteria we considered:

Purpose

Smart rings are used for different purposes. Knowing what you want to use the ring for is critical for your decision. Is it for monitoring your health? If you need to be more specific, is it for sleep, blood oxygen, or period prediction? Is it for payment? Is it for your car?

Integrations

What type of third-party support does the smart ring have? In most health rings, third-party apps like Natural Cycles, Google Fit, and MyFitnessPal, among others. If you are looking for a particular app to use, make sure to check with the ring maker whether they support the app you’re looking for.

Budget

Cost is one of the things that set people back from getting a smart ring. Most NFC smart rings cost below $200, but health-tracking rings with more sophisticated sensors cost at least $200. For example, the price of the Oura Ring starts at $299, but there are Oura Ring dupes that you can buy for less than that.

After taking all these factors, here are our top picks for the best smart rings you can buy now:

1. Oura Ring – Best Smart Ring

Leading the smart ring market is Oura, a sleep tracker that gives you a 360-degree view of your nightly rest habits. These include factors like sleep stages (REM, light, and deep sleep), total sleep, restfulness, timing, sleep efficiency, latency, time in bed, and resting heart rate (RHR). You’ll be given a sleep score based on those factors, which you can view right through Oura’s mobile app.

Sleep tracking is only one of Oura’s main functions, though. It also tracks your activities and evaluates your readiness based on certain factors. Overall, Oura is pretty accurate, making it one of the best smart rings out there. I strongly recommend Oura for people with problematic sleeping habits just like me. I did a 30-day-long Oura User Test, so be sure to check how it stacked up as a smart ring.

The new version, Oura 3 was launched in 2021. This product adds several high-end sleep and fitness tracking functionalities, more advanced algorithms, and an updated app and membership subscription. Check our Oura 2 vs. Oura 3 comparison to see what’s new!

Get Oura Ring!

2. Ultrahuman Ring Air – Best Sleep Ring

One of the most advanced wearables on the market, the Ultrahuman Ring Air is one of the best smart rings you can get your hands on. Its continuous nudges to make better lifestyle choices based on your sleep, activities, and recovery trends is something beneficial to meet your fitness goals. It’s light and slim, so you get the optimal comfort you need from a health smart ring, whether you are running or sleeping.

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3. Wellue O2Ring – Best Oxygen Monitor and Pulse Oximeter Ring

There are only a few smart rings that measure blood oxygen levels and heart rate and one that stands out is the Wellue O2Ring. Developed by medical technology maker Wellue, the ring is a medical-grade oxygen monitor that can continuously track your blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, and body movements. It’s used by several medical clinics across the U.S. The O2Ring sports an adjustable vibrator that goes off when your blood oxygen level drops below normal or when your heart rate beats in fits and starts. And of course, you can get a detailed health report through its mobile and desktop apps.

Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor with Vibration Reminder...

$179.99

Buy on Amazon

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4. Femometer Ring – Best Smart Ring for Women

The first smart ring for women that was ever released, the Femometer Ring is a phenomenal wearable device that can track menstrual cycles. It’s mainly designed as a tool for planning or avoiding pregnancy, but it’s not just that. The smart ring approaches women’s health monitoring by keeping tabs on the user’s sleep, activities, heart rate zones, body temperature, and even recovery.

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5. Kimiss Car Key Ring- Best Smart Ring for Tesla

If you’re looking for a smart ring for your Tesla, whether you’re using Model 3, Model S, Model X, or Model Y, the Kimiss Car Key Ring is one of the most reliable rings you can get on the market. This ring made from carbon fiber is stylish and lightweight enough to be comfortably worn on any occasion. It’s also waterproof.

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6. McLear RingPay – Best Contactless Payment Ring

McLear calls RingPay the original contactless payment ring being the first company to offer such functionality at points of sale. While I’m not sure about that, what’s certain is that it’s the most popular contactless payment ring on the market. You can easily connect your credit card or bank account through the RingPay mobile app as well as track your daily expenditure. RingPay can also be used as a travel pass. As a passive device, RingPay doesn’t have a battery, so it works 24/7/365.

The ring can be used at Visa-enabled POS terminals anywhere around the world. The kicker is, only U.K. residents with U.K. banks can use the ring at the moment. In Australia, a McLear-branded payment ring called Bankwest Halo is available for Bankwest depositors. The ring works pretty much the same as RingPay. Be sure to read this McLear RingPay Review to know more about this device. McLear RingPay costs £90.

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7. Token Ring – Best NFC Smart Ring

If you’re looking for a versatile NFC smart ring, Token is your best option on the market. Here’s why: Token is an all-in-one smart ring that can be used as a smart key to your car, office, or home, as a digital wallet, and for passwordless logins to your computer. It uses your fingerprint, so it’s really hard to be stolen or hacked.

The Token smart ring is the ultimate convenience you’re looking for in an access device. It isn’t the first NFC ring to have those functionalities, but it’s impressive knowing that it’s keeping up with the leading NFC-enabled rings, even surpassing some of them. Check out my Token Smart Ring Review to learn more about its performance and capabilities. The Token smart ring is available for $349.

Related: Best NFC Smart Rings

‍8. Nuanic (formerly Moodmetric) – Best Smart Ring for Stress Management

If you’re too caught up with the everyday happenings in your life, Nuanic (formerly Moodmetric) is the ring you need. This stress monitoring and management smart ring is designed to help you get a holistic approach to your stress levels using only the electric conductivity of your skin, otherwise known as electrodermal activity (EDA). With the help of its mobile app, you’ll be able to view the factors that are causing you stress as well as things that relieve it. The app also provides personalized insights and recommendations on how you can recover from stress. Overall, Nuanic is pretty impressive. Read this Moodmetric Review to find out more about the ring’s performance.

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9. Circul+

Circul has some good activity-tracking capabilities that health and fitness enthusiasts will enjoy. It can track your total calorie burn, steps, and workouts like walking, running, hiking, and biking. Like the O2Ring, Circul mainly functions as also an oxygen monitor and pulse oximeter. It also has an impressive sleep-tracking functionality that can give Oura users a run for their money. Check out this Oura vs. Circul Review to find out which one is better for you. The biggest downside Circul has is its protection or the lack thereof. It’s not waterproof, so if you want to do water activities, this ring isn’t the right one for you. Circul+ is the latest smart ring version introduced by Bodimetrics in cooperation with Prevention magazine.

BodiMetrics CIRCUL Waterproof Sleep & Fitness Ring

Buy on Amazon

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10. Wave for Work – Best Remote Control Ring

Wave for Work by Genki Instruments is a gesture-initiated smart ring that allows you to control computer applications as fast as 10 meters with just a click of a button. Hosting video calls on Zoom? Mute, unmute, or raise your hand. Presenting a slideshow? Click through your slides. Listening to Spotify? Play, pause, or skip songs. You can also customize shortcuts and tasks according to your most-used programs and actions. Wave for Work works wonders!

Although specifically designed for remote workers, Wave for Work can also be a perfect companion for anyone who wishes to bring their workflow to the tip of their fingers. The Wave for Work smart ring costs $99. The ring is a successor to Genki Instruments’ Wave MIDI controller ring designed for music producers, DJs, musicians, and more. Learn more about it in this Wave by Genki Review.

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Which Is the Best Smart Ring?

To wrap this up, the smart ring market is booming with incredible products for any purpose. We still have a long way to go when it comes to technology. But moving forward, we can expect that more companies will jump on the bandwagon, and more smart rings will see the light of day that will take our breath away.

Remember, some smart rings have multiple functionalities. If you’re sitting on the fence about which one fits you best or which one you need, be sure to check out the Ultimate Smart Ring Buyer’s Guide to help you make an informed decision.

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The post 10 Best Smart Rings You Can Get in 2024 first appeared on Smart Ring News.