Oura 3 vs Circular vs Ultrahuman
Recently, I published an article comparing features of Oura ring 3 and Circular ring from paper-based expectations.
According to instagrams, the Circular has already been received by the first wearable-electronics-fans and hopefully, we’ll see some reviews soon.
Now, a third competitor is coming — the Ultrahuman Ring (R1). I need to admit that I wasn’t impressed at first, as it offers little extra compared to the Oura ring (from some perspective even less). But let’s take a closer look.
Of course, Ultrahuman has a graphically lovely website, but not much helpful information can be found on it, so I tried to complete the comparison tables from the last article with the help of customer support as well.
Sizing kit
The sizing kit is a well-established piece of equipment for proper ring choosing, which you will receive in advance.
Ultrahuman will have 7 sizes, 6–12, which is one less than the current Oura and Circular (the latter plans to add two more over time).
Hardware
In terms of HW we find again a lot in common, so I add the table below and highlight only the most interesting for a newcomer, the Ultrahuman Ring.
This is clearly the material, which, as with the Oura ring, is titanium, but in their case with the bonus of a scratch-resistant Tungsten carbide coating. This should make the ring very durable with the elimination of possible scratches. They mention that you don’t have to worry about using it in the gym, for example, which I can’t quite with Oura and I rather take it off in the gym.
We worry about making the ring as tough as possible, so that you don’t have to. The ring is built with Fighter-Jet grade Titanium under an incredibly scratch resistant Tungsten Carbide coating, allowing it to easily endure everyday wear and tear.
https://www.ultrahuman.com/ring/faq/
Software
Ultrahuman, like both “existing “rings, has an app for both iOS and Android. The app is already available for download. This is mainly because the Ultrahuman Ring (R1) de facto complements the already existing product M1 — a CGM sensor, i.e. a sensor for continual monitoring of blood glucose.
This is probably Ultrahuman’s greatest advantage, it is a kind of ecosystem that will process data from two different sources:
- M1 (CGM sensor) — blood glucose
- R1 (ring) — other body metrics like HR, HRV, movement, etc.
This is the main feature that differentiates it from the competition and targets probably a pretty specific group of users.
Based on both sources Ultrahuman promises to measure so-called Metabolic Health, what exactly that means, and what the AI’s “insights” and recommendations will be, we’ll have to wait and see.
While the ring will (probably) last for years, the CGM sensor generally needs to be changed usually every 14 days. Of course, it will be possible to use the ring without the CGM monitor, but you lose a source of data and more comprehensive recommendations.
Sleep
With sleep metrics, it’s a bit difficult to identify what they actually tell us, as manufacturers use different terminology and Ultrahuman is generally not very open to sharing much info.
However, Ultrahuman seems to be not as good as others at least from the list of features perspective, missing e.g. Sp02 and several sleep metrics.
Update 04.10.2022, Sp02 would be available in future:
As a differentiation, I will mention the temperature measurement (or display) in absolute value, e.g. 37.2 °C.
Daily and Activity tracking
Let’s talk money and other features
Ultrahuman is currently priced somewhere between Oura and Circular with a price tag of 299 EUR, but since it is still a preorder, it is possible that the price will go up. No form of subscription is planned for access to the ring data. If I understand their model, for CGM data, of course, there is.
Conclusion
It looks like the smart rings are coming and it will be very interesting to see which ones catch on and which ones fall into oblivion.
My first thoughts on the R1 were like — a materially more durable copy of the Oura with less functionality (e.g. SP02 is missing). If we see it within the Ultrahuman ecosystem with the M1, i.e. CGM sensor, it may be a new dimension of data, but that has its limits especially given the need to replace CGM sensors (which of course makes the whole thing more expensive).
A much more interesting path in this vein is being led by Movano, which plans to implement non-invasive CGM (and also blood pressure measurement) directly within the ring sensors, which would take smart rings to the next level.
P.S. I’m still awaiting the Circular Ring, I should receive it on 09/2022. Its review (and comparison with the Oura ring) will then follow. Ultrahuman is promised new orders on 12/2022, but I don’t plan on getting that one. You?
If anyone is planning on getting the Oura or Circular, you can try my links below.
OURA 3–50 EUR DISCOUNT — https://fitnesator.link/oura
CIRCULAR RING 8% DISCOUNT — https://fitnesator.link/circular
RINGCONN — https://fitnesator.link/ringconn
ULTRAHUMAN — https://fitnesator.link/ultrahuman
