We are in a short period of time before the massive entry of smart rings into the market. Samsung has already had time to present its ring and a host of other brands such as Oura, UltraHuman and amazfit offer their own products. In the last few weeks I have been experimenting with a ring from a young company called RingConn.
The company was founded in 2021 and managed to raise 1.3 million dollars in its crowdfunding campaign on the Indiegogo website. Ringconn located in the USA appeals to consumers looking for a monitoring device for sleep, along with other health indicators. Unlike the popular ring in the industry - Oura, RingConn does not charge monthly subscription fees for the service.
RingConn – first a measurement kit
Unlike the purchase of a smart watch, which at best comes with two straps of different sizes, so that the watch can be adjusted to the wrist, buying a smart ring requires adjustment to the size of the user's finger. Using a ring should be even more comfortable than a watch. Therefore, after ordering the ring on the company's website, RingConn first sends a ring measurement kit. These are metal rings that provide the feeling of the original ring that includes the chips inside.
The kit includes nine rings, and the company suggests wearing the desired model for a whole day, in order to understand which ring will be the most comfortable for regular use. After that, it is also necessary to choose the color of the ring: black, silver or gold. I chose the black color, when the ring itself is relatively large and a bit thick. It has a lot of presence on the finger. As someone who doesn't wear a ring regularly, it took me a while to get used to it. Still several weeks later, at certain times of the day I remove it.
RingConn – replaces the smart watch for sleep monitoring
While the ring can be used during the day and provides metrics such as number of steps, calories burned and a reminder to move, this is not the main use of it. The smart rings were created mainly for sleep monitoring and as a replacement for using the smart watch during the night. A lot of people, like me, can't sleep comfortably with a watch, so the ring is a more comfortable alternative for them. At least for me, using the ring in my sleep was comfortable.
Like smart watches, the ring automatically detects sleep at night, but it does not automatically detect drowsiness, yes there is an option to manually add your drowsiness. After sleeping, in the morning, the sleep score will appear in the app, the number of hours you slept and other data: how many hours of sleep you lacked, how long you were in bed, the efficiency of sleep and of course the division into sleep time at each stage (light sleep, deep sleep, REM and also how long you were awake).
More information you get in the app: the average heart rate last night, in the last 7 days and also HRV, an acronym for heart rate variability (a high value indicates the ability to move quickly from stress to calm, while a low value can indicate certain diseases, for example, a tendency to heart attacks) .
The ring also knows how to offer information about the oxygen saturation in the blood (SpO2) from the last night and the last week, the average body temperature and also the breathing rate (an index indicated the number of breaths a person takes per minute). Also, the ring offers running activity monitoring through the app, but this option did not work well in detecting the rapid movements in the heart rate, so it is better to rely on a smart watch for sports.
weekly report
Every week, on Monday, the application produces a weekly report on the quality of sleep, activity and stress, as well as tips for improving health. There is a score on the weekly sleep quality and how much it improved or decreased compared to the previous week, how many days I slept with a good score, how many days I reached the sleep time I needed, what hours I went to bed and also the number of steps, the calories I burned and the weekly score of my stress level.
In short, for people who want to learn more about sleep quality, the information the RingConn provides is a feast. The weekly report makes it possible to learn better from a top-down view of the state of sleep, in contrast to the daily score which provides point-by-point information. This is how you can understand if there is an upward or downward trend in the quality of sleep.
In general, the ring's app provides a lot of information, is conveniently built, but its design looks a little dated. It does not support the Hebrew language, it does support English, German, Spanish, French and more.
RingConn's app knows how to transfer information to the health apps of Google Fit and Apple Health.
Waterproof and battery for a week
The ring is waterproof (IP68 standard) and you can dive with it up to a depth of 50 meters. Its battery provides up to 7 days of work, when it comes with a carrying case (similar to those found in wireless headphones - TWS). The case is the charging device that you plug in, but it also includes a portable battery, this provides 150 days of charging, so if you take it for a trip and store the ring inside, the battery should not run out.
Price: NIS 1,040 ($280), purchase through the company's website (will not be shipped directly to Israel, requires the use of an international courier service)
Bottom line, you need to understand that a smart ring is not a replacement for a smart watch, it is an additional solution mainly for sleep monitoring and also as a fashion item. RingConn's ring offers a convenient solution for use during the day and especially at night, its price is lower, at least than some of the competitors, and it does not charge monthly usage fees.
For people who want to learn better about their sleep and along the way also get tips to improve sleep, the RingConn will be able to help them with that. What I lacked in this ring were more tips to improve the quality of sleep and also updates on my activity during the day. Also, the fact that the ring is not yet sold directly through the site to Israel, also makes it difficult to buy it.