ZDNET’s key findings
- The RingConn Smart Ring is now available in three colors for $259 (normally $279).
- One week of battery life, beautiful matte finish, powerful smartphone app and no subscription fee.
- No fitness score and no sync with third-party fitness apps other than Apple Health
Although I wear watches on both wrists, this type of wearable isn’t the best for tracking sleep without being intrusive. I’ve also had an Oura Gen3 ring on my finger for more than two years, and there have been some compelling updates to both the software and hardware.
Early last year, RingConn launched its Smart Ring on Indiegogo and now it is available to everyone. I have the RingConn Smart Ring — Moonlit Silver, size 13 — on my left index finger for three weeks and I’m about to decide which of these two rings will stay. For comparison, I’ve been wearing the Oura Gen3 Titanium model on my right hand for the past three weeks.
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The Moonlit Silver color looks almost identical to the Oura model in brushed titanium and is very attractive. It’s not quite round, just a hint of a circular shape, although most would think it’s a circle at first glance. The size 13 I’m wearing weighs about 5 grams and inside you’ll find a 3D accelerometer, four temperature sensors, four PPG sensors and a low-power Bluetooth module.
Also: The best smart rings you can buy
The RingConn Smart Ring is available for $259 in Moonlit Silver, Midnight Black and Pale Gold. The ring is made from lightweight titanium and each color has a matte finish. Sizes vary from 6 to 14 and the first step in the purchasing process is to have a sizing kit sent to you to confirm the perfect size for your chosen finger.
The ring is IP68 waterproof so you can wear it anytime. Just like the Oura ring, the battery life is a week, but RingConn offers a unique portable charging case with a 500mAh charger that can power the ring for up to 150 days.
Since the Oura Ring Heritage model starts at $299, the initial cost of these two rings may be similar (though the brushed titanium Gen3 Horizon model, which looks like the silver RingConn version, costs $449). Another significant cost difference is the monthly subscription fee. Oura charges $6 per month for access to all your health and wellness data, while RingConn doesn’t offer a subscription for its smart ring.
Android and iPhone devices are well supported by the RingConn Smart Ring. I’ve found that people like me who use both smartphone platforms can seamlessly switch between Android and iOS with RingConn. In contrast, Oura Ring users have to reset the ring when they switch platforms – which prevents them from seeing consistent data and trends.
One of the main functions of a smart ring is sleep monitoring. The results from the two rings over the last three weeks show similar values for sleep duration, heart rate and SPO2; however, the values tend to be 8-10 points higher on the RingConn model than the Oura model. The values are just indicators and sleep monitoring via watches and rings is more about tracking trends and confirming how you are feeling. I would love to see a company like Garmin partner with RingConn to connect the sleep data collected by the ring to Garmin Connect so I don’t have to wear a watch to monitor my sleep.
Also: Samsung Galaxy Ring vs. Ultrahuman Ring Air: Which subscription-free smart ring wins?
The RingConn app provides much more detail on stress than the Oura ring’s new daily stress feature. The RingConn’s activity score is more in line with what I expected given the exercise I did on those days. (To be honest, smart rings aren’t the best option for activity tracking.)
Oura connects and pulls activity data from other services, while RingConn relies on data collected only by the Ring. This is one area where I would love to see RingConn connect with Garmin, Apple, Polar, or Samsung.
Also: I tested the Samsung Galaxy Ring and it is smarter than my Apple Watch in one way
One metric that RingConn doesn’t provide is a readiness score or recovery rating. On the other hand, I trust the readiness score on my Garmin more than the one on the Oura ring. Oura usually shows me a pretty high readiness score, while my Garmin varies more and seems to match how I feel after a day of running, rowing, or cycling.
RingConn has a feature called Wellness Balance, currently in beta, that shows an overall score based on your sleep, activity, vital signs, and stress. Wellness is rated as excellent, good, and needs improvement. I’ve only had one day in the last three weeks that didn’t get a good rating, and I haven’t seen an excellent rating yet.
The RingConn app provides insights into the three main metrics of sleep, activity and stress, with a second main view showing trends. Trends can be viewed by week, month or year, providing a ton of interesting data in easy-to-view charts and graphs. You can also view and share weekly and yearly reports that are full of interesting and useful information.
I was much more impressed by the RingConn Smart Ring than I expected; it’s great to see such compelling competition in the smart ring space. If you’re not interested in paying a monthly subscription fee, I can easily recommend the RingConn ring. I’m close to using it as my primary smart ring because I like the large amount of data it offers and the ability to easily swap out smartphones that I connect to the ring.
Plus, the Oura smart ring’s brilliant new features even outshine its titanium finish
RingConn is continuously developing features and functions. Future updates include training mode, menstrual cycle prediction, meditation and mindful breathing.
Buying advice from ZDNET
Smart rings are becoming increasingly popular, and there are rumors that Samsung and others may soon launch them. After years of development, RingConn has followed suit and offers a worthy competitor to the current leader in smart rings. If you like the idea of not paying a monthly subscription fee, the RingConn Smart Ring is worth considering.
