RingConn Smart Ring vs Oura 3 vs Circular vs Ultrahuman
Recently, I published two articles comparing the features of Oura ring 3 and Circular ring and the same with Ultrahuman ring. Everything from paper-based expectations.
RingConn Smart Ring is a new smart ring that monitors and evaluates your health metrics. I find it interesting what direction the segment of these smart wearable accessories is heading, how it is growing, and what countries are active in it. After the Finnish established brand Oura, others are joining quite quickly, the French Circular Ring, the Indian Ultrahuman Ring, and now the Chinese RingConn… The cards may be shuffled next year by the American Movano Ring.
I am currently an Oura Gen 3 owner, Circular and Ultrahuman are still “on the way”. So I can still only compare paper assumptions.
RingConn was founded in 2021, but apparently, they use the research and development (R&D) of its founder, Prof. Guoxing Wang, since 2010. The entire project is currently on the Indiegogo platform, with the concept and prototype phases complete and production of the finished rings now set to take place.
Sizing kit
A sizing kit is a piece of standard equipment for the right choice of the ring size, which you will receive in advance.
RingConn has 9 sizes (6–14), which makes him the current winner in this discipline.
Hardware
In terms of HW we find they have a lot in common again, so I add the updated table below and highlighted only what is worth highlighting for RingConn.
The sensor equipment is pretty standard, i.e. de facto the same, at least on paper. RingConn says, however, that their R&D team has managed to optimize the PPG module (sensors using light to measure HR/SP02) so that they have reduced their power consumption. As a result, the RingConn is supposed to last 7 days while supporting multiple measurements throughout the day (more in the SW part below).
RingConn is betting heavily on this competitive advantage, as can be seen in the prospectus — e.g. on Indiegogo, where you can even find samples of scientific papers co-authored by the project founder, such as this one — Low-Power High-Sensitivity Photoplethysmography Sensor for Wearable Health Monitoring System.
Other HW parameters are similar to the Oura ring, there is no significant difference in the form of the button or vibration (Circular) or the extremely durable material (Ultrahuman R1).
Worth mentioning this time is the charger.
Ringconn has a portable charging case that can charge the ring up to 18 times, which is almost an off-grid solution :)
Speaking of charging and batteries, one thing I didn't realize — Oura’s battery capacity varies by size. This seems unfair to users of small-size rings because smaller battery capacity means shorter battery life. RingConn has the same capacity across sizes.
Software
Ringconn is following the trend and is supposed to have apps for both iOS and Android. It should be added that the current version is still BETA and we will probably see the final one in early 2023.
However, the current version of the app looks very clear, at first glance subjectively better than for example Circular and Ultrahuman. I think the inspiration from the Oura app is evident here.
Again, when interpreting the available sources, I see different terminology of manufacturers, so I tried to aggregate the available information into the following sub-areas.
Sleep
From the available reviews, I like the data processing in the app very much, the data is clear, allows comparison with the general population (e.g. in sleep stages), and also allows a drill-down into greater detail not known with Oura (e.g. the SP02 nighttime progression graph).
It can be said that there is not much difference from Oura in terms of basic sleep metrics, the basics being the determination (or estimation) of sleep stages, sleep duration, efficiency, SP02, and HRV. Temperature, as with Ultrahuman, should be shown in absolute value, not just a deviation from baseline as it is with Oura.
Daily and Activity tracking
In daily tracking, RingConn sees an advantage compared with Oura. With the more economical PPG sensors, RingConn should allow daily monitoring 24/7 — of HRV, SP02, and temperature. This is probably followed by the Stress Index, which I expect to be calculated primarily from more frequent HR tracking.
Oura ring, on the other hand, goes further in the form of AAD (Automatic Activity Detection) and menstrual cycle tracking.
Let’s talk money and other features
And now the most important thing, where Ringconn currently dominates, is price. It is currently available for €144 with no subscription required. Product shipments are expected to take place in February 2023.
Conclusion
It’s clear where RingConn company got its inspiration and who it targets most. This is, of course, extremely evident just by the fact that he added his take on the Oura ring comparison to the initial feed on Indiegogo:
It is not possible to evaluate the accuracy of the measurements and the user experience at this time, but at least the start of the RingConn is very good. I must also praise the communication (especially the quality and speed) of the customer service center, which is primarily on the Facebook group they have set up.
I think it has a chance to succeed especially with the combination:
- Low price and no subscription model,
- temperature, HRV, and Stress Index - 24/7,
- good battery life, and an interesting charging case.
If anyone is planning to purchase any of the rings, you can try my links below, which will help me in some cases. Thanks. But please note that only Oura is a certain purchase for now. Circular has moved production and is still rather not shipping, Ultrahuman and RingConn should ship in 2023.
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
UPDATE: I have been contacted by Ringconn very soon after publishing this article and they corrected some of the technical details (battery capacity, HR notification-yes, 3D siting kit-yes) I need to say, that this active way of communication is very appreciated and rare. Looking forward to testing RingConn properly!
