Are smart rings worth it? 5 Things to Consider Before Buying

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Wearable smart technology, despite still being a very young sector, is gradually becoming more popular and ubiquitous. Smartwatches in particular are only a few steps behind modern smartphones in terms of development: the first iPhone released in 2007, while the first Apple Watch was released in 2015. major technology brand Since then, she has tried to cram as many features as possible into their small devices. A few steps behind smartwatches, however, there’s another player in the wearables scene that’s still gaining a foothold: smart rings.

Smart rings slowly started to come into vogue with the Oura Ring Kickstarter in 2015, but it wasn’t until 2024 that big players like Samsung decided to throw their hat in. During this short-lived period multiple technology brands have examined the concept. Of course, the idea of what is essentially a magical ring that allows you to interact with your technology is fantastically appealing. In practice, however, the technology comes with a few small but essential quantifiers that keep it from having universal appeal. Before you buy the first smart ring that catches light in an aesthetically pleasing way, there are some important questions and considerations to think about.

Do you already wear smart technology regularly?

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There’s a degree of overlap between the features of smartwatches and smart rings, which unfortunately means that if you’re already used to the former, there may be no reason to invest in the latter. If you already have a smartwatch that you use a lot and that is already synced with your smartphone and other devices, buying a smart ring can be a bit of a waste.

That said, there are some smart tech ecosystems that can combine both device types. For example, Samsung’s Galaxy Ring and Galaxy Watch can recognize each other and network their functions to optimize their respective battery usage. Additionally, even if you’re not actively wearing it, it can be to your advantage to have a smart ring on standby for situations where a smart watch wouldn’t be comfortable or stylistically appropriate, such as a formal event. It all depends on what you use your wearables for and how often you typically wear them.

Would wearing a smart ring be comfortable in your daily life?

This may seem like a minor issue, but it’s actually one of the most important factors in deciding whether or not a smart ring is right for you. If you don’t already wear a ring every day, a good fit is an essential part. Both regular rings and smart rings should fit on your finger in such a way that it fits securely, but not so securely that you can’t take it off or that it hurts.

Most smart ring brands offer sizing kits that can help you get an idea of how the ring would fit on your finger on a given day, which is certainly a good starting point for research, but there are other factors to consider. For example, do you have a profession where you work a lot with your hands, especially if you wear gloves? A regular ring may fit under a pair of work gloves, but smart rings are often on the thick side, meaning they may not fit there. You might think that someone who works with their hands would be perfect for a smart ring, but in reality, the more you use your hands, the less optimal a smart ring would be for your lifestyle.

What kind of health information do you want from a smart ring?

One of the primary applications for virtually every brand of smart ring you will receive regular updates about your health. Similar to a smartwatch, a smart ring’s regular contact with your skin allows it to scan your metabolic data and send it to a paired smartphone for review. There are two primary scenarios in which you’ll likely want this data: when you’re sleeping and when you’re exercising.

Most brands of smart rings are pretty good at measuring your heart rate, skin temperature, and other various metrics while you sleep, giving you an overall sleep score in the morning. And if you have to wear a device to bed, a ring is definitely less intrusive than a watch with a screen. Additionally, smart rings can measure similar metrics while you’re in the middle of a workout. However, the precise extent of fitness data you receive will depend greatly on the brand of smart ring you wear. For example, an Oura Ring 3 can track the duration and estimated calorie burn of a run, but doesn’t tell you anything about your running pace or heart rate zones. If you’re planning on purchasing a smart ring to use as a fitness tool, you’ll want to do extensive research into how much information the ring in question provides and how much information you’re looking for.

What other features do smart rings have?

Besides health tracking, what else does a smart ring bring? For starters, compared to a smartwatch, smart rings generally have lower battery consumption. Even if you use your Smart Ring constantly for a week, the battery should remain strong until the end of that week. It’s a smaller device with simpler features, which means it won’t drain its charge as quickly. You can also optimize its charge by leaving it in the charging base when not in use, even if just for a few minutes while you get ready in the morning.

Some higher-end brands, like Samsung, have started tinkering with more advanced features in their smart rings, especially gesture controls. The latest version of the Galaxy Ring has a dual pinch gesture detection feature, which can be used to activate simple functions on a paired smartphone, such as a camera shutter. These kinds of features are cool, but outside of very specific circumstances, it’s probably more convenient to just tap your phone screen to take a photo. If you don’t buy a smart ring for the health tracking element, those kinds of advanced features may not yet be substantial enough to justify the price tag.

Would you use it enough to warrant a subscription?

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In addition to the base price tag, some smart rings like the Oura Ring also require you to pay a monthly subscription fee to take full advantage of the device’s features and services. Granted, most smart rings don’t do this, but the fact that some do is definitely worth considering, especially if you don’t plan on taking full advantage of a smart ring’s full suite of features.

If you are interested in buying a smart ring that has some sort of subscription fee attached to it, you need to be completely sure that you are going to use this thing extensively in your daily life. If you don’t use every feature you pay for, why pay for it? If you don’t like the idea of a monthly fee, you’ll definitely want to double-check any smart ring you have your eye on to make sure the features are all included in the price of admission.