Good rings are the brand new youngsters on the block. These compact and discreet alternate options to wrist-worn gadgets had been invented round 15 years in the past, however it was solely the discharge of the Oura ring in 2015 that introduced this innovation into the highlight. Since then, Oura has been an unquestionable chief within the sensible ring trade. Nonetheless, this may occasionally not final lengthy — its reign is threatened by the rise of the Ultrahuman Ring AIR.
Touted as “the world’s smallest sensible ring,” this compact health tracker is gaining some critical reputation amongst athletes and common people alike. At $349, it is usually price-matching the Oura Ring. However is it value investing in?
The Ultrahuman Ring AIR measures a spread of metrics associated to your coronary heart fee, physique temperature, sleep, stress and motion, supplying you with detailed insights into your sleeping patterns and bodily restoration. It’s also compact, accessible in a number of dimension and shade choices, and might last as long as six days on a single cost.
Furthermore, the Ultrahuman Ring AIR might be linked to wearable pores and skin sensors that monitor your blood glucose in actual time — and that’s one thing now we have not seen earlier than. Based mostly on specs alone, this neat sensible ring might be one of many greatest health trackers available on the market.
Ultrahuman Ring AIR assessment
Ultrahuman Ring AIR: Design
- Extremely-light and cozy to put on
- Trendy and discreet design to go well with a variety of outfits
- Susceptible to scratches on sharp surfaces
Key specs
Show: No
Width: 0.32 in (8.1 mm)
Thickness (varies with dimension): 0.1-0.11 in (2.452.8 mm)
Weight (varies with dimension): 0.08-0.12 oz (2.4–3.6 g)
Sizes: 10 (5 to 14)
Colours: Uncooked Titanium, Aster Black, Matte Grey, Bionic Gold, House Silver
End: Titanium and tungsten carbide carbon
GPS: No
Compass: No
Altimeter: No
Water resistance: As much as 100 meters
App compatibility: Android, iOS
Battery life: As much as 6 days
Guarantee: 1-year, restricted
The Ultrahuman Ring AIR boldly claims to be “the world’s most comfy and compact sensible ring” — and there could be some fact to it. Weighing simply 0.08 to 0.12 ounces (2.4 to three.6 grams), relying on the ring dimension, it’s surprisingly gentle and simple on the finger, and its slim design makes it really feel barely much less clunky than different sensible rings we tried on. We additionally favored that our Ring AIR didn’t appear to catch on hair or garments, and its exceptionally clean end made it simple to scrub.
The Ultrahuman Ring AIR could also be gentle, however it doesn’t really feel fragile or “plasticky” — and that’s not a straightforward feat to tug off. This sensible ring is shelled with fighter jet-grade titanium and bolstered with a tungsten carbide carbon coating on the internal aspect, making it comparatively resilient to break. It isn’t invincible, although. The Ultrahuman Ring AIR should accumulate a couple of scratches, particularly if it sits on the finger 24/7.
The model doesn’t suggest carrying it whereas lifting heavy weights or coping with sharp objects. Regardless that we adopted this steering, we nonetheless managed to scratch our testing unit a couple of instances — whereas holding a glass bottle, for instance. Nonetheless, we might not think about it a deal-breaker. Any hand accent is inherently extra uncovered to wear-and-tear injury than a wrist-worn watch. If something, a couple of minor scuffs added some character to our Ultrahuman Ring AIR.
This health tracker is obtainable in a spread of colours, from traditional matte black to gold and glossy silver, and for a payment, you’ll be able to even spruce it up with a personalised engraving. Our testing unit got here in Bionic Gold — and it actually grew on us. The sensible ring was trendy, elegant and discreet sufficient to go well with a variety of outfits. We additionally favored that the Ultrahuman Ring AIR was accessible in a superb vary of ring sizes.
Ultrahuman Ring AIR: Options
- Detailed assessments of sleep and bodily restoration
- Helpful, actionable ideas and customized recommendation
- Optionally available blood glucose monitoring (sensors offered individually)
The Ultrahuman Ring Air contains a sensor for physique temperature, a six-axis movement sensor for monitoring motion, and a PPG sensor that measures coronary heart fee, coronary heart fee variability and blood oxygen saturation by detecting adjustments in blood quantity underneath the pores and skin. Based mostly on these information factors, the Ultrahuman Ring AIR then calculates metrics equivalent to sleep length, sleep levels, resting coronary heart fee and circadian rhythm. It’ll additionally present customized recommendation on how greatest to enhance your vitality ranges and bodily restoration.
There is no such thing as a display screen on the ring, so putting in the Ultrahuman app is important for viewing stats and receiving notifications. It’s maybe probably the most data-heavy well being apps now we have seen, however freshmen mustn’t worry it. Each metric is defined intimately, numbers are simple to trace, and all items of recommendation are offered in a digestible and actionable method. The Ultrahuman app can also be a one-stop store for ring software program updates, FAQs, contacting customer support and different useful options. The cherry on prime? No subscription is required.
Apparently, the Ultrahuman Ring AIR might be linked to the Ultrahuman M1 — a pores and skin patch with sensors that measure blood glucose ranges in actual time. When used collectively, these gadgets can present insights into your metabolic well being and provide customized food plan recommendation. This was a giant plus level for us. Tailored diet teaching is a uncommon function in health trackers, however it might make a giant distinction to your well-being and train efficiency. The one difficulty is the value. One M1 patch solely lasts two weeks on the pores and skin, and it prices roughly $150.
Ultrahuman Ring AIR: Efficiency
- Glorious sleep-tracking options
- Poor coronary heart fee readings throughout intense train
- App connectivity might be patchy
Efficiency-wise, the Ultrahuman Ring AIR is a bit uneven — so let’s begin with the positives. First, the battery life. This sensible ring can last as long as six days on a single cost, and it costs rapidly, too — it takes solely two to a few hours to hit 100% in your battery.
Subsequent, sleep monitoring options. The Ultrahuman Ring AIR provides heaps of insights into your sleep and bodily restoration, going above and past the metrics you’ll find in most health trackers today — and it’s fairly correct, too. Our sensible ring was almost spot on with detecting after we went to sleep and after we awakened, and its assessments of our sleep high quality and general vitality ranges at all times appeared to hit the mark.
We discovered the customized notifications to be significantly useful. We discovered rather a lot about our circadian rhythm, optimum train scheduling, and even when it’s the greatest time within the day to ditch espresso or bask within the sunshine. All in all, the Ultrahuman Ring AIR might be among the finest sleep trackers now we have ever examined.
We additionally favored its sturdiness. We wore the Ultrahuman Ring AIR virtually continuous throughout our three-month testing interval, and it didn’t chip or change form. We even took it with us on a week-long journey to the Mediterranean, exposing it to scorching temperatures, salty sea water and heaps of sweat from climbing the mountains — and it by no means shut off or lagged. An actual trooper.
Nonetheless, there are a number of main downsides to the Ultrahuman Ring AIR. First, its exercise monitoring options are fairly restricted. It solely provides a handful of sports activities modes, with coronary heart fee and exercise length being the one metrics measured (albeit that appears to be bettering with every replace).
We additionally discovered that the center fee readings on our Ultrahuman Ring AIR had been fairly unreliable throughout high-intensity train. We in contrast the readings obtained with our ring to the information collected by a chest-strap coronary heart fee monitor, each worn throughout the identical exercise, and seen that the ring persistently underestimated our coronary heart fee values throughout intense train. On the plus aspect, our Ultrahuman Ring AIR was fairly exact with coronary heart fee measurements at relaxation.
We had been additionally underwhelmed by the app’s connectivity. There have been instances after we struggled to sync the ring information or when the information switch appeared to lag. In all equity, refreshing the app a number of instances usually did the trick, however such patchy connectivity might be annoying nonetheless.
Ultrahuman Ring AIR: Person evaluations
The Ultrahuman Ring AIR is rated at 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon, with 71% of customers giving it a full 5 stars. Constructive evaluations tended to reward its skin-friendly design and detailed monitoring options, and many shoppers talked about the subscription-free mannequin as a large perk. As one consumer mentioned: “The Ultrahuman Ring AIR could be very comfy when in comparison with the Oura 3 ring, and its ring sizes higher match my fingers. I used to be additionally very impressed with the app. If you happen to evaluate it to the WHOOP band 4.0, the Ultrahuman Ring AIR is extra geared in direction of optimistic reinforcement slightly than spanking you for dangerous behaviors.”
Unfavourable evaluations usually cited inaccurate monitoring options and capricious battery life. As one consumer commented: “I bought this ring to trace my sleep and see the place I might enhance. In that respect, it has executed a superb job. Nonetheless, it’s sorely missing within the motion detection division. For instance, the step counter is wildly inaccurate. I stroll for 7 miles and it solely data 3,000 steps (for comparability, my telephone recorded 14,000).”
Must you purchase the Ultrahuman Ring AIR?
✅ Purchase it if: You need a wonderful sleep and restoration tracker designed for the information junkies of the health world. The Ultrahuman Ring AIR is trendy, ultra-light and cozy to put on, and it supplies heaps of helpful recommendation on boosting your vitality ranges and general well-being.
❌ Don’t purchase it if: You might be in search of one thing that may step up your train efficiency. The Ultrahuman Ring AIR comes with restricted fitness-tracking options, and its coronary heart sensor will not be solely correct throughout high-intensity exercises.
If Ultrahuman Ring AIR isn’t for you
The Fitbit Cost 5 is a superb different to the Ultrahuman Ring AIR. This health tracker is gentle, compact and full of superior health-tracking options. At roughly $159, it additionally prices lower than half the value of the Ring AIR.
The Amazfit Stability is one other smartwatch that may present a wealth of helpful information in your sleep, stress and post-exercise restoration. Characteristic-wise, it is a little more superior than the Fitbit Cost 5, which is why it instructions a better value — the Amazfit Stability prices round $230.
However in the event you fairly like the concept of a screen-free health tracker, take a look at the Whoop 4.0. This health band is extra fitness- and performance-oriented than the Ultrahuman Ring AIR, and it’s cheaper by round $100. Nonetheless, its app requires a subscription that can set you again $30 every month.
How we examined
We spent over three months testing the Ultrahuman Ring AIR, its design, options, connectivity, sturdiness, battery life and ease of use. We wore it through the day, whereas sleeping, and when mountain climbing, swimming and doing cardio-heavy exercises. In keeping with the model’s suggestions, we didn’t put on it when lifting weights or dealing with heavy and sharp objects. Lastly, we checked the accuracy of our Ultrahuman Ring AIR by evaluating its coronary heart fee measurements with the information we obtained utilizing a chest-strap coronary heart fee monitor.
