There are plenty of tech products out there. Some are great buys offering excellent value, but others aren’t. Most fall somewhere in the middle.
Unless you have the means to buy one of everything, you have to decide if something is the right fit for you. That can be hard; the companies making them will tell you that you need one to make your life complete, people who got a lemon or just didn’t like it will say the product is garbage, and reviewers simply can’t cover everything.
So many tech products! It can help if you take a breath, a step back, and think about what you really need. We’re here to help you do just that!
Often it’s good to take a step back and see what you’re going to get inside that pretty package. Was it worth what you paid for it? Will you get enough use from it to justify the purchase? Or maybe, you should hold off and see what’s coming next.
We can’t make those decisions for you, but we can tell you what we think and maybe where you should start your decisions process.
Why buy a smart ring?
Before you go any further, you need to figure out if you even want or need a smart ring; they aren’t for everyone.
Think of a smart ring as a remote sensor for all the stuff on your smartwatch that reads your body. There is no display, so you won’t be scrolling through Instagram in the bathroom or anything like that. It’s a very basic wearable computer that can collect data and send it to an app on your phone, and not much more.
Having said that, smart rings can be very accurate. More accurate than a smartwatch and way better at things like counting steps than your phone could ever be. They’re great devices for tracking your health and fitness, but not so much when it comes to anything else.
And you know what? It’s fine if you just aren’t into the smart ring craze. I’m not; they don’t offer anything I really need that my smartwatch doesn’t give me. Plus, my watch has a screen so I can use it to see things like an incoming text. If you don’t think you’ll have a pressing need, skip it.
The Pros
As a fitness wearable, a smart ring has a lot to offer. Sometimes a device doesn’t need to do a little bit of everything to be useful.
As mentioned, smart rings can be very accurate when it comes to measuring things like heart rate or body temperature. They’re not as accurate as a certified medical device (and they aren’t advertised to be), but because they tend to fit “better” than a smartwatch, they get better readings.
Smart rings are small and light. That can be important when you’re doing some exercises. As you can imagine, it’s easier to lift weights or run five miles wearing a ring than it is while wearing a heavy watch or carrying your phone.
Smart rings don’t look “weird”. A lot of people care about the accessories they wear and are turned off by the look of a big, clunky watch. Smart rings are minimalistic and sleek. Except for that wild Casio one.
Smart rings send everything to an app on your phone. The apps are pretty good, too! That puts your health and fitness data right where you want it, and you won’t have to try and swipe, twist, or tap on a small watch screen to do anything.
The cons
Nothing is ever perfect, and you need to weigh the good against the bad before you pull out your wallet. Smart rings are no exception.
They are expensive. I’ll start here because almost everyone thinks they cost a lot. You’ll spend about the same amount of money on a smart ring as you would on another wearable, but it seems like you should be paying less because they’re so small.
They often come with a subscription. You pay for the smart ring, then you sometimes pay to get the most use out of it. Only you can decide if the monthly fees are worth it.
You can’t adjust the fit. They’re a ring and you need to carefully buy the right size. If you lose or gain a little weight, they aren’t going to fit well. If you become pregnant, they aren’t going to fit well. Your finger needs to stay the same size as it was when you measured for the right size.
They’re disposable. You can not have a smart ring serviced or repaired. They’re simple devices with a battery that should last 12-18 months before it even starts to degrade, but once they get “old,” there’s nothing you can do about it.
My verdict
I can’t call this one, but I can say what I decided and why. You need to figure out if you need (or just want) a high-tech ring to go along with the rest of your tech.
I don’t use one. I decided I didn’t need anything from the list of pros enough to justify the cost of yet another expensive device, and instead just wear my old, scratched Garmin watch. It tells me what I need to know and most everything I want to know, too.
One final thought that could be helpful: they aren’t any good at tracking your movement if you’re in a wheelchair. Most wearables aren’t, but companies are working on it. Of all the devices I’ve tested, I have to continue to recommend a Garmin watch if you want to keep track of how many “pushes” you’ve done throughout the day until Apple or Google get their software sorted out at the same level.
Take the time to see if you even need a smartwatch, and think about things like subscription fees before you decide. You’ll be happier in the long run. If you decide you do want to grab a smart ring, the Samsung Galaxy Ring is on sale right now, and you can save $100 (25%) at Amazon.
