If you're looking for a smart ring, there's a lot to like about the Ultrahuman Ring Air.
Smart rings, the final frontier of smart wearables? Don’t count on mankind’s ingenuity or creativeness to stop there. But smart rings are indeed gaining more popularity as a fitness tracker than, say, a smart watch. For one, they have a longer battery lifespan than the most popular smart watch today – the Apple Watch. They are also a lot more compact and discreet, allowing you to wear one with, say, a dress watch at formal events. That said, these wearables are not new and have in fact been around for a while now, as my fellow editor Zachary noted in his RingConn review (read it here).
Then there’s the Ultrahuman Ring Air smart ring, which I’ve been trying out for a while now courtesy of distributor Convergent and is the highlight of my review here. Ultrahuman is relatively new to the market, launching its first Ultrahuman Ring back in 2022 – unlike the OG Oura which has been around since 2015. Right out of the box the Ring Air is everything you’d expect from a modern smart ring in terms of functionality – it offers sleep, recovery, and activity tracking. These metrics are then analysed to provide insights and tips through a smartphone app. It’s also priced at S$499, which includes a “lifetime subscription” that gives you access to your data and insights. Oura on the other hand, charges US$6/mth.
The TL;DR version:
The Ultrahuman Ring Air has an understated design, is tough thanks to its titanium construction with an added tungsten carbide coating and comfortable to wear even when sleeping.
If you’re looking for a smart ring with a powerful companion app that is always adding new features and has great sleep tracking features, the Ring Air could be it.
Note: The Ultrahuman Ring Air smart ring can be purchased from Convergent’s online stores at Lazada and Shopee.
It's quite unbelievable how many sensors you can squeeze inside such a small device.
When distributor Convergent opened the opportunity for me to review the Ring Air, I was a little apprehensive to be honest. I was never a “ring” type of person; never worn one in the name of fashion. I’m active in cycling but have been happy to monitor my statistics (heart rate, cadence, and so on) via my Apple Watch and my Garmin Edge 1040 computer. Would I be comfortable wearing a smart ring?
Well, I’ve worn the Ultrahuman Ring Air (in Aster Black) for a couple of months now and I’m pleased to say that I’ve been delighted by how it offers an easy way to not only track my health but sleep patterns too. The latter part was key for me as I have sleep apnea, so the sleep tracking feature was a big deal for me. Sure, my Apple Watch could do that too but wearing it to sleep was always uncomfortable for me. The smart ring on the other hand, seems to work better for me at least.
So light yet still noticeable
I "do".
Looks wise, the Ring Air is noticeable on the finger, even if understated, at 2.5mm thick. Its robust titanium construction with an added tungsten carbide coating to enhance its resistance against lifestyle activities made it almost fleetingly light too – at just 3g – and I only really noticed the ring was ever on my finger because of its thickness. It’s also surprisingly smooth and comfortable to wear, despite the many sensors packed around the inside.
Speaking of sensors, there's an infrared PPG (photoplethysmography) sensor, a non-contact medical-grade skin temperature sensor, a six-axis motion sensor, and coloured LEDs for heart rate monitoring and blood oxygen saturation. It also has an IPX8 water resistance rating, so it’s okay to wear it in the shower or when swimming.
The app has tons of features that not only help to monitor your well-being but also help improve on your fitness levels
Unlike a smart watch that has its own screen, the Ring Air requires it to be sychronised with either an iOS or Android smartphone via the Ultrahuman app. It’s really the app where all the magic tracking happens, keeping tab on three main scores: movement index, sleep index and recovery score. The first two are for fitness and sleep respectively and they inform the recovery score. This then tells you how hard – or not – you pushed yourself that day.
At first, the Ultrahuman app seems complex to navigate but it becomes intuitive for me once I got used to the detailed explanations and colour-coded metrics for easy interpretation. The app also compiles a weekly report that highlights my progress and areas that need improvements. Fair warning though, the app has a lot of data to take in and while stat junkies will love it, others might find it overwhelming.
For movement tracking, the Ring Air logs steps, exercise, and estimates cardiovascular fitness and blood oxygen levels. The ring encourages regular movement throughout the day, prompting activity after periods of inactivity. I’ve heard from early Ultrahuman users who found the workout tracking feature to be lacking in choices, but the app today can’t be further from it – there are tons of workouts and ready-made sessions including posture correction yoga, marathon training and even sleep stories. You can now even customise your own workout and daily targets, which were not available at launch.
Without a doubt, sleep tracking is the Ultrahuman Ring Air's strongest feature.
Sleep tracking is where the Ultrahuman Ring Air truly excels for me. It closely matched my actual sleep patterns, breaking down stages of sleep and showing heart rate variability and even my skin temperature. The app also allows me to log my feelings and offers suggestions based on that input along with my circadian rhythm and recovery indicators like heart rate drop – even reminding me to stop drinking coffee towards the end of the day.
The One Ring
I kept hearing ethereal LOTR music while holding the (smart) ring.
I’m a big fan of the Ultrahuman Ring Air now. The smart ring in Asther Black (glossy black) looks elegant and I find the reminders useful, especially for tracking my sleep quality. It won’t replace my Apple Watch, which I use to catch the time and answer messages quickly. But it’s perfect as a complementary smart device that I can use to monitor my well-being. There is also the choice of Raw Titanium, Matte Grey, Bionic Gold and Space Silver if black is not up to your taste.
The battery charger is compact and does not take up much space. Here's a size comparison with the Apple Watch charger.
Battery life is decent and lasted between 4-6 days for me consistently. It also varies depending on how often you track your workouts with the smart ring. Charging is straightforward with the included charging dock, and while it’s not a charging pod like the RingConn’s, I much prefer the smaller and unobtrusive design of the Ring Air’s charger – it is also more convenient to bag along when travelling.
Need some in-depth stress management assist? The Ultrahuman Ring Air has your back.
Perhaps what impressed me most is how Ultrahuman has made updates to the app progressively to enhance the Ring Air’s functionality. Stress Rhythm, which was only added just a couple of months ago, is a great example. Stress tracking features are already available in other wearables, but Ultrahuman’s is a first-of-its-kind approach to personalised stress management where it works by correlating your stress patterns with your unique circadian rhythm. Ultrahuman is really impressive in its constant stream of new features, and it is exciting updates like this that makes the Ring Air’s S$499 more than your money’s worth.
All in all, if you’re looking for a smart ring with a powerful companion app that never stays the same and has great sleep tracking features, the Ultrahuman Ring Air might just be that “precious”.
The Ultrahuman Ring Air smart ring retails for S$499 and can be purchased from Convergent’s (Ultrahuman’s distributor in Singapore) online stores at Lazada and Shopee as well as authorised retailers.
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