Smart rings live on your finger as both a fitness tracker and fashion accessory. If a smartwatch or fitness band is too bulky for you, consider one of the best smart rings for an unobtrusive and stylish way to keep track of your workouts and daily fitness. These nifty devices offer more accuracy than other fitness trackers and have come a long way in the past few years, giving you tons of choices.
FYI: need the full experience? Check out the best smartwatches for a complete wearable experience.
Oura Ring Gen3
Fourmor Health Ring
Ultrahuman Ring Air
RingConn Smart Ring
Femometer Ring
Our Criteria
Unlike traditional fitness trackers, a smart ring is a more personal device that doubles as a fashion accessory. In addition to wellness and activity tracking, factors like design, size, and fit also become equally important.
Design, Comfort, and Durability
A smart ring is something you’re more likely to wear 24/7, unlike other wearables. Hence, the look of the ring becomes much more important. Do you like something that looks like jewelry or a futuristic gadget?
At the same time, the size and fit of the ring is absolutely crucial. If the brand has a ring sizing kit available, you should order that and test which size suits you the best. If not, the standard size chart on the product page or website can help. Durability is another important consideration, as the ring should be built to withstand the rigors of daily use.
Health and Fitness Features
You’re buying a smart ring – not just for the looks, but also for the functionality. Features like activity tracking, sleep tracking, vitals monitoring, stress monitoring, and NFC can all be important. Pick a ring that does most of what you want in your budget.
Software and Compatibility
Most of the smart rings will have their own companion app where you can view all your activity data and customization options. Some will also sync with Google Fit or Apple Health, which may be a huge plus.
Battery Life
Battery life is important for smart rings, just as it is for other devices. Even though they can be light on features, you’re still using them 24/7. A longer battery life adds a ton of convenience. Faster charging speed is also a huge plus.
Best Smart Rings Buying Guide
When most of us think of fitness trackers, we picture smartwatches or smart bands. These two form factors have largely been sufficient for even the most hardcore fitness enthusiast. The best smart bands offer most of the features of full-sized smartwatches, striking a great balance between functionality and convenience.
Smart rings, on the other hand, have slowly thrived in the shadows for the past five years or so. Products like the Oura Ring, Motiv Smart Ring, and others started it all, but now the market is filled with many options from brands like Ultrahuman, Circular, and RingConn, offering users a minimalist gadget to track their fitness and sleep.
Even Samsung threw its hat in the ring, announcing the addition of the upcoming Galaxy Ring to its lineup of smart wearables. Apple is also rumored to be working on its own version of the smart ring. With the industry betting big on this feature-packed form factor, the smart ring space is going through an exciting phase.
Best Overall Smart Ring: Oura Ring Gen3
Oura still reigns supreme on our list, as the Oura Ring Gen3 is simply the best smart ring for most users. The third-generation Oura Ring is made of titanium and offers highly accurate and in-depth sleep and fitness tracking features in addition to heart rate and SpO2 monitoring. Seamless connectivity with Google Fit and Apple Health is present, and you can get a ring sizing kit for $10, which is converted to Amazon credit to redeem against the cost of the ring.
Oura Ring Gen3 is more of an overall fitness and health tracker than a fitness-focused smart ring. It’s great at what it does and has a seven-day battery life, but you’ll need a monthly subscription to access most of its features. However, its accuracy, impressive design, and color options make it worthwhile for many users.
Good to know: need fitness inspiration? Check out the best mobile apps to help you stay healthy.
Best Overall Value: Fourmor Health Ring
If you’re just getting into fitness tracking, you may not want to shell out hundreds on a smart ring. The Fourmor Health Ring offers much of the accurate and minimalist smart ring experience at a pocket-friendly price. You’re still getting all the sleep, fitness, and temperature tracking, as well as vitals monitoring, just like its competitors.
You’re getting a surprisingly durable ceramic construction, an impressive waterproof rating, and a seven-day battery life, along with a portable charging case. Although you can only sync it to the ring’s own app and not Apple Health and Google Fit, the insights it offers are still great. Plus, at this price, it becomes a great deal.
Best for Fitness: Ultrahuman Ring Air
For those who need the most out of their workouts, sleep, and daily activities, the Ultrahuman Ring Air is the best option. Not only does it have a highly durable titanium construction, but you also get multiple color options to choose from. The highlight here, however, is the superior insights it offers with the Ultrahuman app. It does connect with Apple Health and Google Fit but doesn’t sync every single piece of information with them.
Whether it’s the detailed sleep index, movement index, or recovery score, you can’t ask for any more insights from your daily fitness data. The six-day battery life and lightweight build are also great features. There is a ring sizing kit to check the size before buying the ring. The best part is that you don’t need a subscription to access any of its fantastic health and fitness tracking information.
Tip: not getting enough workouts done? Gamify your workouts to reboot your fitness routine.
Best for Sleep Tracking: RingConn Smart Ring
The RingConn Smart Ring might seem identical to other options on this list, due to its titanium construction, long battery life, and subscription-free features, but what makes it different is the extensive sleep tracking information it provides: sleep cycle and sleep health monitoring, yes, but also sleep advice. It also measures your stress level and all kinds of activity info in a unique timeline feature.
RingConn also provides a silent tracking mode that strips all needless notifications and only gives you the most essential health and fitness information. There are three color options to choose from, and the charging case can power the ring 18 to 20 times on a single charge. Despite the solid build, the ring is lightweight and looks super minimalistic. The software side of things needs work, but otherwise, what’s on offer is quite attractive, especially due to the no-subscription policy.
Best for Women: Femometer Ring
While many of the above options are great for both men and women, the Femometer Ring specializes in fertility health, tracking ovulation and menstruation, among other niche metrics that women will find useful. The ring works seamlessly to provide you with every piece of info you need to manage your periods and conception scientifically and accurately. The underlying sleep monitoring features are excellent as well.
While this ring is targeted at a specific niche, it’s great at what it does. The construction is ceramic, and the ring is waterproof, like many other competitors. There’s no subscription for the tracking features, but you can choose to pay for advanced data analysis and fertility resources. The white-and-pink design isn’t for everyone, though.
FYI: need to track your steps on your phone? Check out the best pedometer and step counter apps on iOS and Android.
Frequently Asked Questions
On which finger should I wear the smart ring?
Wear a smart ring on your index, middle, or ring finger of either hand. It depends on your preference and which finger you get the best fit on.
Are smart rings accurate?
Yes. In fact, they’re more accurate than smartwatches and smart bands, due to their position on the finger, where more blood vessels and capillaries are located. This allows them to provide better heart rate and other measurements.
How much does a smart ring cost?
A smart ring can cost anywhere from around $100 for budget rings to over $400 for the premium options.
Image credit: Unsplash
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