Smart Rings: The Next Big Thing in Wearable Fitness Technology

We've tested the best smart rings for tracking your health without a watch

The best smart ring for you all depends on your budget and expectations. Do you want a smart ring that can provide in-depth sleep analysis? A device that can count your steps? Or do you want one that can help you track your menstrual health? Most of the best smart rings available today can do all of the above but some, like the Oura Ring Gen 3, do all three impressively well. Price-wise, the best smart rings range from $299 to $399; some require a monthly/annual subscription and others, like the Ultrahuman Ring Air, don't. Not all of the best smart rings play nicely with all smartphone operating systems. The Samsung Galaxy Ring, for example, only works with Android. Meanwhile, the Amazfit Helio Ring works with iOS and Android handsets. So, which is the best smart ring for you? We've spent weeks testing every smart ring model we could get our fingers on, wearing them while we slept, worked out, ran errands and crunched the keyboard. The whole time, we assessed comfort, battery life, the depth and digestibility of health data, and of course, overall looks. The Oura Ring Gen 3 is the best overall smart ring on the market today. Oura has been in the finger-based wearable game longer than most and their latest release proves it. Wellness insights are detailed and well-organized in the Oura app, battery life is good for up to a week, a huge range of sizes, styles and finishes are available, and it works with all major smartphone operating systems. We also appreciated the Oura Ring's lightweight and unobtrusive design even after wearing the Oura Ring for a year. Unlike a standard wrist-based tracker, the Oura Ring doesn't feel burdensome to wear while you sleep. It also proved durable in our testing, with less noticeable scratching than the Ultrahuman Air or Amazfit Helio Ring. The Oura Ring Gen 3 is additionally the best smart ring for women's health tracking thanks to Oura's partnership with the popular Natural Cycles app where you can access fertility, period tracking and contraceptive features. However, for this feature to work, you'll also need a Natural Cycles subscription ($14.99 per month). This is the only real downside to the Oura Ring Gen 3; to use it, you have to take out a $5.99 Oura membership, and add the Natural Cycles subscription on top (if you want to use those features). Plus, it's also worth noting that an Oura Ring Gen 4 is likely on its way, with a possible launch date of fall 2024. The Samsung Galaxy Ring is the new kid on the smart ring block. Easily the most highly-anticipated smart ring ever to launch, its debut didn't disappoint. The companion Samsung health app is brimming with health metrics and insights into sleep, energy levels and workout recovery, many of which are underpinned by AI. It's also quite light and comfortable. There's no subscription fee to speak of, though, the Galaxy Ring is the priciest of any smart ring in this guide. However, it's important to keep in mind the lifetime cost of the ring, which will be less than the Oura Ring once you factor in Oura's mandatory monthly membership fee. On the flip side, you do need a Samsung phone to get the most from the ring. So, if you're using another Android device or iPhone, the Oura might be the better choice. Plus, it doesn't come in quite as many finishes as the Oura Ring but sizing ranges from 5 to 13, which is one more than Oura offers on the smaller end. Battery life is also good for up to a week and the Galaxy Ring similarly provides female health tracking in partnership with Natural Cycles. That said, it isn't quite as comprehensive as what you get with the Oura Ring, since you don't get access to Natural Cycle's full suite of fertility and contraceptive features. Sleep tracking is where the Galaxy Ring really shines with details on nightly body movements, breathing patterns, body temperature, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation levels and more. The Galaxy Ring is also the only device in this roundup approved for sleep apnea detection by the FDA. The Amazfit Helio Ring is the best value smart ring because it offers similar health-tracking tech to the Galaxy Ring and Oura Ring for less money than the former and without the mandatory subscription cost of the latter. It also works with both Android and iOS devices. This is Amazfit's first stab at a smart ring, the brand is better known for its fitness trackers and watches, and the results are impressive. While sleep and recovery insights don't go nearly as in-depth as what you get with Samsung, they're accurate and useful nonetheless. Battery life also isn't rated as highly as the competition but you can still easily get up to four days of power on a charge. The Helio Ring also supports female health tracking, with period and ovulation predictions. Better yet, data from the device can be shared with several popular health-tracking apps including Apple Health, Google Fit, Strava and Adidas Running. Presently, the Helio Ring is only available in sizes 10 and 12 in a Titanium finish, but Amazfit assures us more options will be coming soon. Similar in size and weight to the Galaxy Ring, the Helio Ring is also quite comfortable to wear day and night. The Ultrahuman Ring Air is the best smart ring for counting steps, especially for folks who want a subscription-free experience. In addition to providing daily step-count tallies, the Air also monitors your daily calories burned, VO2 Max and distance covered. You also get lots of sleep data, including insights into nightly body temperature and heart rate, along with helpful recovery tips. While reviewing the Ultrahuman Air, we appreciated the fact that the companion app also provides suggestions for the best times of day to take a break and boost your vitamin D while in the fresh air, your ideal window for caffeine consumption and how screen time may be impacting your sleep. The Ultrahuman app is available on both the Apple App and Google Play stores and though it can feel a bit overwhelming to navigate, there's a lot of useful health data that can be gleaned. You also get basic female health tracking, however, Ultrahuman makes it cumbersome to export health and fitness info to other apps. Like its competition, the Air offers a comfortable wearing experience. You can choose four styles and the widest range of sizes of any device here. The build quality is solid, however, we found that the Ultrahuman scratched the easiest of these four smart rings. Picking the best smart ring may seem challenging but once you dig into the differences between all the major models, things become more clear. If you have an Android smartphone and want the very best health insights, your choice boils down to the Samsung Galaxy Ring vs. Oura Ring Gen 3. iPhone users will likely be choosing between the Oura Ring Gen 3 vs. Helio Ring. The former has more impressive insights, the latter has no mandatory subscription fee. Of course, the Oura Ring Gen 3 vs. Ultrhuman Ring Air is another matchup worth taking a closer look at as the Ultrahuman is also subscription-free. Testing the best smart rings involves wearing them for weeks at a time while we sleep, work, eat, exercise and perform daily chores. During this period we're taking diligent notes on overall comfort, durability -- does it scratch or scuff easily? -- how long the battery lasts and how quickly/easily data syncs with the device's companion app. Assessing the accuracy of the best smart rings is another crucial part of our testing. It involves wearing them alongside other fitness trackers that have proven reliable to see how the results compare. For example, I walked 5,000 steps with the Helio Ring and Garmin Forerunner 165 to gauge the accuracy of the former; it proved quite precise. We also do testing while we sleep to ensure the rest/recovery data is legit. For this assessment, we're noting how sleep duration, sleep cycles, heart rate and other core metrics compare to other popular sleep trackers worn during the same period. Finally, we look at how the core features of each smart ring line up with other options out there by evaluating the data presented in each app. Are these metrics easy to parse? Are there insights and tips to help you better understand the big picture? And, are any core data points missing?

I tested this smart ring for fitness users and it nearly beats Oura. Here's why

The app's user interface could be improved for easier access to daily logging functions. As one of the hottest new smart rings on the market, the Ultrahuman Ring Air offers features and data collection that goes a step beyond Oura for individuals looking to optimize their health. I tested one alongside the Oura Horizon ring over the past month, wearing both around the clock and logging everything from my morning coffee to my late-night cocktails. Suffice it to say, the Ultrahuman ring will excite people dialed into their health and fitness. Also: We've entered the era of the smart ring. Here's why it will shake up the wearables market While Oura seemingly appeals to just about anyone looking to invest in a smart ring, Ultrahuman's offering, while more niche, is arguably better. If the Oura Ring is the girl next door, the Ultrahuman Ring Air is the Silicon Valley-based, Bitcoin-mining neighbor who drinks Soylent. But while it will set hardcore fitness enthusiasts on the right path, this ring will also help anyone, even recreational exercisers, optimize their body to a tee. Unlike the Oura Ring, which requires a $6 monthly subscription, the Ultrahuman Ring Air is subscription-free. The Ultrahuman comes in matte gray, matte black, silver, and gold. Out of all the smart rings I have tested, it is by far the thinnest, most discreet, and unassuming. Plus, the matte gray finish hasn't scratched or tarnished after a month of use, something I can't say about the other smart rings with shiny metal finishes. Also: I tried the Samsung Galaxy Ring and it beats the Oura in 2 meaningful ways From the moment you wake up to the minute you fall asleep, Ultrahuman is sending you notifications on how to make the most of your available energy and body clock. With all these scientific insights into my body, I couldn't help but feel like I was hacking my health -- or playing God. Within an hour of waking, Ultrahuman pings me about my "residual adenosine levels." My what? I had to look it up as well. Adenosine is a naturally occurring chemical associated with wakefulness. It tells me to delay consuming stimulants like caffeine until around two hours after I've been awake to flush adenosine out of my system and boost the impact of caffeine on my energy levels. It also reminds me to expose myself to bright light or exercise during this window if I want an earlier bedtime and wake-up time. Throughout the day, I get pings like this. Ultrahuman tells me when my stimulant permissible window, the window where I can consume caffeine without it disrupting my sleep, is coming to a close. Not only that: Ultrahuman also tells me how much caffeine is in certain stimulants, how long they will stay in my system, and whether they exceed the caffeine intake of my window. As the day goes on, Ultrahuman pings me to stretch my legs and when the ideal bedtime for a sufficient night of sleep would be. All this is calculated based on my wake-up times, sleep, and recovery data. Also: The best smart rings: Expert tested and reviewed The Ultrahuman Ring Air measures heart rate, skin temperature, heart rate variability (HRV), and resting heart rate to glean data for sleep, recovery, and movement. It also measures VO2 Max, or how the body utilizes oxygen during workouts. Ultrahuman presents all this data in an easy-to-understand format through an app, with scores (and explanations) for the big three: sleep, movement, and recovery. For example, when I got a 95 sleep score, it told me I fell asleep faster and stayed asleep for most of my rest duration. In tandem with my high sleep score, I got a 90 recovery score, and the blurb told me that my scores were in great shape, so I "might want to push a little more towards your cognitive and physical fitness goals." On a day when my sleep score was 49 and my recovery score 64, the app instructed me to go on a long walk and try a "non-sleep deep rest session" during the day. Other health data, like HRV, VO2 Max, and resting heart rate, are tracked and the day-by-day data is aggregated and shown through graphs with daily, weekly, and monthly trends -- depicted with green and red indicators. All these data points come with explanations of what each indicator means about one's overall health, elucidating the complexity of them. Another health feature the Ultrahuman ring offers is food logging, which leverages ChatGPT-powered AI food insights. I log the food I eat throughout the day, and its Food Optimization AI provides what it calls cyborg insights -- no, really -- about how to avoid glucose spikes when I consume certain foods. When I logged a bag of potato chips, it told me to pair the chips with cheese or other protein, like a hard-boiled egg, to slow down the absorption of glucose. It also told me to drink water before and after eating the chips and take a brisk walk after eating them to lower my glycemic response. While I rarely took this advice, this is a helpful feature for fitness and people who want to optimize their diet and health data. Also: The Oura smart ring's brilliant new features outshine even its titanium finish Of course, you also can log workouts, something I did often while training for my half marathon. The ring doesn't automatically detect that you're exercising, however, if it goes unlogged. I hope Ultrahuman improves this in future updates. I liked that I could see the map of where I ran, my average heart rate, my max heart rate, the calories I burned, and my average pace. Plus, it showed my workout zones too, something essential for tracking long runs. The last feature that makes this ring ideal for exercise junkies is the Discover tab, which offers video classes for everything from Pilates and weight training to HIIT and yoga. There are also podcasts available for meditation and soundscapes for falling asleep. You can wear the ring for about five days before the battery dies. I tested its battery life compared to Oura's by charging both to 100% on a Tuesday afternoon and waiting to see how long each would last through regular wear and activity. By Sunday morning, the Oura ring was at 7% and the Ultrahuman Ring Air was at 6%. I will note, however, that the Ultrahuman ring gets hot to the touch after charging. Also: Oura Ring users can now sync data with Strava -- here's how to turn it on In the next update of the Ultrahuman Ring Air, I'd like to see the app's user interface improve. It could take some notes from Oura's app, which offers sleep, readiness, resilience, and activity on top of a home tab that aggregates this data on the bottom. Ultrahuman's bottom tabs include home, metabolism, zones, Discover, and a bare-bones profile section. I'd also like to see a more accessible logging feature wherein you don't have to scroll all the way down the app to use for food, exercise tracking, weight, and more. Who should buy this ring? I can imagine that anybody who's dialed into fitness and health metrics will get full use of the Ultrahuman Ring Air. And given how often my sleep duration and sleep and recovery scores from the Ultrahuman mimicked that of Oura's, I wouldn't be afraid to call this a subscription-free Oura dupe with rivaling data and battery life. Ultimately, the Ultrahuman Ring Air impressed me. It's exciting to see such a new product step up to be a competitive fitness smart ring, being just niche enough to carve out an audience of devout fitness freaks but with data presentation, health metrics, and AI suggestions that could cater to the average Joe just as well.