Consumers looking for a fitness tracking wearable will now have a new form factor to choose from – smart ring! Thanks to evolving technology, it is now possible to pack all the health tracking sensors into a standard ring. Oura Health was the pioneer who launched the Oura Ring in 2015. While it has a first-mover advantage, growing competition is challenging their lead.
I was recently introduced to RingConn Smart Ring and received a review unit so that I can share my experience in this article. RingConn was originally launched in Indiegogo in 2022 and successfully secured a US$1.3 million funding from 7,530 backers worldwide. It received two awards from the Indiegogo platform: the ‘Best Emerging Project of the Year’ and the ‘Best Project of the Year in the Fashion & Wearables Category’. Though RingConn has only been in the market for just two years, it has grown to over 20,000 users. The founder and CEO, Wang Guoxing, is a professor in biomedical engineering and earned his PhD in 2006 from University of California. His research area in biomedical electronics culminates in his product, RingConn, and has given Oura Ring a run for its money.
The onboarding journey starts by determining the ring size. RingConn comes with a free sizing kit which you can order if you do not know your ring size. After I received the sizing kit and selected the right size, I went ahead to order the actual smart ring which arrived after a few days.
I placed the smart ring onto the charging case to power it up, then installed the RingConn app on my smartphone, initiated the pairing to connect the smart ring to the app. Within minutes, the setup was complete, I wore the ring and got on with my day.
RingConn is designed to capture a comprehensive set of features to tell you about your health and overall wellness. It is fitted with three PPG sensors (for heart rate and blood oxygen), one accelerometer, and four temperature sensors. It monitors health data, including heart rate, blood oxygen levels, steps, sleep quality, activity intensity, and stress levels, among others. The data is synchronised to the app for easy viewing and analysis. Each accompanying data set comes with personalised health advice and reminders to help the wearers better manage their health. The app data can be synced to Apple Health and Google Fit for now.
With the latest app version 2.5.0, you can see a summary of your Wellness Balance based on four areas: vital signs, activity, stress management, and sleep. It displays a 7-day average, compares to your score yesterday so you know if you are improving or slacking.
You can also drill into each of the areas and view a daily summary.
You can also review the detailed breakdown score for each of the areas from the Insights tab. Below is a snapshot of my Sleep score. It covers factors such as Time Asleep, Sleep Stages, Sleep EFficiency, Heart Rate, Temperature, TIme Awake. Among the 4 areas, Sleep offers the most data factors.
The Activity score covers steps, calories, standing duration, activity intensity, activity intensity ratio, exercise record, activity summary. In the Stress area, the smartring tracks All-day stress index, stress ratio, sleeping stress, stress summary. For the Vital Signs, it tracks heart rate, SpO2, HRV.
Other new features introduced in this recent firmware includes new exercise mode: outdoor running; Medal Module that celebrates milestones; app languages supported including Arabic, Czech (coming in May), German, French, Japanese, Spanish, Chinese Traditional. New upcoming features currently in development include Sleep Apnea Syndrome Monitoring, Female Cycle tracking, and Sleep Coaching.
Unlike other wearable products like Oura Ring or Fitbit, all these metrics are available without additional monthly subscription.
The RingConn smart ring offers 7 days of battery life and the charging case lets you charge the ring for up to 18 times (a full charge takes about an hour). That means you can keep the RingConn going for more than 4 months without plugging it into the wall charger. The smart ring is made of Titanium with PVD coating and medical-grade epoxy at the inner lining. It is IP68 water rated (up to 50 metres underwater) so you can wear it for showering, swimming, and handwashing.
Essentially, the smart ring offers the same type of health data capture as a smartwatch or a fitness band, and like any wearable, the differentiating factor is how much data is captured and how they are presented to the user. With the current firmware (FR01.046), the RingConn only can support one type of exercise tracking, which is outdoor running. It also does not support distance tracking, floor tracking, nutrition. As a relatively new product compared to other wearables like Fitbit or Garmin, RingConn is still not focused on sports and activity types, but it also means RingConn is well-suited for most people who are not too sports-centric – people who spend time on careers and need a reminder to balance with some healthy workouts to keep the heart going, getting good rests, manage life stress.
I find it less obtrusive to wear a smartring compared to wearing a smartwatch or fitness band. Oftentimes, I was “forced” to wear it at home even though I don’t really need a wristband to notify me of smartphone notifications, but I had to wear it so that I can keep track of my steps and heart rate and health metrics. With a smart ring, I feel more comfortable, and I could wear it on different fingers. Based on my usage pattern, I find that the step count is lower than my Fitbit Inspire 3, and there are slight deviations in heart rate too.
Are smart rings more accurate in tracking than smartwatches or fitness bands? The verdict is still out there depending on which side you are on. Essentially, I always believe in sticking to one brand and let the data normalise over time. Then use the data as an indicator of anomalies.
Should you switch from smartwatch to smart ring? Again, it depends on your lifestyle and your preferences. Personally, I am fine with wearing a smartwatch to sleep, but it restricts my choice of wrist accessories. I mean, you can’t wear 2 watches right?
The smartwatch has a display which offers more interactivity, like telling the time, receiving notifications, starting exercises, and viewing health data. The smart ring does not have any of these, but it also means you keep your interaction minimal. It works in the background. For watch collectors, a smart ring means they can now wear their favourite timepieces and still be able to track their health with a discreet wearable.
Ultimately, the growing popularity in smart rings means more players will come on board and offer competitive choices for consumers. Samsung has already announced that they will be releasing a smart ring later this year. For sure, the technology will evolve to make smart rings smaller, more feature packed, and more attractive.
If you are shopping for a smart ring to track your health and sleep and hate to wear a wrist device 24/7, the RingConn is the best solution. It retails in Singapore at S$419 from the following official channels:
- Lazada Official store: https://www.lazada.sg/shop/ringconn-sg
- Shopee store: https://shopee.sg/search?keyword=ringconn
- Weareready.sg: https://weareready.sg/collections/ringconn
