As technology continues to miniaturize and become more energy-efficient, smart rings have emerged as part of the larger trend of self-tracking technology. These tiny yet mighty rings represent a fusion of fashion and innovativeness, offering a range of features and functionalities, among those — health monitoring.
In light of this, we have put together a list of the best smart rings that are currently dominating the market. Every featured product comes with its own specification profile and a nomination, formulated to streamline your decision-making process.
Best smart ring: a shortlist
- Oura — best smart ring overall
- Circular — best smart ring for health tracking
- Femometer — best smart ring for women
- SLEEPON — best smart ring for sleep monitoring
- RingConn — best smart ring for fitness
How have we compiled the best smart rings?
When compiling this list of the best smart rings available on the market, we considered multiple criteria. So, should the idea of owning a smart ring ever cross your mind, the following points would come in handy:
| Features and functionality | Widely adopted metrics |
| Design and comfort | Aesthetic and fitting |
| Battery life | Long-lasting |
| Compatibility | Compatible with your smartphone's operating system |
| Water resistance | IP68, IP67, or other |
- Features and functionality. When it comes to the best smart rings, their value truly stems from the features they offer. Therefore, we sought out those that could track your sleep, measure heart rate, and provide insights, among other functions.
- Design and comfort. With design and comfort going hand in hand in creating a wearable accessory, we made an effort to include those best smart rings in our list, which strike a balance between aesthetic appeal and fit.
- Battery life. Considering that battery life significantly influences how seamlessly the smart ring blends into your daily routine, our top priority has been to include health rings that can run for several days or even up to a week on a single charge.
- Compatibility. Given the importance of compatibility, especially in terms of how effectively the smart ring integrates with your current devices, we have opted for smart rings that support the traditional smartphone operating systems — iOS and Android.
- Water resistance. For wearable technology, smart rings in particular, water resistance holds paramount value as it allows them to withstand exposure to water during your everyday activities. All the best smart rings on our list are water-resistant, with some featuring commonly used ratings like IP67 and IP68.
5 best smart rings in 2023: overview
The smart ring market combines technology and fashion, offering consumers convenient and functional accessories for modern living. Within our list, you will find the top 5 smart rings, each nominated for its specific features catering to various preferences and needs.
1. Oura — best smart ring on the market
For those who have dived into the smart ring market before, there is a high probability that you have encountered the name Oura at least once or twice. Touted as an engineering breakthrough, the Oura Ring gets our vote for the overall best smart ring on the market.
Renowned for its award-winning design, the Oura smart ring comes fully loaded with a multitude of features. These include sleep and readiness scoring, measuring blood oxygen levels, rest mode, as well as 24/7 heart rate tracking, and post-workout insight analyses.
Oura Ring’s specifications:
| Battery life* | Up to 7 days |
| Compatibility | iOS and Android |
| Water resistance | Water resistant up to 100m |
| Design | Choose between plateau or uninterrupted |
| Sizing | From US 6 to US 13 |
* — Subject to change based on the features you are using, charging practices, and other factors.
Notably, the Oura Ring's monitoring and detection capabilities have inspired independent research at institutions such as UCSF, UC San Diego, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, the US Army, and the US Navy.
You can acquire the Oura Ring in a classic plateau design, starting at $299. Prices are subject to change based on design and color preferences. With your purchase, you also opt in for Oura's membership.
2. Circular — best smart ring to monitor health
A fusion of simplicity and style, Circular's smart ring offers a host of health-tracking features, encompassing the monitoring of heart rate and breathing patterns, as well as measuring blood oxygen levels. Enhanced further by guided breathing and sleep-tracking mechanisms, this smart ring is tailored to those prioritizing healthy lifestyles.
Circular has taken an additional stride in terms of its tracking capacity by introducing Kira, an integrated intelligent assistant. Kira provides customized insights when needed, enhancing the user experience.
Circular’s specifications:
| Battery life | Up to 4 days |
| Compatibility | iOS and Android |
| Water resistance | Suitable for light water exposure |
| Design | Sleek |
| Sizing | From US 6 to US 13 |
Along with the Circular ring, you are also set to receive a portable charger and an outer shell. The outer shell is designed to be easily interchangeable to cater to customization preferences, allowing you to adapt your style for every occasion.
The Circular Ring is currently priced at $279 and offers a choice of four finishes. With the purchase of the Circular ring, you will also be given access to all future updates. This way, you will be easily able to take advantage of new features without any delay.
3. Femometer — best smart ring designed for women
Marketed as the world's first smart ring made for ovulation and menstrual tracking, the Femometer smart ring predicts fertile windows, enabling effective conception planning through accurate ovulation predictions.
By collecting your Basal Body Temperature (BBT) readings for precise fertility insights throughout the night, the Femometer smart ring has the potential to show where you are in your menstrual cycle. However, it's important to note that the effectiveness of using BBT readings for tracking fertility may vary among individual women.
Femometer Smart Ring’s specifications:
| Battery life | Up to 5 days |
| Compatibility | iOS and Android |
| Water resistance | IP68 |
| Design | Sleek |
| Sizing | From US 6 to US 8 |
Not only that but the capabilities of the Femometer smart ring extend further than just fertility tracking — it also monitors and analyzes your sleep patterns throughout each phase of your menstrual cycle.
The Femometer smart ring can be yours for the price of $149, with no compulsory subscription fees attached. The free plan on the Femometer app supports the recording and storage of data.
4. SLEEPON — best smart ring for tracking sleep
If your main priority revolves around tracking your sleep patterns and statistics, rather than being solely fixated on activity metrics, you might find the Go2sleep smart ring from SLEEPON to be the ideal choice for you.
With its heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring functions, Go2sleep goes beyond the ordinary sleep tracker. This smart ring offers minute-by-minute sleep reports that are, in fact, exportable for further analysis.
Go2sleep’s specifications:
| Battery life | Up for 2 nights |
| Compatibility | iOS and Android |
| Water resistance | IP67 |
| Design | Larger-scaled |
| Sizing | One size — 22 X 30 X 18 mm |
Beyond the listed characteristics, the smart ring from SLEEPON has a built-in ring retrieval feature. Additionally, it integrates bio-alarm clock technology, capable of awakening you during your lightest sleep phase in the morning, minimizing grogginess upon awakening.
Go2sleep is available for just $99, making it one of the most affordable smart rings on the market. It comes with a wireless charger, an additional USB cable, three silicone holders, and a user’s manual.
5. RingConn — best smart ring for fitness tracking
The final entry on our list is the RingConn — an innovative smart ring, designed for those with active lifestyles, making it an ideal addition to your upcoming training session.
RingConn, like its smart ring alternatives in our lineup, offers an extensive array of features and functionalities. It not only tracks your fitness performance, including calories and steps, but also provides sleep stage and quality analysis, monitors the stress index, and offers all-day heart rate and blood oxygen saturation tracking.
RingConn’s specifications:
| Battery life | Up to 7 days |
| Compatibility | iOS and Android |
| Water resistance | IP68 |
| Design | Squared-off |
| Sizing | From 6 to 14 — differs from US Standard |
Adding to its features, the RingConn smart ring provides you with a daily score that reflects your activity level. This score takes into account your movement, distance covered, as well as periods of inactivity, such as the time spent sitting or standing.
RingConn is currently available for the price of $279. When you buy, you will be given a choice among three finishes: moonlit silver, midnight black, and pale gold. Best of all, your RingConn smart ring comes with full app control, and you won't be subjected to any additional subscription fees.
Comparison of the best smart rings of 2023
| Brand | Price | Battery life | Design | Membership fees | Compatibility | Water-resistant |
| Oura | Starting from $299* | Up to 7 days | Plateau or uninterrupted | $5.99 a month | iOS and Android | Yes |
| Circular | $279* | Up to 4 days | Sleek | None | iOS and Android | Yes |
| Femometer | $149 | Up to 5 days | Sleek | Only for advanced insights | iOS and Android | Yes |
| SLEEPON | $99 | Up for 2 nights | Bulky | None | iOS and Android | Yes |
| RingConn | $279 | Up to 7 days | Squared-off | None | iOS and Android | Yes |
* — Prices may vary depending on factors such as color, design, and your choice to include a sizing kit.
How smart rings enhance daily productivity
Worn on your finger like traditional rings, smart rings are next-generation self-tracking devices that integrate technology into everyday life. They have the potential to enhance daily productivity by simplifying everyday tasks and keeping you connected to sensitive information, all without disrupting your routine.
These small yet powerful gadgets encompass a range of functionalities and feature packages. Offering quick access to vital information and real-time updates, these rings can monitor heart rate, sleep patterns, fitness performance, and more, depending on the technology supported by the smart ring.
Smart rings typically come in various sizes and designs, with some even offering additional customization options, including different outer shells. As for charging, methods may vary depending on the model. However, smart rings usually use wireless charging. This involves placing the ring on a charging dock or pad connected to a power source.
How does a smart ring work?
At its core, a smart ring is a wearable device embedded with a plethora of sensors, including, but not limited to, green LEDs for heart rate, red LEDs for blood oxygen, and infrared Photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors, among various others.
Offering compatibility with the widely used operating systems — iOS and Android — most smart rings establish connections via Bluetooth. This seamless connection allows them to sync effortlessly with smartphone applications, offering detailed insights into daily activity, heart rate fluctuations, and sleep patterns.
With smart rings, personalized health tracking becomes an integral part of daily life, allowing for effortless data-centric access to information that holds personal importance.
Features and benefits of smart rings
Engineered to seamlessly integrate into your daily routine, smart rings come packed with an array of features and benefits. Further below, we delve deeper into the primary benefits associated with these smart rings.
- Heart rate monitoring. Continuous heart rate monitoring can help you identify trends and understand how different activities or stressors affect your heart rate.
- Sleep monitoring. Smart rings can analyze your sleep patterns, including the stages and quality of your sleep. This allows you to take the necessary measures and make adjustments for better sleep practices.
- Activity tracking. With the functionality to count your steps, measure distances traveled, estimate calories burned, and provide activity reports, the best smart rings assist you in both tracking your progress and adopting a somewhat more active lifestyle.
- Stress levels. By continuously monitoring pressure levels during work or daily activities, smart rings have the capability to offer insights into your stress levels. They can then send alerts, prompting you to take a break, recalibrate your emotional state, and start practicing relaxation techniques.
- Personalized insights. From data analysis and behavioral patterns that can reveal your most active times of the day or the impact of certain activities on your heart rate, to predicting fertility windows, smart rings are adept at delivering personalized insights.
Smart rings for fitness tracking
Given that the finger is an ideal source for accurate heart rate data due to its sensitivity to movement and accuracy across all skin types, smart rings provide a convenient method to track your fitness and health metrics throughout the day.
Their subtle design and smooth integration with apps make smart rings serviceable companions for workouts. Typically featuring built-in sensors, these rings provide real-time insights and personalized feedback, which, in the end, may assist you in achieving your fitness goals.
Are smart rings safe to wear?
Smart rings are designed with user safety in mind and subjected to testing to meet safety standards before entering the market. However, as with any wearable technology, smart rings should be approached with caution. Users should consider allergies, proper sizing, and skin sensitivity before proceeding with a purchase.
In the grand scheme, smart rings can be safely integrated into everyday life by choosing a reputable brand, following instructions, and monitoring individual responses.
Are there different sizes available for smart rings?
Much like traditional rings, smart rings are produced in various sizes to guarantee a comfortable and secure fit for a diverse range of users. When searching for a smart ring, you will usually encounter sizing choices that align with standard ring sizes.
The best smart rings featured in our list are available in the following sizes:
| Brand | Size |
| Oura | From US 6 to US 13 |
| Circular | From US 6 to US 13 |
| Femometer | From US 6 to US 8 |
| SLEEPON | One size — 22 X 30 X 18 mm |
| RingConn | From 6 to 14 — differs from US Standard |
Keep in mind that a properly fitting smart ring should feel comfortable and secure on your finger. The correct size is essential not only for comfort but also for accurate data collection, particularly if the ring includes sensors such as heart rate monitors.
Are smart rings compatible with all devices?
Even though compatibility depends on factors such as the operating system of your smartphone, the connectivity methods used by the smart ring, and the manufacturer's design choices, smart rings typically function with both iOS and Android smartphones through Bluetooth connectivity.
Considering this, it is advisable to do some research to make sure that the smart ring you are interested in functions seamlessly with your smartphone and aligns with your expectations regarding its features.
Best smart rings — conclusion
Smart rings are emerging as versatile self-tracking devices, seamlessly integrating technology into our daily lives. From continuous activity monitoring and heart rate tracking to sleep analysis and personalized fitness insights, these intelligent health rings may provide an in-depth view of our physical health and mental well-being. For those dedicated to closely monitoring their health, smart rings offer promising companionship.
Among those on our list, one in particular stands out — the Oura Ring. And even though it may not suit every shopper due to its high price tag, it currently towers over other smart ring options.
Learn more about medicinal technology devices and their benefits
If you're considering tracking your sleep, the best sleep tracking rings are a must-have.
FAQ
How much does a smart ring cost?
Costs vary. The cost of a smart ring can vary widely based on factors such as the brand, features, materials, design, and overall functionality. Among the best smart ring options featured in our list, prices range between $99 and $299.
Are smart rings waterproof?
Most of them are. Smart rings vary in their water resistance. While some are designed for short-term submersion (IP67), highly-rated models can be swim-proof (IP68). When searching for a water-resistant smart ring, pay attention to the ratings that indicate the level of protection against water exposure. Though, it's important to keep in mind that real-world performance can differ.
Do smart rings have GPS capabilities?
Those on our list do not. Because of their compact size and limited battery capacity, smart rings generally do not incorporate GPS sensors. Instead, they often depend on the GPS of a paired smartphone for tracking their location.
Can smart rings make calls?
Most can’t. Most smart rings do not have the capability to make calls on their own, as they lack the necessary hardware and components, such as a microphone and speaker, for voice communication.
- Applied Sciences. Smart Rings vs. Smartwatches: Utilizing Motion Sensors for Gesture Recognition.
- CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing. Comparison of Oura Smart Ring Against ActiGraph Accelerometer for Measurement of Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in a Free-Living Context.
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