There is a very good reason why smart rings can be better overall health and wellness trackers, than smartwatches or fitness bands. It is a factor of a very different and minimal ring-like form factor, which is less in your way, than a smartwatch. More so, if your holistic health tracking includes sleep monitoring as well. Not everyone is comfortable wearing a thick, large smartwatch to bed every night. It is a product category that’s catching on, and as HT understands after testing three smart ring options available in India, from Ultrahuman, Boat and Noise. Refined sensors are adding value to their proposition.
Data suggests smart ring sales are picking up. International Data Corporation’s (IDC) latest India Monthly Wearable Device Tracker indicates that 72,000 smart rings were shipped in India in Q2 2024, with an average price of $204.6 (around ₹17,000). An upward trajectory with the May edition of the same tracker indicating 64,000 smart ring shipments in India in Q1. Ultrahuman now leads with 48.4% share. The research firm expects more affordable smart ring launches leading up to the festive season, to help momentum.
Also read:Noise Luna Ring shows a path fitness wearables should take
There are a few things to keep in mind when buying a smart ring. Mostly, design cues remain consistent, as do the array of sensors that reside within the circumference. First is sizing, which needs to be a perfect fit for your finger (cannot be too tight and mustn’t have extra leeway) because that’s how sensors will collect metrics accurately. Ideally, try a sizing kit over a period of 24-hours to, because our fingers tend to swell too at certain points of time and in differing weather. Secondly, consider the cost of health tracking ring options (don’t go too high, if you’re taking tentative steps into the space) as well as any features that may be behind a paywall requiring you to pay for a subscription as well. As a bonus, a ring frees up your choice of a watch, if you wouldn’t want to give up a conventional watch for a smartwatch. Problem solved?
Ultrahuman Ring AIR
A price tag of ₹28,499 gives this a rather serious positioning among smart rings. It isn’t short on substance, with AI insights that are actually cogent and useful, whilst having perhaps the best smartphone companion app we’ve seen for any smart ring. This may be the ideal choice for a health tracking enthusiast – the PowerPlugs are neat add-ons to add more functionality (there are some paid ones, but good free ones too) such as Vitamin D intake, when to consume caffeine and helping you align with natural circadian rhythms. On an iPhone, it can handshake with the Apple Health app (as well as a bunch of other apps).
Sleep tracking is quite accurate, with comparable data corresponding with my own manually logged observations (such as the time window and duration I woke up and remained awake the previous night). The app’s home screen gives you everything you’d want at a glance, including stress rhythm, dynamic recover, body temperature changes, sleep etc., which each opening up detailed stats and observation if you wish to do a data deep dive. The app will point you to a set of specific blood tests called Blood Vision, but I am averse to needles and generally avoid going down that path unless health changes deem it necessary.
In our tests, the Ultrahuman Ring AIR consumes around 19% battery charge every 24 hours, which opens this up for at least 5 days of usage before you must take this off for an hour and a half to charge up. Speaking of which, the cradle has a USB-C port, making your smartphone charger become relevant again. Our test ring is the Raw Titanium finish, and while it looks good, it isn’t holding up well with regular wearing – scuffs and finish inconsistencies are becoming clearer over time. I suspect it may be the same with shiny Bionic Gold and Space Silver finishes, though Matte Grey or Aster Black might hold up a bit better.
Boat Smart Ring Active
This started out with an effective market price of around ₹3,799 and that makes it the most affordable option among the troika we are detailing here. Perplexing though is a Smart Ring sizing kit that you’ve to buy separately (that’s ₹299 more). Little to complain about the ceramic and metal build, as well as a secure charging case (much inspired by true wireless earbuds). And it’s USB-C too, adding to convenience. If you own a Boat smartwatch already, you’d immediately hit a roadblock, because the Boat app (for iPhone and Android) seems to only support pairing with one device.
In comparison with Ultrahuman’s approach to more active app updates and bug fixes, Boat and Noise just don’t give their respective apps a once-over as actively. Perhaps that should change.
This smart ring does the basics rather well, with water resistance a must (how else will a smart ring survive a hand wash routine?). Heart rate, sleep tracking, step counter, activity logs, blood oxygen monitoring and an estimate of how stressed you may be at that point of time. In our direct comparison with the category benchmark that is the Ultrahuman Ring AIR, the Boat Smart Ring Active’s heart rate matched the former to within 1 point, while sleep data was within a 5% range in terms of total sleep times – though we noticed that the Smart Ring Active rarely calculated REM sleep. Quite how it may impact final stress calculations, is a slight concern. But these aren’t medical grade devices, doing enough to give you a fair idea.
The finish of this affordable ring is rather impressive. Three fairly conventional colour choices (that’s black, silver and golden) and the black that we tested held up well to regular use, drenching in hand-soap and water, as well as accidental dings with tables and laptop edges. This could just be a good fit overall if you’re interested in dabbling with a smart ring as an accessory for every day.
