Beyonce may as well have crooned about watching your health when she asked you to “put a ring on it” given the recent rise of the ring form factor for health, activity, and sleep tracking, and Samsung’s recently teased Galaxy Ring just added a shot in the arm for the nascent segment. Fresh from the success of the M1 glucose tracker, the folks at Ultrahuman have for us the Ring Air, a smart ring that coaches you through the day based on your heart rate, how well you sleep, and how much activity you get in through the day, and after a month of constant use, I’ve come away rather impressed.
No, it wasn’t just the titanium build with one of four finishes — a glossy Aster Black, a Matte Grey, a shiny Bionic Gold, and a subtle Space Silver — or the lightweight design that’s comfortable enough to wear throughout the day and night, or, for that matter, waterproof enough to accompany you in the shower or while swimming. As with most players in the space, Ultrahuman sends you a sizing kit in advance before shipping the perfect fit. Pairing and setup were easy, and once charged, the ring easily goes past 4 days of use. On the other hand, the ring is mildly chunky looking, so it sits better on male hands while still remaining far more discreet than a smartwatch. Many have expressed interest purely because it allows them to wear their fancier wristwatches while still getting health data.
What really impressed me was the wealth of data and insights the Ring Air (along with its companion app) was able to generate, which typically starts fifteen days after you start wearing the ring. Initially, you only get to see three scores — your movement index and sleep index (which correlate to how much you’ve moved and how well you’ve slept), and the recovery score, which indicates how strenuous your activities should be for the day. Sleep tracking, for instance, tracks time in bed, total sleep, average heart rate, and variability, allowing you to correlate your score with how well you slept — plus guidance on how you can improve your score by sleeping at the right time window, cutting off stimulants too close to bedtime, etc.
Movement tracking is fairly accurate compared to an Apple Watch Ultra, and given its form factor, it stays on my person a lot longer than the Ultra... though I do wish it had some amount of automatic fitness tracking (only manual selection). It’s pricey, but the Ring Air actively encourages you to strive for a better lifestyle, and it may be worth it for that alone for some.
Rating: 8/10
Price: INR 28,499