RingConn Smart Ring review: a solid alternative to the Oura smart ring

RingConn smart ring: One minute review

The smart ring market is becoming crowded, and as more companies bring out devices to compete with the current best smart rings, we’ve noticed a drop in price. But there are issues with cheap smart rings, including poor quality and secretive manufacturing practices – which is the reason I’ve been somewhat wary about any new smart rings entering the race, including the RingConn Smart Ring. 

However, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by this model. While you couldn’t exactly class it as “cheap”, it comes in at significantly less than rivals. The big question is: how does it compare to the best smart ring out right now, the Oura (Gen 3)?

Well, having spent some time with it, the RingConn Smart Ring isn’t going to knock the Oura off the top spot; its design isn’t as refined and the app isn’t as fun to use. But it’s not far off. The RingConn Smart Ring is good value, offering a comfortable design, minimal scratching, solid data collection and an app that can be busy and slow to sync, but which ultimately gets the job done. 

So although RingConn’s smart ring isn’t the best smart ring I’ve reviewed, it certainly isn’t another device to add to the growing pile of disappointing and low-quality smart rings. It’s also refreshing to find a solid alternative to the Oura (Gen 3) and Ultrahuman Ring Air. 

RingConn smart ring: Specifications

RingConn smart ring: Price and availability

• No subscription model
• Costs $279 (which works out at about £219 and AU$418)

The RingConn Smart Ring usually costs $279 (about £219 and AU$418). However, it can often be found discounted on the official RingConn website. At the time of writing, it’s available for $259. 

At this price, it’s one of the cheapest smart rings on the market – especially among the models I’ve tested. Sure, you can find lower-quality smart rings at even better prices, but I wouldn’t be confident recommending them.

For comparison, the Ultrahuman Ring Air costs $349 / £280 / about AU$537 and the Circular Ring Slim comes in at $264 (about £209 / AU$405). The Oura (Gen 3) commands a $299 (about £230 / AU$420) price, but you’ll also pay a subscription price thereafter, which is $5.99 (about £4.50 / AU$8) per month. 

All things considered, the RingConn Smart Ring – along with the Ultrahuman Ring Air –  is my top option if you don’t like the idea of committing to a subscription plan. 

• Value score: 4.5/5

RingConn Smart Ring review: Design

• Unique squared-off design
• Super comfortable
• Less scratching than rivals

On first glance of the RingConn Smart Ring, you’ll notice its slightly unusual design; notably its subtle squared-off finish. While this shape might immediately put some people off, after initial apprehension, I’ve grown to love it and prefer it over other smart rings I’ve reviewed. 

Looks aside, it’s definitely up there with the Ultrahuman Ring Air as the most comfortable smart ring I’ve tested. Small and light, it measures 7.8mm wide and 2.6mm thick and weighs 3-5g, depending on the size you opt for. I’ve made previous comments in my smart ring reviews that anyone who thinks a tech-filled ring is indistinguishable from regular jewelery is in for a rude awakening; but as far as smart rings go, RingConn’s smart ring is fairly unobtrusive. 

Mine was a perfect fit; I simply requested my standard ring size, which is also the size I opted to get the Ultrahuman Ring Air and Circular Ring Slim models. However, you can ensure you get the correct size by requesting the free sizing kit. 

The RingConn Smart Ring stands out from rivals for a number of reasons, but most notably because it didn’t become quite as scratched during testing, despite wearing it most days (I did remove it when I was weightlifting). If you’ve read my Ultrahuman Ring Air review and Circular Ring Slim review, you’ll know that both devices suffered a series of scratches over only a few weeks of wear. Then again, I did test the matte black version of these smart rings, and the silver version of the RingConn Smart Ring, which could be the reason for the difference. 

The RingConn smart ring is made from titanium with a PVD coating and it arrives in three colors: black, silver and gold. It’s IP68 waterproof, which means you can wear it in the shower. That rating technically suggests it could handle a quick swim, too; but, personally, I wouldn’t want to risk it. 

•  Design score: 4/5 

RingConn Smart Ring review: Features

• An information-packed app
• As much data as rivals
• No detailed workout tracking

The RingConn Smart Ring is packed with sensors, and its app uses them to collect all sorts of data about your body. The main categories tracked in the app are sleep, activity, stress, and heart rate. 

You can dig down further into each of these categories to discover more. For example, click into the sleep section from the app’s main screen to see a sleep score out of 100, total time asleep, sleep efficiency, sleep stages, heart rate and SpO2 throughout the night, skin temperature, and respiratory rate. You’ll find similar in-depth metrics in each of the key categories. 

This might seem like a lot of data, but it’s standard compared to other high-end smart rings. This information is also presented in colorful charts and graphs, which can appear cluttered at first glance, but are easy to understand, especially if you’re used to deciphering the metrics that fitness trackers and smartwatches present. 

In a recent update, RingConn has added some badges to its app, which reward you for hitting certain goals – such as your optimal sleep time or wearing the ring for 10 days in a row. While I’m not really someone who is motivated by such badges and gaming elements, I know many people are, so it’s good that some fun has been added to the experience. 

As with all smart rings, don’t expect a workout-tracking feature – at least not one that works like it would with a fitness tracker or smartwatch with a screen. But what you see in the app is an activity category, which displays active calories, steps, time standing, activity intensity (which is judged by your heart rate) and an activity summary. The RingConn Smart Ring can sync with Apple Health and, in doing so, add fitness data from other sources that you can manually tag. But it isn’t like a fitness tracker that can measure a specific workout activity, like the way you’d select a run or pilates on your Apple Watch. 

•  Features score: 3.5/5 

RingConn Smart Ring review: Performance

• Excellent 7-day battery
• Minor syncing issues
• Great data collection

I found the RingConn smart ring collected a huge amount of data and, importantly, performed well compared to my Apple Watch Series 8 in terms of stress and steps, and offering similar metrics to the Ultrahuman Ring Air. It’s also great at spot readings, with real-time options for measuring your heart rate and SpO2.

I found the RingConn smart ring to be particularly accurate for sleep tracking, especially naps throughout the day. I had the flu during testing, so I was able to see how it coped with a lot of rest. It did tell me I wasn’t stressed several times when I was ill, and advised me to work out hard on those days; but I think this points to a broader problem with interpreting stress data.

The only downside to the performance was I had to wait a few minutes for the ring to sync to the app. This is hardly a deal-breaker, but it was noticeable. 

However, I enjoyed using the RingConn app overall. At times, I found the layout a bit busy – especially when I wanted to check my sleep score or steps for the day quickly. Nevertheless, it was great to have the option to dive into the data and discover more. 

The app has three main tabs. Insights is where all of the important data lives. Trends lets you see how the data looks over time, divided into weekly and yearly reports and breakdowns by categories, such as sleep and stress. The final tab is Me, which contains settings, battery information, and FAQs.

I liked a couple of elements of the RingConn app, including the fact that it tells you how much battery the smart ring has remaining, both as a percentage and as a number of days to expect. 

I also thought some of the visualizations worked well, such as the Wellness Balance feature. This visualization, at the top of the Insights page, displays Vital Signs, Sleep, Activity, and Stress Management as a radar chart. It's easy to see where you’re lacking each day. 

Overall, the app isn’t as elegant or stylish as that of Oura, but it’s way easier to use than many others – especially that of Circular, which I found unnecessarily confusing. 

One way the RingConn Smart Ring knocks the competition out of the water is with its fantastic week-long battery. RingConn promises you’ll get 5-7 days, but I managed just under 7. This puts it at an advantage over Oura (Gen 3), which is between 5-6 days, and the Ultrahuman Ring Air, which offers just under 6 days. It’s also a vast improvement over the Circular Ring Slim, which comes in at 2 days.

In addition, the smart ring comes with a 500mAh portable USB-C charging case that can top up your ring in about an hour. Offering the ability to charge your ring’s battery 18 times, it delivers more than 150 days of battery life. Not to mention, it’s also very cute and ideal for keeping your ring safe.

•  Performance score: 4/5 

RingConn Smart Ring review: Scorecard

RingConn Smart Ring review: Should I buy?

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How I tested

I tested the RingConn Smart Ring for seven weeks with an iPhone 14 Pro. I wore it while I was working remotely from a co-working space and coffee shops, working out at the gym, swimming, while walking and travelling to the countryside for some hikes. This meant I had a great chance to test the ring out day to day, but also to see how it performed outside of my regular routine. 

I’ve been reviewing wearable tech for more than 12 years, with a focus on health and fitness devices.