When it comes to smart tech, fitness trackers are one of the more practical and convenient options available, and now smart rings aim to take that a step further. You've likely heard of smartwatches, but now you can get those convenient features packaged in a small, wearable ring.
From keeping track of heart rate and activity while running to monitoring your health as you sleep, smart rings are a relatively simple addition to your everyday life that can really help you keep on top of your health.
The best smart rings at a glance:
• Best overall: Oura Ring Gen3 - View on Oura
• Best for sleep tracking: Go2sleep - View on SleepOn
• Best for smart pay: Mclear RingPay - View on Amazon
Even if keeping statistics isn't your type of thing, many smart rings can be used for contactless payment, meaning you won't be stuck awkwardly rummaging around for your wallet. Regardless of your tastes, a smart ring is bound to have something that appeals to you.
To help you reach the best choice possible, we've selected some of our favourite smart rings and considered their strengths and weaknesses, including their weight, material, and affordability.
The best smart rings in 2024:
All prices are correct at the time of writing. Prices, stock and deals are subject to change without notice.
Best overall
ouraring.com
The Oura Ring aims to provide the most accurate results possible, and it certainly manages to achieve that. By placing the sensors on the palm side of your finger, it can monitor your heart rate effortlessly. The Oura Ring is a great choice for those into their fitness, especially runners, as a correctly sized one should stay in place well, and the companion app is great for breaking down all the data.
The specs of the ring are quite impressive as well. It's relatively lightweight, and the titanium build means it is highly durable too. The battery life is lengthy, so you don't have to worry about it running out constantly. Best of all, it's water-resistant and can handle being submerged.
Pros
- Highly accurate
- Lightweight
- Water-resistant
Cons
- Slightly bulky
Best for fitness tracking
healf.com
For fitness enthusiasts, we suggest the Ultrahuman Ring AIR. With its companion app, you can keep tabs on all sorts of activity data. If you prefer to get your exercise through swimming, it's water-resistant. It can even track the calories you burn. The data doesn't stop when you finish your activity; the Ring AIR is able to give you a better understanding of how your recovery goes post-workout.
It's not all just tracking fitness and diets though. The Ring AIR is capable of suggesting your caffeine intake, helping track your menstruation cycle, and even noting your REM during sleep. While it excels as a fitness tracker, we would be remiss to not acknowledge its versatility.
Pros
- Detailed tracking data
- Useful for keeping an eye on calories
- Very water-resistant
Cons
- Limited size options
Best for smart pay
If fancy data tracking and monitoring is more than you need, and instead you just want a more convenient and practical smart ring, then RingPay is perfect for you. Wearing this allows you to make payments contactless with just the ring, removing the need for carrying your card around on days out. If you want to leave your wallet or purse behind when you go out to a fancy restaurant, this is ideal, especially since it looks so sleek and stylish. It's also available in a wide range of sizes.
It's a shame it's only available in two colours, but white and black will go with just about any outfit. Plus, we think the build itself more than makes up for that, seeing as it is water-resistant, hypoallergenic, and scratch-resistant.
Pros
- Brilliant value
- Sleek design
- Scratch-resistant
Cons
- No health tracking features
4.
Go2sleep
Best for sleep tracking
shop.sleepon.us
For a smart ring that focuses mostly on monitoring your sleep activity, you'll want to opt for the Go2sleep. With this nifty little device, you can track your blood oxygen levels, sleep stages, heart rate and more, giving you a clear picture of the quality of your sleep. The app is detailed and easy to use, making the whole process super convenient.
The best aspect of this smart ring is the price, being significantly more affordable than most other competitors. Of course, that's mostly due to the fact it's mainly intended just for tracking sleep and less for out and about during the day. We're not massive fans of the visual design, but we appreciate that it focuses on function over fashion.
Pros
- Very easy to use
- Varied range of data to track
- Surprisingly comfortable
Cons
- Not the prettiest
Best budget-friendly smart ring
Smart rings can be quite pricey, but his one from ArcX manages to stay budget-friendly while still being very useful. The main draw here is that helps you control other Bluetooth devices hands-free, so you can adjust your music mid-workout without reaching for your phone. If you're picky about your music, you'll definitely appreciate the way this ring streamlines things.
We also want to praise the ArcX smart ring for being fully functional even when worn with gloves. This means you can wear it during a frosty morning jog or any winter outing and not have to choose between an unreliable device or cold hands.
Pros
- Fantastic value
- Ideal for pairing with music devices
- Can be worn with gloves
Cons
- Is not particularly stylish
Buying Advice
Budget - As you've no doubt seen, smart rings are not the most affordable piece of kit out there. For the most part, they're more of a luxury alternative to smartwatches and other fitness trackers. That said, you can bring the cost down by focusing on more limited picks, such as rings that only track sleep data.
Tech savviness - Without clear buttons on the outside, smart rings might seem a bit confusing to some of us. Keep an eye on the design of any companion app and make sure you choose a ring that isn't overly complicated for you.
Type of tracking - As we mentioned above, some rings focus on tracking certain types of data. Before you make a purchase, consider what you really want to track, whether it's fitness, sleep health, or something else, and look into which smart ring does it best.
FAQs
Is a smart ring worth it?
A smart ring is definitely worth it if you don't already own a smartwatch and want to embrace sleek smart tech. Being able to make payments without digging into your wallet or through your phone is super convenient. Thanks to the smaller and less obtrusive design, you may even find them to be preferable to smartwatches, especially if you plan on tracking your sleep activity.
How to tell your ring size?
Let's face it, none of us can say our ring size off the top of our heads. Luckily, it's not too hard to quickly measure it yourself. Simply cut a thin strip of paper and wrap it around your ring finger. Where it first overlaps and meets, make a mark. Then, measure that from the start of the paper, and you have your finger diameter, which corresponds with a letter grading to reflect your size.
Kyle Purves is a Commercial Content Writer for What’s The Best, with an avid interest in all things gaming and tech.
They’re well-versed in reviewing a variety of tech products, with a soft spot for speakers and earphones. They’re also no stranger to hunting down the best savings, always wanting to get the best deal possible.
Outside of work, they can often be found playing through an RPG, listening to Japanese noise rock, or trying to catch up with their ever-expanding list of shows and anime to watch. If possible, they try to play Dungeons and Dragons a couple of times a week, but getting six adults to be free at the same time is easier said than done.
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