Key Takeaways
- The RingConn is the most affordable smart ring available at $279 with no subscription required.
- The unique square design offers greater comfort, thinner sides and longer battery life.
- The app is simple and easy to use, but its fitness tracking features are limited and there are basic data accuracy issues.
Even though smart rings lack displays and many of the features found in smartwatches, most of them are priced in the same league as wrist-worn wearables. After all, that’s a lot of advanced technology packed into a very small package. But the high price tag could be a barrier to entry for many.
Oura has dominated the smart ring market for a long time, but it’s also the most expensive option in terms of purchase price, and requires a subscription to get the most out of all of its features. However, in recent years, other smart rings have emerged, adding competition to the field and providing more options for people looking for an alternative to a fitness watch.
RingConn is one such alternative. As of this writing, it’s the most affordable smart ring out there. Not only is it cheap to buy, but it also has no subscriptions, so you don’t have to keep paying for it after you buy the ring. But can such a low-cost smart ring compete with products from the likes of Oura, Ultrahuman, and now Samsung? After using the RingConn ring for a few weeks, I have mixed feelings.
Affordable but limited
Ring Con Smart Ring
The RingConn Smart Ring is an affordable smart ring that tracks stress, sleep, heart rate, and temperature. Its unique square-circle design makes it comfortable to wear, and its 7-day battery life means you can wear it more often.
- Square design for a comfortable fit
- Charging case included
- Easy to set up
- No subscription or membership required
- Long battery life
- The app is simple and easy to use
- Provides basic insights only
- Activity tracking is very limited
- The size seems a little large
- The data is not as accurate as other options
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Pricing, Availability and Specifications
The RingConn Ring can be purchased exclusively through the RingConn website for $279.
What I like about the RingConn Smart Ring
Unique square design
When I first saw the Ring-Con ring, I was honestly confused by its square design — rings are round, after all — but the moment I put it on my finger, I understood the methodology behind the madness.
Smart rings aren’t known for being particularly slim (Ultrahuman Air aside), so their chunkiness can rub against the finger next to the one you’re wearing it on. Over time, the ring rubbing against other fingers can become uncomfortable or irritating. RingConn’s squared-off design allows the sides of the ring to be thinner than the top and bottom, making it less noticeable when rubbing against adjacent fingers. It’s a really clever design move, allowing room for the sensors and battery while still providing a comfortable fit.
Speaking of batteries, the battery life of the RingConn smart ring is pretty good. RingConn claims 7 days on a 22mAh battery, but mine lasted 6-7 days, depending on whether I tracked my activity. When I was low on charge, I could put the ring in the charging case, which can charge it 18 times using a 500mAh battery. Until Samsung launched the Galaxy Ring, RingConn was the only one offering a charging case. It was not very convenient for me to take it on a trip, as it is bulkier than a cord and a small charger, but some people may be happy to be able to charge it on the go without a power outlet.
Being a smart ring, it obviously doesn’t have a screen, so you’ll need to pair it with the RingConn app to actually view the data. Luckily, the pairing process was easy and quick. The app is also very minimalistic and easy to navigate. It lays out the information in easily digestible chunks, without any extra stuff cluttering the platform. In the app, you can see your heart rate, sleep, stress, steps, SpO2, HRV, and period predictions. Plus, nothing in the app is behind a subscription paywall.
What I didn’t like about the RingConn Smart Ring
Low price equals basic features
Unfortunately, the RingConn Smart Ring’s low price does come with some compromises. While the app is simple and easy to use, the information it provides is very basic. There are no useful or actionable tips beyond broad, general suggestions. For example, the Wellness Balance tool, a beta feature, generally only tells you to “keep maintaining a healthy lifestyle to achieve better results.”
While you can see trends for the various things the ring measures, like sleep, stress, activity and vital signs, the app doesn’t provide any additional information beyond graphs of the numbers, so for those looking for specific guidance on improving their health and fitness, this definitely isn’t the best smart ring.
Fitness is another weak spot for the RingConn ring. It doesn’t automatically detect workouts, so if you want to record a workout, you have to open the app and start a tracking session. To make matters worse, the manual tracking feature is very disappointing. The only options you can choose are outdoor running, indoor running, outdoor cycling, and outdoor walking. And that’s it. It’s a bit strange that there’s an indoor running option but no indoor cycling tracking mode.
Finally, the RingConn data doesn’t seem to be as accurate as other devices: In terms of step counts, on most days the ring was either 100 steps more or less than the number tracked by my Garmin epix Pro Gen 2 Sapphire, but there were quite a few days when it was 1,000 or more steps less.
Heart rate readings, while not as bad as step counts, were also usually slightly off. Generally, I was seeing a difference of about 5-10 bpm compared to my Garmin watch and Garmin HRM-Fit chest strap. I also noticed that the error was a bit larger during exercise, and that it barely measured anything while walking, which was odd. A lot of health tools are based on heart rate, so having inaccurate data there has a knock-on effect on sleep insights, HRV, stress levels, etc.
Should I buy the RingConn Smart Ring?
If you’re looking for a more affordable entry point into the world of smart rings, RingConn is a good choice. Its unique design provides a more comfortable fit, and its longer battery life means you can wear the ring for longer without having to stop to charge. The app is simple and easy to use, and there’s no subscription paywall, which is a big advantage over products like Oura.
Unfortunately, the RingConn Smart Ring has some serious issues that make it hard to recommend for anyone serious about health and fitness. Data inaccuracies and a lack of helpful tips and tools make it less appealing as a tool for monitoring your health beyond general trends, and its fitness tracking features are very basic and limited, making it a poor choice for more active people or athletes. However, RingConn has released a second-generation ring that may address some of these issues, so I’m not counting the RingConn out just yet.
Affordable but limited
