I've been wanting a smart ring for ages, but I've been too stingy to buy one. So of course I said yes when Ultrahuman asked me if they could send me one to test. Now, I wanted one to help me track my running and other activities better, and it actually disappointed me in that area. But it gave me something else that surprised me, and now I'm hooked on it.
In this article:
I’ve also made a video about this:
👉 Disclosure: I'm not getting paid for this article or the video. I only agreed to test the smart ring after the folks at Ultrahuman confirmed that a good review wasn’t a requirement.
So, this is my honest assessment of its pros and cons for me as a runner after having used it for a couple of months. If you use the link and discount code below to buy a ring (maybe as a Christmas present or to firm up your New Year’s resolutions?) I will get a commission.
First impressions
The process to get the right size ring on my finger was sleek and professional. Before sending you your ring, they send you a set of “fake” rings of various sizes to try on so that you can be sure that the real McCoy fits properly when it arrives.
I was spending some time on a remote island in the Philippines when the ring was getting shipped, and I wondered whether it would reach me OK. It did. And it came in a beautiful, sturdy box that matched the experience when you open a box with an Apple product inside.
A pleasant surprise
I never saw the point of tracking my sleep. I woke up in the morning, and I "knew" whether I've slept well or not. But what I didn't know was just how valuable knowing the details of a night's sleep can be.
The main reason I wanted to test the Ultrahuman Ring AIR was to see how it compares with my Garmin watch (a Forerunner 255) for tracking my runs. To my surprise, the most useful feature of the ring was that it helped me to improve my sleep and recovery between running sessions.
Recovery tracking
There are certain aspects of recovery, like your resting heart rate and heart rate variability, that can only be measured properly at night, while you sleep. And these metrics also tell you a lot about your long-term stress levels as well as your general health.
My Garmin can measure all of that, and I've tried sleeping with it, but it's just too uncomfortable and bulky and sweaty at night. So I gave up, because it was actually interfering with my sleep.
Of course, I was curious to see what the smart ring would measure while I sleep, and I was pleasantly surprised with how comfortable it is to wear in bed.
I also noticed that the ring is a lot more accurate with certain measurements than my Garmin watch.
For instance, the watch (when I did wear it to bed) gave me SATS readings (the percentage oxygen in your blood) of as low as 92%. I worked in a hospital years ago, and if a patient has a SATS reading of 92%, you would immediately stick an oxygen mask on their face. So, the watch’s readings could not have been very accurate.
The ring, on the other hand, gives me SATS readings of 98% to 99%, which is normal for people without lung conditions.
So now, for the first time, I was able to properly measure all aspects of my recovery between running sessions. And I realised that the metrics it measures are also useful for general work-life balance.
Actionable stats for better sleep
The smart ring actually improved my sleep. I hate to admit it 🙈, but the sleep tracking that I had been dissing for a long time is actually very useful.
It shows you how much time you spent in deep sleep, REM sleep, as well as light sleep. You know how you sometimes wake up and think, “Why am I so tired? I got my full eight hours of sleep!” And then you look in the Ultrahuman app at the stats that the ring kicked out, and it shows that, actually, you were in light sleep all night long, and you woke up quite a few times.
And the nice thing about that was, because I looked at it every morning as I uploaded the data, it allowed me to immediately reflect about what I did the day or the evening before that could have influenced my sleep.
So, it was easy to figure out things like, “Ah! You know what? It's because I worked until 8 p.m. on my laptop.” Or I had a big meal, or maybe alcohol, or caffeine too late in the day. Because I was reflecting on these things every morning, it brought about habit changes for me. And now I sleep better.
Is it too late for another coffee?
The second way in which the ring helps me to sleep better is its use of my sleep pattern – i.e. when I typically go to bed and when I typically wake up – to create a “caffeine window”.
So, it shows you when the best time of day is to take caffeine to help your performance, but it also shows you throughout the day on the app what beverages you can still have that your body will get rid of in time for getting a good night's sleep.
Clever smart ring stuff that I don’t even use
Rummaging around the Ultrahuman app, I found quite a few useful features that I haven’t tried yet. The ones I found most interesting are:
It tells you the best time window for light exposure to manage your circadian rhythm.
Connect it to a special patch, and it tells you how your glucose levels are changing due to things like having meals or doing exercise.
Cycling tracking.
Pregnancy tracking.
Managing jet lag (in development at the time of writing).
Tracking weight loss (in development at the time of writing).
A smart ring to track my running? Not this one
Where the smart ring disappointed me was in tracking my runs, which was my original reason for wanting to test it.
It cannot directly connect to a GPS. So, you have to take your phone with you on your runs if you want GPS tracking. I don't like taking my phone with me when I do exercise.
If you've been out and about and you’ve done some exercise, the ring does pick up that you've done an activity, and then the app will ask you if you want to add it. But I found that the activity stats it reports do not really correlate well with my Garmin stats, so I don't tend to use that.
The ring’s heart rate readings during running are definitely not accurate – I know that from years of tracking my heart rate during runs. This is a beta function at the moment, so it should improve.
💡There’s a workaround where you can automatically import your runs from Garmin into the smart ring’s app, so you can see everything in one place. But if you wanted to track your runs properly with this ring, that's not going to happen for now.
What about step counting?
However, the ring is quite useful if the only exercise you’re into is walking. In fact, it is better at step counting than my Garmin watch. Sometimes, when I drive along a bumpy road or ride a motorbike, the Garmin counts steps that I know for sure I’m not taking! The smart ring isn’t fooled that easily.
My verdict on the Ultrahuman ring
✅ I would 100% recommend the ring if you're interested in health tracking as well as exercise recovery tracking and want to improve your sleep, your stress levels, and just your general health. It helped me to do all of these.
Activity tracking:
👎 If you want to track your runs, it's not the best option out there. My trusty Garmin still does that better for me.
👍 If you're interested in walking only; the Ultrahuman ring can be very useful.
Lastly, one more thing that I like about the Ultrahuman ring is that they don't have a subscription fee like some other smart ring companies. So, you buy the ring, and that's it – the tech that comes with it is free.
👉 Use this link to claim a discount on the Ultrahuman ring.
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About the Author
Maryke Louw is a chartered physiotherapist with more than 20 years' experience and a Master’s Degree in Sports Injury Management. Follow her on LinkedIn and ResearchGate.
