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Nov 02, 2024

The best fitness rings of 2024: Expert tested and reviewed | ZDNET

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?

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Smart rings are eating smart watch's lunch right now. The wearable technology that you put around your finger can do the exact same thing as some of the top smartwatches without the bulkiness and extra screen space. If you're training for a marathon, taking exercise classes, or working out at the gym, a fitness ring can help you reach your activity goals and offer you a greater perspective on your overall wellness. It's a handy piece of tech that measures your heart rate, blood oxygen levels, body temperature, and more to provide data-driven guidance on your training regimen. Once a niche wearable, smart rings are now coming out of major tech brands like Samsung to shake up the small but growing market.

Also: Oura Ring vs. Apple Watch: Which health tracker is best?

I love using my smart ring as I exercise, whether I'm riding a bike, doing core exercise, running, or dancing, because I can record my workout heart rate and get hyper-specific data that informs my rest and recovery program. Alongside data on my activity, smart rings also advise me on when to take a break, get more rest, and pay attention to my health. They're far less bulky and discreet than a smartwatch, so I don't have to be tied to another screen as I exercise or sleep. However, I wouldn't recommend a smart ring to heavy weightlifters, climbers, or anyone who regularly uses their hands while exercising, given how the ring can pinch your skin as you lift weights or grip things.

Also: The Oura Ring 4 has four features I'm especially excited

Our pick for the best fitness ring overall is the Oura Ring 4 for its comprehensive health suite, discreet form factor, high-quality materials, and impressive battery life. With Samsung's Galaxy Ring now available, and many other companies throwing their hats in the ring (pun intended), we'll continue to test out all of the new fitness rings on the market and update this list with buying advice. Read on to find out how all the leading fitness ring options on the market compare and how to choose the best one.

The Oura Ring is one of the most popular fitness rings on the market, offering five different finishes and various sizes. The Oura Ring 4 debuted in October and boasts some substantial hardware and software upgrades from the tried and true Oura Ring 3. Oura is still the top brand for smart rings, and you can't go wrong with the Oura Ring 3, but if comfort is your main priority, the Oura Ring 4 is best for you.

That's because one of the most essential upgrades from generation to generation is Oura's smart sensing technology that allows for the raised sensor domes on the Oura Ring 3 to recede on the Oura Ring 4 -- and makes for a more continuous and accurate data capture. The Oura Ring 3 had eight signal pathways it used within the ring to gather data; the Oura Ring 4, on the other hand, upgraded that number to 18. Thanks to that signal pathway upgrade, there's more data to capture throughout the day and fewer gaps within the data.

You can record your workout heart rate on the app and view your activity score, inactive time, and burned calories. Then, the next day, you get a glance at your recovery scores to see how you bounced back from your intense workout. As it gets to know you, it can detect which activities you perform, whether that's running, walking, pickleball, or tennis, without you having to log it immediately.

As the smart ring market becomes more competitive, Oura has been rolling out new feature after feature to keep its top spot, like a meal logging feature, menstrual cycle insights, cardiovascular age (that helps you see how young or old your heart health is), and more.

The ring is known for its exceptional sleep tracking. It provides insightful data that surpasses what you would receive from a Fitbit or the best smart rings. For instance, it displays your HRV balance, temperature changes during sleep (which can be used to predict menstrual cycles), blood oxygen levels, and the duration of each sleep stage.

Also: Oura Ring 3 vs Oura Ring 4: Which is right for you?

In addition to impressive sleep tracking, the Oura Ring excels in activity tracking. It monitors your steps, calories burned (including active calories), heart rate during exercise, and training volume. One feature that separates Oura from other fitness rings is its resilience feature, which measures how well you bounce back from stress.

Another fun Oura feature that runners will love is the ability to sync your Strava data to Oura and vice versa. When you record a run on the running app, it will immediately import into the Oura app. This is a lifesaver as an avid runner who sometimes forgets to start recording on one app before my run.

One downside to note is its tendency to get scratched and scraped. Many Reddit users say that while the Oura Ring does sleep tracking well, it comes at a hefty price that may or may not be worth it to some.

Oura Ring Gen 4 specs: Sizing: 4-15 | Material: Titanium | Colors: Black, brushed silver, gold, silver, rose gold | Water resistance: Up to 328 feet | Sensors: Heart rate and heart rate variability, respiration, blood oxygen, PPG, skin temperature, 3D accelerometer for activity | Connectivity: Bluetooth Low-Energy, Airplane Mode | Battery: Up to eight days

If you don't want an Oura Ring, you should get yourself the Ultrahuman Ring Air. It is by far the runner-up in the smart ring race -- and that's no insult. Plus, it's consistently one of the top products ZDNET readers buy month after month; it even earned the number one spot in June.

As I wrote in my review of the Ultrahuman Ring Air, "If the Oura Ring is the girl next door, the Ultrahuman Ring Air is the Silicon Valley-based, Bitcoin-mining neighbor who drinks Soylent." This is the ring for fitness obsessives. The ring monitors all the good stuff: activity, sleep, and recovery. Plus, it prioritizes comfort and a sleek build that doesn't tarnish quickly or interfere with the rote tasks of your day, like carrying heavy bags, washing hands and dishes, and showering.

What's remarkable about the Ultrahuman Ring Air is the notifications you get during or after your activity. For example, I went on a run with this ring one morning, and after my workout, it notified me to delay any caffeine for around an hour to allow the adenosine I built up from my run to flush out of my system. Later in the day, it reminded me to stretch my legs to recover from my morning run and relieve tension.

Review: Ultrahuman Ring Air

You can also document your diet, while the ring's app offers AI insights into the health information behind each food you eat. Some of the data becomes excessive, but I can imagine that anyone who is all-in on optimizing their lifestyle for marathon training or some other fitness goal will find the information Ultrahuman offers useful. Plus, the app has a Discover tab with guided workouts for everything from pilates, high-intensity interval training, vinyasa yoga, and more. You can sync other workout app data, like the run you recorded on Strava, to the Ultrahuman app, which helps keep all your various activities in one place.

The battery life is on par with Oura's, as I charged both simultaneously and found that they ran out of juice within hours of each other (about six days). And unlike the Oura Ring, which seemingly scratches when in contact with abrasive material, the Ultrahuman has maintained its sheen sans. I don't have trouble recommending this ring to health-minded individuals honing their workout and recovery regimen. Plus, unlike Oura, the Ultrahuman Ring Air doesn't come with the price of a monthly subscription.

Redditors say the Ultrahuman Ring Air is on par with Oura, but the rings aren't as effective at fitness tracking as a smartwatch or chest strap. The care and drive for improvement with this ring is palpable: Upon reading user reviews on Reddit, I've noticed that Ultrahuman's founder, Mohit Kumar, is on threads interacting with users who leave reviews or ask questions about the product -- not something I've seen before.

Ultrahuman Ring Air specs: Sizing: 5-14 | Material: Titanium coated with Tungsten Carbide Carbon | Colors: Matte grey, Aster black, space silver, bionic gold | Water resistance: Up to 330 feet | Sensors: Infrared Photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, Non-contact medical-grade skin temperature sensor, 6-axis motion sensors, Red LEDs (heart rate monitoring and oxygen saturation) Green LEDs (heart rate monitoring) Infrared LEDs (heart rate monitoring) | Connectivity: Bluetooth Low-Energy | Battery: Up to six days

Let me introduce you to the newest smart ring in the game and the first smart ring released by a leading tech brand. The Galaxy Ring launched in July, and it's a wearable any Android user could get excited about.

The Galaxy Ring is similar to many of the smart rings on this list in terms of features and functions, with a few fun exceptions. Like other rings, you're getting sleep and activity tracking. The Galaxy Ring uses an AI algorithm to determine your sleep quality, patterns, and more and offers a sleep score every morning that sums up your night's sleep. There's snoring analysis, movement during sleep, sleep latency, and heart and respiratory rate tracking.

Review: Samsung Galaxy Ring

All this data is collected and stored through the Samsung Health app, which Android users can access (and Apple users... can't). This also means iPhone users can't use the Galaxy Ring with their phone unless they make the Android switch. Another benefit of having the Galaxy Ring within the Samsung ecosystem is that you can record workouts on a Samsung Galaxy smartwatch and log your sleep on the smart ring, then have all your data stored together. You can still use the ring for activity logging, too, as Samsung offers features to support activity, like energy scores, inactive alerts, and automatic workout detection.

One new feature novel to the smart ring space (and the rings on this list) is the double pinch gesture you can perform with the ring on your pointer finger. This feature snoozes alarms and snaps photos, all through the pinch of your fingers.

Galaxy Ring tech specs: Material: Titanium | Battery life: Seven days | Sizing: Five - 13 | Compatibility: Android: | Durability: 10ATM waterproof rating | Charging: Charging case

RingConn offers the best of Oura without the hefty subscription fee. The RingConn smart ring costs $279 upfront (and is currently $20 off), and that's it. The ring comes with a portable charging case that contains a 500 mAh charger, capable of charging the ring's battery for up to 150 days.

When ZDNET's Matt Miller reviewed the ring, he complimented RingConn's stress tracking features and wellness balance feature, which assesses sleep, activity, vital signs, and stress to get a more holistic picture of your health. Miller was so impressed with the suite of features that he considered switching to RingConn as his primary smart ring over the Oura Ring.

Review: RingConn Smart Ring

"I was much more impressed with the RingConn Smart Ring than I expected to be; it's great to see such compelling competition in the smart ring space," Miller said. Some users say the ring has impeccable data accuracy, but they'd like to see better activity tracking measures.

RingConn Smart Ring tech specs: Sizing: 6-14 | Material: Titanium | Colors: Silver, black, gold | Water resistance: IP68 waterproof rating | Sensors: Heart rate, blood oxygen, 3D accelerometer, temperature sensors, four PPG sensors | Connectivity: Bluetooth | Battery: Seven days

The Evie Ring offers "actionable insights" to help women understand the reasons behind their physical and emotional states. Movano claims that the ring can even "mood track." The ring can predict menstrual cycles and ovulation through its skin temperature sensors, providing an additional layer of insight into women's health. Evie's mood and symptom-tracking features are the most comprehensive I've tried out of all the smart rings I've worn.

Also: Evie Ring

The app's user interface is fun and quirky. Evie is trying to appeal to a younger female audience with its graphics, data delivery, and app language. This is by far the most stylish of all the rings I've worn. Its arrow-like design stands out against the other rings, and I've received a few compliments. This is a ring designed for young, trendy, and health-data-driven women.

In addition to its unique features, the Evie Ring offers a standard activity profile, displaying total steps taken, continuous movement stats, and calorie output. You don't get sleep, activity, or recovery scores, which is a bummer since those ratings can help you easily understand your slumber or workout. I use it to record my workouts, where it can document your heart rate, distance, step count, duration, and calories burned. However, because the battery life is shorter, certain features are closed off if the battery is too low, so you'll want to charge the ring before logging your workouts and performing spot checks.

Movano Evie Ring specs: Sizing: 5-11 | Material: Liquid metal | Colors: Silver, rose gold, gold | Water resistance: Up to 1 meter | Sensors: Heart rate, heart rate variability, SpO₂, skin temperature, and active metabolic calorie burn | Connectivity: Bluetooth | Battery: Around four days

The Oura Ring Gen 4 is our overall pick for the best fitness ring. The companion app helps you monitor your fitness with new and upgraded features that keep exercise data capture accurate and continuous, and it is especially notable for its sleep-tracking accuracy. Here is a look at the best fitness rings and how they compare in material, water resistance, price, and more.

Our goal was to provide various options based on pricing and purposes. If you're an avid swimmer or need a fitness ring with vibrating alerts, we have you covered.

*Lowest price at the time of writing. Please note that prices vary based on retailer and available promotions, sales, or discounts.

After a while, all the fitness rings can start to blur together during your search. That is why we offer our expert recommendations on finding the best fitness ring for your personal needs based on our testing.

Before you purchase a fitness ring, you should consider the following important factors.

I went hands-on with most of the fitness rings on this list to consider whether the rings I included were worth their expensive price.

Three fitness rings are on my hands right now as I write this. In my testing, I shower, cook, clean, exercise, and socialize with these rings on, and I observe how my activity impacts the data of each ring and how the rings compare to one another. Plus, as a half marathon trainer, I run four times a week and use my rings to aggregate my health data as I exercise, so you can trust that I have put these rings through the ultimate test and ran many miles with them on.

Also: How we test smart rings at ZDNET

We test these fitness rings in real-world situations, focusing on features, design and comfort, performance, battery life, and overall value. For products we recommend, we write a product spotlight review that we update periodically with new features and pricing information.

A fitness ring is also known as a smart ring. Unlike smartwatches that go on your wrist, smart rings are worn around your finger to monitor your health and activity. It uses sensors to track and store your information. Most models offer water resistance so you can wear them as you swim, while others provide alerts via vibration for alarms, activity reminders, and more through their apps.

Fitness rings are worth it for people who don't want the bulkiness of a smartwatch around their wrist as they exercise, but still want to regularly track and record activities and get a sense of their sleep data. If you are training for a marathon or other fitness activity and want to keep track of your sleep and recovery data, a fitness ring will provide you with this information as well as some daily recommendations tailored to the data it collects.

That depends on the sort of exercise you perform. A smart ring works well for running, cycling, yoga, HIIT, and other cardio-heavy activities. But for weight training, rock climbing, or any workout where the smart ring could obstruct your grip, you might want to opt for a smartwatch instead.

Like smartwatches, smart rings track your health data through the sensors embedded inside the ring. Unlike smartwatches, they are far more discreet and don't have a screen. Most of the data collected on a smart ring is viewable on its companion app, where the ring-wearer can learn insights into their sleep, stress levels, and daily activity.

That depends on what you want out of your smart fitness ring. I've tested both and can say that each ring serves different people and purposes, but their data collection methods are similar. The Oura ring is a general smart ring that works well for fitness due to its advanced features. I don't think anyone would have a problem wearing this ring. I love how many apps are compatible with Oura and how simple it is to use. For example, I can go for a run or play tennis, and I don't have to open the app and log my activities, as Oura can naturally detect my activities. However, you need to log activities on the Ultrahuman companion app.

Ultrahuman appeals to the serious fitness junkies who want to optimize their body for fitness. The data that Ultrahuman collects on my sleep is similar to Oura's data. Ultrahuman's goal isn't to appeal to everyone, unlike Oura. It's for those who are willing to optimize their day for their fitness schedule by allowing their natural adenosine to flush out before drinking a cup of coffee in the morning, logging their calories, and receiving AI-powered insights about how to avoid glucose spikes.

That really depends on if you're a watch person or a ring person. The Apple Watch lets you see all your stats on the watch itself and has features like texting and streaming music.

On the other hand, the Oura Ring is more of an ambient technology that you forget you're wearing. You have to go into the app to get your stats, and it doesn't have any fancy notifications. However, the Oura Ring will track your sleep more accurately than the Apple Watch, and it's comparable to Apple Watch's activity tracking.

Also: Oura Ring vs. Apple Watch

Fitness rings can provide reasonably accurate data on health metrics like heart rate, steps taken, and sleep patterns. However, the accuracy of each metric can vary depending on the specific device and the quality of the sensors used. It's essential to choose a fitness ring with reliable sensor technology and to keep in mind that no wearable device can provide perfect accuracy in tracking health metrics.

The fitness ring market is small, but it is growing. There aren't many other options to choose from at the moment, but here are a few other smart rings we've tested alongside the options above.

The Amazfit Helio Ring is unlike any other smart ring on this list in that it has smartwatch compatibility with Amazfit watches, so you can store all your activity and sleep data in one place. As mentioned above, some activities, like weight training, aren't ideal for smart ring monitoring, while a smartwatch is. However, a smartwatch is not the most discreet for sleep tracking, while a smart ring is. If you want the best of both worlds and to have a complete wearable ecosystem, this smart ring is for you.