Updated: Smart rings are booming – here are the most exciting options
Smart rings are booming, and they’re here to stay. With a discreet build and great health insights, fitness, and health smart rings are proving increasingly popular.
The Oura Ring 4 is the best smart ring you can buy right now – but, with its mandatory subscription, it’s an expensive option. And that means the likes of the RingConn Gen 2 and Samsung Galaxy Ring make great Oura alternatives: both have impressed us in testing.
Read on for our first-hand testing of the key smart rings — and how to pick between them.
Smart rings are small and discreet wearables, ideal for people who want to get the benefits of a wearable, without wearing a bulky smartwatch or fitness tracker. They mainly track sleep, steps, recovery, and stress. They’ve proven popular because a smart ring is more comfortable to sleep than a smartwatch, so you can get in-depth health insights, and still wear your favorite watch or timepiece.
Smart rings are generally poor at tracking workouts, and few have advanced health features such as ECG/blood pressure (yet). The lack of screen and NFC also makes them feel less useful than a smartwatch.
Generally, smart rings are designed to be worn on the index finger.
Most of the smart rings we’ve tested provide a sizing kit with a plastic version of that ring so you can try a range of different sizes before the one packed with smarts is sent out to you. Samsung’s is optional but don’t skip this step. You should wear that test ring for a day or two to make sure it fits well and doesn’t fly off when you wash your hands (we’re speaking from experience!) A snug fit that doesn’t twist around is also key to getting accurate sensor data, so this aspect is important. Also, if you wash your hands with a smart ring that’s too big, expect to feel it fly across the room.
Smart rings take a battering, so getting something that won’t be torn to shreds after a couple of months is important. Many rings (see RingConn and Oura) are made of titanium, which is light and super-scratch resistant – but will still badly scratch. We always suggest taking it off when doing activities like lifting weights.
Most smart rings are 5ATM water resistant, meaning they can be worn in the pool or shower. That’s not universal though, and there are rings with lower ratings that only protect against washing your hands. Be aware.
Many of the rings we’ve seen so far have been designed to track elements of your health and fitness. Whether tracking steps, sleep, or monitoring heart rate and body temperature, they promise to offer a level of accuracy that matches or surpasses other wearable form factors.
To deliver that data it’s using similar sensors used in wrist-based devices, so light-based optical sensors that deliver continuous heart rate monitoring and blood oxygen data.
Our top smart ring picks at a glance:
Best smart ring: Oura Ring 4
Best smart ring for sport: Samsung Galaxy Ring
Best Oura alternative: Ultrahuman Ring Air
Best smart ring for battery life: RingConn Gen 2
Best medical smart ring: Prevention Circul+
How we tested
Unlike most sites, Wareable has been testing smart rings since the early days, so we have bags of experience. We’re always wearing and comparing smart rings and testing never stops, and each of these has been worn for a period of months to assess how the data compares, in terms of tracking accuracy and long-term insights.
Best recommended smart rings from our reviews
Oura Ring 4
Price: From $349 + $5.99 a month subscription (ships globally) | Oura Store
- Weight: 3-4 grams (depending on size)
- Sensors: PPG, skin temperature, accelerometer, IR sensor to check alignment
- Color options: Silver, brushed titanium, matte black, stealth black, rose gold, gold
The Oura Ring 4 is now live and official — and it’s been through our stringent Wareable testing process. And we believe it’s still the best smart ring money can buy.
It’s also the most expensive. Starting at $349/£349 it also requires a $5.99/£4.99 monthly subscription to get access to all the juicy sleep and long-term health insights on offer. If that outlay makes you balk, then try the RingConn 2, Ultrahuman Ring Air or Galaxy Ring listed below.
However, the Oura app is by far the best we’ve used, and we’ve found its sleep-tracking accuracy to be superior too — and that’s backed up by repeated success in clinical trials. Sleep is joined by readiness, stress, and activity, with daily tracking of core vitals such as breathing rate, heart rate and body temperature.
The new Oura app also focuses on tracking health over time, including stress resistance, cardio fitness, cardio age, and how your sleep patterns tally with your circadian rhythm. It’s also starting metabolic health tracking, and if you log meals using its AI identification algorithm then it will assess your meal regularity, too.
Few wearables (perhaps only Whoop) can match its simplicity, focus, and actionablity — and we believe it justifies the $5.99 subscription if you’re willing to embrace the data. If you’re not, then the expense of Oura makes little sense. And the thinner build and longer battery of RingConn 2 and Galaxy Ring are a better option.
We were slightly disappointed that Oura didn’t slim down the Ring 4. While it’s lighter and more comfortable than Gen 3, it’s larger than rivals. Again, if you want the thinnest ring, Oura Ring 4 isn’t it. We also found it scratched when used in the gym, and autodetection of exercise wasn’t great — so this still isn’t an option for people who love fitness.
Oura Ring 4 vs Oura Ring Gen 3 – know the difference
Read our Oura Ring 4 review for more.
Pros
- The best wellness tracker out there
- Smart circadian insights
- Brilliant presentation of data
Cons
- Rivals are thinner and more comfortable
- Really expensive
- Workout tracking still iffy
RingConn Gen 2
Price: $299 | RingConn
- Weight: 2-3g (depending on size)
- Sensors: PPG, SpO2, skin temperature, accelerometer
- Color options: Future Silver, Matte Black, Royal Gold
Despite only shipping its Gen 1 smart ring to crowdfunding backers earlier this year, RingConn already has a second-gen option to peruse. This latest model’s incredibly light and thin design makes it arguably the best smart ring from a comfort perspective, and it’s also the undisputed battery champion. In the right settings, it’s capable of 10-12 days of battery life (up from a week).
The design alone makes it a serious alternative to Oura and Samsung. RingConn has dropped the weight to around 2-3g (depending on your ring size) and the 2mm thickness makes it the slimmest on the market. It adds up to a feel in daily use and sleep tracking that’s as close to a regular ring as we’ve ever experienced.
Our only design concern during testing has been durability. Like most matte black rings, we’ve noticed the edges picking up slight signs of wear. RingConn is far from the only manufacturer to suffer from this, but it is worth keeping in mind when choosing your finish.
Like with the first iteration, the Gen 2 ring produces accurate insights into sleep, health, and basic activity – and only really the sleep apnea feature is one we’ve found to affect battery life significantly.
While this data is largely solid, we still have reservations about the companion app. It doesn’t feature quite the same polish or unique insights as a platform like Oura, and the sometimes endless number of graphs means it can feel more of a historical hub rather than a cohesive companion that informs behavior change or useful insights. For many people, that will be just fine. But the best wearables make data actionable, but you’ll have to do a lot of that yourself with RingConn.
Still, with a price tag that undercuts rivals, no added subscription fees, and a nifty charging case that effectively gives you 15-20 charging cycles, the RingConn Gen 2 is a tough smart ring to argue against.
- Check out our full RingConn Gen 2 review
Pros
- Incredibly light and thin design
- More affordable than rivals
- Accuracy is very solid
- Unrivalled battery/charging combination
Cons
- App is mind-numbingly dense
- Prone to scratches
- Lacks integrations for activity
Samsung Galaxy Ring
$399/£399 | Samsung
- Color options: Silver/Black/Gold
- Weight: 2.3-3 grams
- Sensors: Skin temp, PPG, accelerometer
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is a top first-generation effort from Samsung — and while not as deeply insightful as Oura Ring 4 — Galaxy Ring gets sleep accuracy and activity tracking bang on.
The smart ring is Android-only, features a handy charging case, and comes priced at a pretty lofty $399/$399 – that’s $100/£100 more expensive than the base edition of Oura’s Gen 3 ring (though no subscription is required for Samsung’s ring).
Sleep is a huge focus of the Galaxy Ring, and it advances this with nifty sleep coaching, backed up by its chronotype feature, which characterizes your sleep patterns with an animal. You can then choose to work on improving specific areas of your sleep habits, which makes it actionable.
Samsung’s new Energy Score sits at the heart of the experience, and we found its scores based on your sleep/HRV/heart rate responsive and intelligent. And the Galaxy AI will also chime in to add insights on high or low scores.
Exercise heart rate was also better than any smart ring we’ve tested, though we recommend swerving the automatic workout detection and starting workouts manually via the app (and taking your smartphone with you).
So, why isn’t this the best smart ring ever? You don’t get as many insights as Oura and Ultrahuman, even if Samsung covers the core experience just as well. There are also issues recommending the Galaxy Ring to existing Galaxy smartwatch users when it does nothing different from the company’s smartwatches. In fact, it does much less, as there are no ECG/BIA/blood pressure insights.
And we did also have some concerns over inaccurate SpO2 scores, from our testing. But for a Gen 1 product, Samsung has got so much right here.
- Check out our full Samsung Galaxy Ring review
Pros
- Great sleep data
- Focus on actionable sleep coaching
- Energy Score feels intuitive
- Nice design and comfortable to wear
Cons
- Does cost less than rivals and Galaxy Watch
- Expensive (but no subscription required)
- Spotty HR data and poor SpO2
Ultrahuman Ring Air
Price: $349 / £329 / €325 | Ultrahuman
- Weight: 2.4g-3.6g (depending on size)
- Sensors: PPG, SpO2, skin temperature, accelerometer
- Color options: Aster Black, Matte Grey, Bionic Gold, and Space Silver
The Ultrahuman Ring Air is the company’s second-generation smart ring. It’s lighter and smaller than its predecessor, at just 2.4g, making it more comfortable to wear.
It’s still a chunky ring, and we didn’t find it that comfortable or attractive. But if you’re used to wearing big rings and they suit your hands, this can be a good option.
Sleep is the main focus, and there’s a sleep index that accounts for a wide range of data and metrics. We found that sleep tracking was largely reliable, with accuracy that stood up well to Oura and Whoop.
It also focuses on recovery – and helping manage circadian rhythms, including managing stimulants and prompting healthy wind-down times. These are interesting additions that sit well alongside the deep insights.
A recovery score also tracks metrics such as resting heart rate, HRV, and body temperature. These are compared to established baseline scores, and there’s a traffic light system to show if these are outside of your norms.
The Ultrahuman app also has a glucose element, and pairs to a CGM for blood sugar analysis. It also supports new ‘PowerPlugs’, a range of apps and integrations that can be added to the experience. There’s a new jetlag advisor and a paid-for Afib detection feature – so it’s an experience that’s quickly expanding.
Ultrahuman Ring Air costs $349 / £329/ €325 without ongoing subscriptions, so it’s a good alternative to Oura in terms of cost. The metrics you get are similar – but, when you dig in, it doesn’t compare to Oura in women’s health or stress tracking.
- Check out our full review of the Ultrahuman Ring Air
Pros
- Solid health data
- Stimulant window data interesting
- Thoughtful prompts and recommendations
Cons
- Circadian window needs to be developed
- Still chunky and masculine
- Lack of breathing rate data
- Bland design
Prevention Circul+
Price: $299 | Bodimetrics
- Weight: 4.9 grams
- Sensors: Blood Pressure, ECG, Oximetry, Heart Rate, Temperature
- Color options: Silver, black, rose gold
We’ve seen ECG sensors on smartwatches and fitness trackers, but now Bodimetrics in partnership with Prevention has put that tech into a smart ring too. It’s received FDA approval for its blood oxygen tracking – and across all skin tones, too.
It’s not just ECG that this clever ring can track, either. It can take blood pressure measurements while capturing ECG measurements once you’ve calibrated it with a cuff-style monitor.
It promises heart rate tracking accuracy plus or minus 2bpm against medical grade monitoring and a +/- 3% accuracy for SpO2 monitoring it’s capable of as well.
When we compared the data with a blood pressure monitor, pulse oximeter, and other ECG wearables, we found the data accuracy was good overall.
But the (very) chunky build ensures it’s only viable if you’re looking for medical grade tracking and analysis for managing conditions. It’s not something that people will want to wear to keep tabs on their daily activity – this is serious health tech.
As such, data is presented well, but it lacks actionable insights – it’s all about those vitals. If you have a medical condition that requires you to monitor ECG and heart rate data, you’re well set. But it won’t tell you if you’re stressed, overtraining, or might be getting your period, like consumer devices like Oura.
There’s more going on with sleep monitoring letting you capture sleep duration, sleep stages (including REM time), heart rate, baseline skin temperature, and SpO2 levels (including an oxygen desaturation index). The data, again, felt very reliable on the whole.
It can be stored freely in the app and cloud and even shared with doctors and health professionals, which is good to see.
There’s also just 16 hours of battery life, which means weighing up when you monitor your stats. Its rather awkward and unique design means it’s one you might want to wear exclusively to monitor your stats overnight.
- Read our Prevention Circul+ review
Pros
- Rich health tracking
- Reliable and accurate insights
- Easy set up
Cons
- Awkward design
- Charging setup isn't great
- Short battery life
Circular Ring Slim
$275 / £225 | Circular
- Weight: 2 grams
- Sensors: PPG sensor, bioimpedance sensor, accelerometer
- Color options: Black
Smart ring startup Circular has returned with what it claims is the industry’s thinnest and lightest offering yet – the $275 / £225 Circular Ring Slim. We were critical in our initial review, but the company released an updated version in June 2024 that addressed many of our concerns around its scratch-resistant coating and water resistance.
It tips the scales at just 2g and measures 2.2mm thick. To put these specs into context, industry leader Oura’s Generation 3 Horizon model measures in at 2.55mm thick and clocks the scales at around 4-6g, while the Circular Ring Pro is 2.75mm and 4g.
The Circular Ring Slim packs a three-axis accelerometer, temperature sensor, PPG sensor, and LEDs that are used to monitor the likes of breathing rate, heart rate variability, blood oxygen saturation, and heart rate are sticking around, too.
The insights provided by the Kira+ app do lag behind the likes of Ultrahuman and Oura, but the company has now released new algorithms for workout tracking. We’re putting those to the test to see how they stack up. But for now, it’s hard to recommend the Circular Ring Slim over rivals.
- Read our full Circular Ring Slim review
Pros
- Comfortable design
- Some core tracking feels mostly reliable
- Kira+ assistant is step in right direction
Cons
- Ring material is easily scratched
- Companion app isn't pretty and can be buggy
- Not fully water resistant
Movano Evie Ring
Price: $269 | Movano
- Weight: 3.2-3.7g
- Sensors: PPG sensor, temperature sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope
- Color options: Silver, rose gold, black (coming soon)
The Movano Evie Ring is a female-focused smart ring – so it’s one of the rare wearables designed with women’s health in mind.
We published an early review that concluded that the tech issues around Evie, and the basic nature of its tracking and analysis, mean buyers should avoid the smart ring for now.
On 16 September it was relaunched, and we’ll be retesting to see if the problems have been overcome.
On paper, Evie packs a bold design and thin build, which should make it more wearable. And the Evie Ring will also be released in three colors: gold, silver, and rose gold.
It doesn’t hold back on features, either. The Movano Evie will measure heart rate, HRV, sleep, respiration rate, temperature, and blood oxygen. It will also track mood and menstrual cycle symptoms (via user inputs) and aims to track a holistic overview of health and activity via the Daily Summary window.
Movano has applied for FDA approval for its heart rate tech – although this has not been granted yet – so it means business about accuracy.
- Read our early Movano Evie review
Amazfit Helio
$199/£149 | Amazfit
- Weight: 3.75-4g
- Color options: Titanium
- Sensors: PPG, accelerometer, temperature sensor, EDA sensor
We love the build of Helio and the design – and it’s one of our favorite smart rings to date purely in terms of how it looks and feels. The titanium alloy ended up scratch-free in our weeks of testing, and it’s slim and light too. What’s more, it’s 10ATM water resistant.
But things take a turn for the worst when it comes to the data and insights.
At the time of writing, it only comes in US8/US10/US12 sizes, but the key problem is that Helio doesn’t really do much. It adds data such as Readiness and recovery to the Zepp Health app, and sleep tracking metrics (which are already part of the company’s smartwatches). It will also track sleep heart rate variability (HRV) and resting HR.
Sadly, we found the sleep data to be significantly overestimated compared to Whoop, Oura, and Apple Watch. And compared to the similarly priced Ultrahuman, the insights feel limited. It doesn’t feel worth the money.
If you’re committed to Amazfit sports watches, it can make a nice companion device for your Zepp Health ecosystem. And the spec sheet lists a host of sensors that don’t seem to be enabled yet.
Yet, we question how many people are so wedded to Amazfit that they’d spend $299 on such a limited device.
- Read our full Amazfit Helio review
Pros
- Sleek, quality build
- Good battery life
- Scratch resistant
Cons
- Only two sizes at launch
- Over estimates sleep wildly
- Static and unintuitive readiness scores
Smart ring specs compared
| Smart Ring | Weight (grams) | Sensors | Color Options | Water Resistance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Oura Ring Gen 4 | 4g | 18 signal pathway PPG, infrared LED, ambient light, accelerometer, | Silver, brushed silver, matte black, stealth black, rose gold, gold | IPX8 (swim-proof up to 100 meters) |
| Samsung Galaxy Ring | 2.3g | Skin temp, PPG, accelerometer | Black, gold, silver | IP68/10ATM (100m) |
| RingConn Gen 2 | 2-3g | PPG, accelerometer, gyroscope | Silver, black, gold | IP68 (water resistant up to 50 meters) |
| Ultrahuman Ring Air | 3.6g | PPG, infrared LED, accelerometer | Stealth black, silver, rose gold | IPX8 (swim-proof up to 100 meters) |
| Circular Ring Slim | 2g | PPG, accelerometer | Black, silver, rose gold | IPX8 (as of June 2024) |
| Prevention Circul+ | 4.9g | PPG, accelerometer | Silver, black, rose gold | IP67 (water resistant up to 1 meter for 30 minutes) |
| Movano Evie Ring | 4.5g | PPG, accelerometer, gyroscope | Silver, rose gold, black (coming soon) | IPX8 (swim-proof up to 50 meters) |
| Amazfit Helio | 3.75g | PPG, accelerometer, temperature sensor, EDA sensor | ‘Titanium’ | IP68/10ATM (100m) |
