Smart Rings: An Emerging Fitness Tracking Trend

In this digital age where most of us spend our time in front of computer screens, fitness is our priority. And, the goodness of this digital age is that we now have different gadgets helping us as assistants to become fit and active.

Smartwatches and fitness trackers are getting older. Now Smart rings are an emerging trend. Smart rings, when slipped on your fingers, do everything that a smartwatch or a fitness tracker does for you.

Smart Rings measure your heart rate, blood pressure, and calories. They assist you in your day-to-day activities and help you become fit and active throughout the day.

They are compact, discreet, and stylish, which especially suits the millennials who love to wear rings.

Yes, they are a revolutionary invention of this digital age.

Think, a tiny ring is equipped with advanced health monitoring features.

So, in this article, I have chosen to discuss this tiny but “very useful” smart invention.

Let’s talk about it…

What are Smart Rings?

Smart ring is a new invention in the lineage of wearable technology. It looks like a simple metal ring but is integrated with health and activity monitoring sensors.

It can track your daily activities like heart rate, steps, sleep patterns, and calories burned. You can analyze a smart ring’s activities on the companion mobile app.

So simple.

They work just like a smartwatch or a fitness band however they are way more compact than other wearable devices. Just slip in the smart ring on your finger, install the app on your mobile, and connect via Bluetooth and it will start tracking your activity.

However, they don’t have displays like other wearable devices, and you need a mobile to install its companion app and use it.

BUT, this tiny invention is becoming very popular among the youth and millennials of the US because it not only works as a fitness tracker but enhances your look and style.

Why are Smart Rings Becoming Popular?

There are many reasons why smart rings are getting popular.

Like,

• Minimalist and stylish design: Smart rings are a combination of minimalist and stylish looks. They are discreet and elegant and blend with most of your outfits. This feature makes it the first choice of millennials and youth.
• Health Monitoring Features: When it comes to smartwatches, they are way bigger and bulky and some of us don’t like this bulky look. Here comes the stylish and compact look of a smart ring. A ring, capable of all health monitoring features of a smartwatch.
• Analyze multiple health metrics: A common smart ring can track heart rate, steps, sleep quality, and stress levels.
• Convenient and durable: It’s actually very convenient and durable. As it does not have any screen, it can be used roughly compared to a smartwatch and fitness band. It tracks your activity throughout the day even if you forget that you have worn this tiny thing.

History and Evolution of Wearable Fitness Devices

Now that you have a handful of information on smart rings, let’s discuss the history and evolution of wearable devices and the journey from bulky pedometers to smart rings.

So, as I have told you, there were pedometers that we can say were the first generation of smart wearables.

But actually the smart wearable device was invented in 1961 by Edward Thorp and Claude Shannon and it was a computer.

With time, smart wearable devices transformed from pedometers to smartwatches and fitness trackers.

And now we are witness to smart rings, equipped with various health and fitness tracking features.

The difference between a smart ring and other smart wearable devices is – others are noticeable whereas smart rings look like a normal ring and enhance your fashion statement.

Smart Ring Key Features

Now let’s talk about the features of a smart ring. Well, different smart rings have different features but the most common are,

• Heart rate monitoring: Smart rings are equipped with optical heart rate sensors that continuously track your heartbeats and give you better insights into your heart health. They provide both resting heart rate and active heart rate monitoring.
• Sleep tracker: Smart rings come with advanced sleep tracking capabilities to track your sleep quality and create space to improve your sleep. This analyses your light sleep, deep sleep, and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) to gather and display a detailed analysis of your sleep.
• Activity and step tracking: Activity tracking sensors track your daily step count, calories burned, and other activity measures to give you a detailed picture of your activity.
• Body Temperature: Some smart rings can measure your body temperature and if the temperature fluctuates, it informs you beforehand.
• Stress monitoring: Smart rings are also capable of monitoring your stress levels and suggest some exercises to reduce spikes in stress throughout the day. Exercises such as deep breathing and meditation can help you reduce stress immediately.

Smart Ring Use Cases

There are multiple use cases for smart rings for fitness, games, and daily activities. It is useful for millennials who want to become fit and healthy and improve their lifestyle.

Fitness enthusiasts who want to track their fitness goals can use the smart ring. It will guide them throughout.

It is also useful to office goers. It tracks their daily activities and calories burned and gives an insight to improve their lifestyle from a sitting work to an active person.

As smart rings are capable of tracking heart rate, body temperature, and other health measurements, you can use them to detect early illness.

But the best use of smart rings is for sleep improvement. Well, smart watches also track sleep but they are bulky, and sleeping wearing them can be annoying for one.

Here smart rings work better than other smart wearable devices. It is very comfortable to sleep wearing a ring.

So, I think smart rings are better for sleep tracking.

Smart Ring Vs. Other Smart Wearables

Let’s compare smart rings with different smart wearable devices.

First off,

Smart Ring Vs. Smartwatch

Smart Ring Vs. Fitness Bands

Smart Ring Vs. Health Apps

Best Smart Rings in 2024

There are several smart rings launched in recent days. However, not all are good enough.

Choosing one that satisfies your needs actually takes time and research. Well, Don’t worry, here are some popular and feature-rich smart rings. You can choose one of them from here.

If you want a premium ring with advanced health and sleep monitoring then Oura Ring is my first recommendation.

Otherwise, You can go with the others listed above.

How to Choose the Best Smart Ring

As I have mentioned above, choosing a smart ring from this saturated market is actually time-consuming. However, If you want to do your own research, then you should see these features on a smart ring.

• Compatibility with other devices and apps: The smart ring should be compatible with your mobile phone so that you can install the companion app on it.
• Basic features: The smart ring should have at least features for health and activity monitoring. Such as heart rate, step counter, body temperature, body composition, sleep tracking, and other common ones.
• Battery life: Battery life should be long enough so that you don’t need to charge it frequently. An ideal smart ring has 5-7 days of battery life.
• Your budget: Budget is the most important thing as it allows you to choose the best fit for you. So, keep the budget in your mind and then research the smart rings.

Smart Rings Pros and Cons

Future of Smart Rings

So, what is the future of smart rings?

Well, to my knowledge smart rings are the future of smart wearable devices. They are going to take over other bulky smart wearable devices because of their ease of use and stylish look.

One more thing makes them quite popular. We all use smartphones all day. And when smart rings work with smartphones with the help of a companion app then there is no need to carry bulky wearables.

Right.

This thought of youth and millennials makes it quite popular these days.

FAQs

Conclusion

If you want ot enhance your style statement while monitoring your health and activity then smart rings are a better option than smartwatches or fitness bands.

If you are a millennial and living a fast lifestyle then you must go for a smart ring. This tiny device will actually help you monitor your health and activity and suggest you live a healthy lifestyle.

There are several options available in the market. You can choose one according to your needs and budget. But whatever you choose, it will not disappoint you. Maybe soon, smart rings will replace smartwatches and fitness bands.

Read also,

• Best Wearable Tech for Fitness Millennials
• Alpha Gear Bravo Series 2 Review and First Impression