A comprehensive guide to the top smart rings—and how to pick the right one for your needs.
Smart rings are booming and here to stay. However, their newfound popularity has increased competition, making it incredibly challenging to choose between top options.
Nowadays, most smart rings feature a more discreet design and superior health insights than smartwatches. In 2025, we expect brands such as Oura, Samsung, and Ultrahuman to push the envelope even further.
We continue to rate the Oura Ring 4 as the best smart ring available right now. However, due to its mandatory subscription, it’s also an expensive option.
This means that the Ultrahuman Ring Air, RingConn Gen 2, and Samsung Galaxy Ring are great alternatives to the Oura. We were impressed by all of them during testing.
Read on for our first-hand testing summaries of the best smart rings, along with advice on choosing between them.
New smart rings that may launch in 2025
CES 2025 in January represented a bumper show for smart rings, and a host of new options are coming to market in 2025.
The most notable is the Circular Ring 2, which adds ECG and a much more premium design than the original Circular Ring. That’s interesting for those looking for heart health insights.
In February 2025, RingConn also followed up its impressive Gen 2 effort with a Gen 2 Air. Arriving in March, this could be the best budget ring of 2025. However, we’ll reserve that judgment until we’ve completed testing.
We also got one eye on the Velia Ring, a super-interesting crowdfunding project that has unfortunately left backers furious after constant delays. The Velia is insanely slim compared to Oura and others, and we were bowled over when we tried it on at CES.
Still, we can’t vouch for its accuracy, or whether it will ever ship beyond its backers. April 2025 is what we were told by the founders. Watch this space.
Confirmed smart ring launches for 2025:
- Circular Ring 2 (release date TBC)
- RingConn Gen 2 Air (pre-orders open; 21 March release date)
Smart rings that are due to launch in 2025:
- Ultrahuman Ring Air 2
- Samsung Galaxy Ring 2
- Amazfit Helio 2
- Velia Ring
Smart rings: All the FAQs
Smart rings are small, discreet wearables, ideal for those who want to enjoy the benefits of a wearable without the bulk of a smartwatch or fitness tracker.
They primarily track sleep, steps, recovery, and stress levels. Smart rings have gained popularity because they are more comfortable for sleeping compared to smartwatches. Additionally, they provide in-depth health insights while allowing you to wear your favorite watch or timepiece.
Smart rings typically struggle with tracking workouts, and very few offer advanced health features like ECG or blood pressure monitoring. The absence of a screen and NFC also makes them feel less practical than a smartwatch on a daily basis.
Generally, smart rings are meant to be worn on the index finger, but you can wear them on any finger you prefer.
Most of the smart rings we’ve tested come with a sizing kit that includes a plastic version of the ring, allowing you to try a range of sizes before the smart version is shipped to you. Samsung’s sizing kit is optional, but do not skip this step.
It’s important to wear the test ring for a day or two to ensure it fits well and doesn’t slip off while washing your hands (we’re speaking from experience!). A snug fit that doesn’t twist is crucial for obtaining accurate sensor data, so this aspect is significant.
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 supposed to be very scratch resistant. Yet, we always suggest taking it off when doing activities like lifting weights, because it will get marked. Ring protectors can help with this.
Most smart rings are at least 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 encountered so far have been designed to monitor aspects of your health and fitness. Heart rate, SpO2 (blood oxygen), and temperature sensors are quite standard now. Additionally, we’re beginning to see the first rings capable of taking an ECG entering the market.
At a glance: The top smart rings we’ve tested
- Our top recommendation: Oura Ring 4
- The best pick for workout tracking: Samsung Galaxy Ring
- A top Oura alternative: Ultrahuman Ring Air
- For excellent smart ring battery life: RingConn Gen 2
- The best medical smart ring: Prevention Circul+
How we test smart rings:
Unlike most sites, Wareable has been testing smart rings since the early days, so we have extensive experience. We wear and compare smart rings constantly, and testing never stops. Each has been worn for months to assess how the data compares regarding 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 the best smart ring money can buy, although it’s also the most expensive. Starting at $349/£349, it also requires a $5.99/£4.99 monthly subscription to access all the juicy sleep and long-term health insights. If that outlay makes you balk, then consider the RingConn Gen 2, Ultrahuman Ring Air, or Galaxy Ring listed below.
The Oura app is the most polished we’ve used. Its sleep-tracking accuracy is also exceptional, supported by consistent success in clinical trials. In addition to sleep tracking, it monitors readiness, stress, and activity, providing daily updates on core vitals such as breathing rate, heart rate, and body temperature.
The latest updates to the Oura app have also shifted the focus to tracking health over time, including stress resistance, cardio fitness, cardio age, and how your sleep patterns align with your circadian rhythm. The app is also starting to track metabolic health. If you log meals using its AI identification algorithm, it will assess your meal regularity, too.
Few wearables (perhaps only Whoop) can match its simplicity, focus, and actionability. We believe it justifies the $5.99 subscription if you crave something beyond the typical, mind-melding historical graphs of countless metrics. If you don’t, the expense of Oura makes little sense. The thinner build and longer battery of RingConn 2 and Galaxy Ring are better options.
Our only key gripe with the Oura Ring 4 is its size. The brand didn’t slim down the profile for its latest generation. So, while it’s lighter and more comfortable than Gen 3, it’s much bigger than its rivals. Again, if you want the thinnest ring, Oura Ring 4 isn’t it.
- Read our Oura Ring 4 review for detailed analysis
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 in early 2024, RingConn quickly followed up with a second-gen option last summer. The Gen 2’s incredibly light and thin design makes it arguably the best smart ring to own from a comfort perspective.
It’s also the undisputed battery champion. In the right settings, it can last 10-12 days on a single charge (up from the debut model’s seven-day battery life).
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. This 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, the edges have picked 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 the first iteration, the Gen 2 ring produces accurate sleep, health, and basic activity insights. We found that only the sleep apnea feature significantly affects battery life.
While this data is mostly acceptable, we still have reservations about the companion app. It doesn’t exhibit the same level of polish or unique insights as a platform like Oura, and the endless graphs make it feel more like a data hub rather than a cohesive companion that fosters behavior change or provides valuable insights.
For many people, that will be just fine. But the best wearables make data actionable, and you’ll have to do much 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
Price: $399/£399 | Samsung
- Color options: Silver/Black/Gold
- Weight: 2.3-3 grams
- Sensors: Skin temp, PPG, accelerometer
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is a fantastic first-generation effort from Samsung. While not as insightful as Oura Ring 4, the Galaxy Ring gets sleep accuracy and activity tracking bang on.
The ring is Android-only, features a handy charging case and comes priced at a pretty lofty $399/$399. That’s more expensive than the base edition of Oura’s Gen 4 ring (though no subscription is required for Samsung’s).
Sleep is a huge focus of the Galaxy Ring, and this is backed up with nifty sleep coaching. Its chronotype feature characterizes your sleep patterns with an animal that exemplifies your habits. You can then work on improving specific areas of your sleep habits, making it feel actionable.
Samsung’s new Energy Score sits at the heart of the experience, and we found its daily number (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. However, we recommend ignoring the automatic workout detection and starting workouts manually via the app (and taking your smartphone).
So, why isn’t this the best smart ring to buy in 2025? You don’t get as many insights as Oura and Ultrahuman, even if Samsung covers the core experience just as well.
Recommending the Galaxy Ring to existing Galaxy smartwatch users is also problematic, as it does nothing different from the company’s smartwatches. In fact, it does much less, as it does not provide 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. At just 2.4 g, it’s lighter and smaller than its predecessor, making it more comfortable to wear. However, since its release in June 2023, rivals are beginning to surpass its design and feature capabilities.
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 stress tracking – and Ultrahuman places a lot of focus on analyzing circadian rhythms, including managing stimulants and prompting healthy wind-down times. The “Adenosine Clearance Window” is particularly interesting and guides you when you drink coffee, and the circadian clock advises when to get light and take a walk.
Some of the metrics can feel a little raw, and the app isn’t quite as well designed as Oura.
The 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. And there are women’s health tracking features, which use the biometric sensors to track the monthly cycle.
The Ultrahuman app also has a glucose element, and pairs to a CGM for blood sugar analysis if you purchase its M1 sensor package.
Ultrahuman also supports new ‘PowerPlugs’, a range of apps and integrations that can be added to the experience. There’s a new jetlag advisor, a paid-for Afib detection feature, and even partnerships for blood marker detection – 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 slightly less polished than Oura’s right now.
- 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 also put that tech into a smart ring. It’s received FDA approval for its blood oxygen tracking—and, crucially, across all skin tones.
This clever ring can track more than just ECG, too. Once calibrated with a cuff-style monitor, it can also measure blood pressure. It promises heart rate tracking accuracy plus or minus 2bpm against medical grade monitoring and a +/- 3% accuracy for SpO2 monitoring it’s also capable of.
When we compared the data with a blood pressure monitor, pulse oximeter, and other ECG wearables, we found that the data accuracy was good overall. However, the (very) chunky build ensures that it’s only viable if you’re looking for medical-grade tracking and analysis to manage 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, the 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. However, unlike consumer devices, it won’t tell you if you’re stressed, overtraining, or might be getting your period.
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. Plus, it can be stored freely in the app and cloud and shared with doctors and health professionals.
It also has just 16 hours of battery life, so you must choose when to monitor stats. Its somewhat awkward and unique design makes it 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
Update, February 2025: The Circular Ring Slim has now been superceded by the Circular Ring 2. We’ll leave the entry below intact until our full Ring 2 review is published and advise holding off on the Slim for now.
Smart ring startup Circular offers one of the industry’s thinnest and lightest rings, the $275 / £225 Circular Ring Slim. Although we were critical in our initial review, the company released an updated version in June 2024 that addressed many of our concerns about 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 buyers should avoid the smart ring until the technical issues and basic nature of the tracking and analysis improve. On 16 September 2024, it was relaunched with many of our criticisms seemingly addressed, and we’ll be retesting this year 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 and design of Helio; it’s one of our favorite smart rings to date, purely in terms of appearance and feel. The titanium alloy remained scratch-free throughout our weeks of testing, and it’s also slim and lightweight. Additionally, it is 10ATM water resistant.
The company has significantly reduced the price of the Helio Ring and completely revamped the app design, making it a more budget-friendly option for those looking to explore smart rings.
As of now, it is only available in US8, US10, and US12 sizes, but the main issue is that Helio does not offer much additional functionality. It provides data like Readiness and recovery to the Zepp Health app, along with sleep tracking metrics, which are already included in the company’s smartwatches. Additionally, it will monitor sleep heart rate variability (HRV) and resting HR.
Our testing revealed that the sleep data was considerably inflated when compared to the Whoop, Oura, and Apple Watch. Additionally, the insights provided are not as extensive as those of the similarly priced Ultrahuman, making it seem like a poor investment.
If you’re committed to Amazfit sports watches, it can serve as a great companion device for your Zepp Health ecosystem. Additionally, the spec sheet features a range of sensors that appear to be disabled for now.
- 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) |
