By Jeff Daum, Ph.D, PPA, Technology & Product Analyst

Smart rings are becoming popular with several companies offering competing products including Utrahuman, Oura, Samsung, RingConn and Amazfit.  If you are not familiar with smart rings, think about taking most of the technology you find in smart watches and shrinking it down to fit in a normal sized ring.  Amazing, right?!

Of course, you might wonder why get a smart ring if you already have a smart watch?

The short answer is convenience and wearability.  Many smart watch owners don’t like wearing the watch while they sleep or go for a swim.  Smart rings nicely fill that void.  Also, smart watches tend to need charging every day or two, while smart rings can go four to six days before needing a charge.

This review focuses on the Ultrahuman Ring AIR.  It weighs only between 2.4 and 3.6 grams (0.08 to 0.12 ounces) depending on the size you order! They recommend you wear the Ultrahuman Ring AIR® on either your index, middle or ring fingers, and it appears that many users opt to wear it on their index finger.  When you place an order they offer to ship you a free ring fitting kit to ensure you select the correct size prior to finalizing your order.

The Ultrahuman Ring AIR currently comes in five colors: Raw Titanium, Aster Black (gloss black), Matte Grey, Bionic Gold and Space Silver.  All color versions have an outer shell made from high grade Titanium reinforced with a Tungsten Carbide Carbon coating.  The inside of the ring is coated with a transparent medical-grade hypoallergenic epoxy resin covering all its electronics.

The ring itself is elegantly simple, what I would call almost a Bauhaus design.  There are no displays, design or LEDs on the outside, but you can see some of the circuitry on the inside through the epoxy resin and occasionally a LED lighting up.

The ring contains several sensors including Infrared Photoplethysmography (PPG) [now that is a mouthful: PPG is used to detect blood volume changes] sensor, a non-contact medical-grade skin temperature sensor, 6-axis motion sensors, Red LEDs (heart rate monitoring and oxygen saturation), Green LEDs (heart rate monitoring) and Infrared LEDs (heart rate monitoring).  Once you download the free Ultrahuman app these sensors communicate with your iPhone or Android automatically through Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE5).

The ring uses a permanent rechargeable LiPo battery that can last up to six days and recharges on their proprietary ring charge stand in two to three hours.

The ring is rated waterproof up to 100 meters (about 328 feet) for up to 12 hours.

Currently the rings are manufactured in India, and delivery is relatively fast from the time of the order.  The Ultrahuman Ring AIR costs US$349 including delivery.

In April of 2024 Ultrahuman announced that they are building a United States factory and it is now operational in Plano Texas.  They also announced at CES 2025 a new line of luxury Ultrahuman rings called Rare.  These will use gold or platinum instead of the titanium shell and each has a subtle design on the surface, and retail around US$2000.

The Ultrahuman Ring AIR tracks and provides real-time metrics on heart rate, HRV (heart rate recovery), skin temperature, over ten metrics on sleep stages, steps taken, distance and estimated calories, VO2 Max (maximal oxygen consumption during exercise), stress monitoring, caffeine restriction window, BPM (pulse), and Circadian rhythm.  In some regions it also provides AFiB detection.  All the metrics are available in their relatively easy to use free app.

All tracking and data (mentioned above) are provided as part of the purchase price with no monthly or subscription fees.  This sets Ultrahuman apart from many competitors who charge post-purchase subscription fees for the same types of information.

There are some third-party apps that they call PowerPlugs which can be added to Ultrahuman’s app.  Some are free like Cycle & Ovulation, Vitamin D and Smart Alarm while others charge a monthly fee like Cardio Adaptability.  Ultrahuman periodically adds both free and third-party subscription-based apps.

Here is what you get with your order

Ultrahuman has one of the best post-order communication processes I have experienced.  After acknowledging and confirming my order, I received daily progress updates and then shipping status updates.  From order acknowledgment to delivery was under a week.

The Ultrahuman Ring AIR arrives nicely protected in a box that includes the ring, a proprietary ring charging base with a USB C to C cable, a How to Charge booklet, a User Manual, a Getting Started Guide and a humorous Hello Cyborg card (a nod to a Human Being whose powers are enhanced by mechanical parts and/or computer implants).

After downloading the Ultrahuman app and charging my ring I went through the very easy pairing process.

Initial Experience

I have worn the Ultrahuman Ring AIR continuously except for one charging period, for a little more than a week at this point.  The first impression was how smooth and comfortable the extremely lightweight ring felt.  I choose to fit and wear the ring on my index finger and virtually never notice that it is there (unless I look at my hand 😊 ).  The finish and quality match high-end jewelry.

I rarely used the sleep data from my smartwatch, primarily because I do not like sleeping with it on my wrist.  Conversely, I find I check the Ultrahuman app for my prior night’s sleep data every morning.  As shown on the following sleep screen shots, there is a good bit of information available.  In many cases there is a “>” or “i” icon next to the data that leads to more details.

There are a lot of data and charts available to you in the Ultrahuman app, for example, here is the opening information, skin temperature, stress, heartbeat and relaxation views.

The ring automatically recorded my daily walks but seemed to miss most of my daily morning exercise routine.  The 35-to-40-minutes routine is a mix of stretches, isometric and weights exercises done as soon as I get out of bed.  Only one time did the app ask if I just exercised and captured related data. 

Preliminary Thoughts

I find the amount and scope of data generated by the Ultrahuman Ring AIR quite amazing and worth exploring.  I believe over time it can prove useful in refining some daily activities.

There are a couple of things I hope will be added through software updates going forward and one aesthetic suggestion.  While the Ring AIR measures Nocturnal Oxygen Saturation and VO2 Max or oxygen during intense workouts, it does not show current blood oxygen level, or if it does I was not able to find it.  My smart watch easily measures and shows accurate blood oxygen levels comparable to using a finger pulse oximeter.  Blood oxygen levels are a critical indicator of many illnesses, for example, pneumonia.

I would also like the ring’s ability to autodetect workouts to be enhanced and if that is not feasible, at least an easy way to trigger related data collection at the start of a workout session.

While several people have commented on seeing the Ring AIR on my hand and liked the look, personally I would prefer some visual texture options similar to what Ultrahuman is introducing with their Rare luxury rings.  Or possibly, some interchangeable very thin ring surface graphic design covers.  Aesthetically I think it would make the Ring AIR fit in better when one is more formally dressed.

All in all, while I am not sure I now feel like a cyborg I have been pleasantly surprised with the comfort of the Ring AIR as well as the detailed data the app provides.  Here is a link to their site https://www.ultrahuman.com/

Thanks for visiting and reading. What are your thoughts on the Ultrahuman Ring AIR? If you have a question or comment, please feel free to enter it below!