What Is A Smart Ring For?
The easiest way to describe the primary utility of a smart ring is that it’s a smartwatch without a screen and that focuses on health. It’s a silly way to put it, but most of them focus on being health and fitness trackers in the form of a ring. They get rid of the notifications and apps and all the other things that might distract from what they really are.
Virtually all interaction with the smart ring is done through its companion mobile app and that’s where you’ll be able to track the data it’s actually picking up.
So why get a smart ring instead of a smartwatch, right? The answer is that smart rings last longer, and are several times more comfortable to wear to sleep, so they’re perfect for around-the-clock health monitoring — especially sleep tracking.
What Features Do Smart Rings Come With?
Smart rings come with a wide array of features related to health and fitness and that’s what you can be certain that pretty much any smart ring will guarantee.
For instance, there are basic metrics that can be monitored like your heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, heart rate variability, and various sleep-related metrics. Depending on the smart ring that you get though, you might be able to keep track of your stress levels, skin temperature, and even ECG.
On top of that, you can find some smart rings that are NFC-enabled, which brings the major perk of contactless payments. However, the major options with this tech focus on payments and not on health. If the Galaxy Ring brought support for Samsung Pay or Google Wallet, that would be a huge win for the soon-to-be newcomer.
What Designs Do Smart Rings Come In?
Smart rings all come in, you guessed it, ring shapes. There aren’t really any that deviate significantly from being metallic-looking rings. It’s part of what makes them sort of hard to tell apart from one another when someone is wearing one.
Oura has the Heritage-style ring, which has a plateau on one side — I think it looks really good. But they also have the Horizon style as well, which is a simple circular ring, like almost every other option. Amazfit’s Helio Ring has dots all over it, so that might make it a bit more unique, but it is still a circular ring.
Most of these brands offer multiple colors, such as silver, gold, and black. Most use a titanium alloy build and will have a high degree of weather resistance because it’s a major weakness for something on your fingers 24/7 not to.
What Are Some Of The Major Brand Options Available Right Now?
Right now, there are several smart ring brands that you can choose from. We know that Samsung is coming to join the fray soon, but if you want to buy one at this very moment, there are several great options to choose from, including:
