Ultrahuman Ring Air: one smart ring to track them all

The wearables market has grown by leaps and bounds in the post-pandemic period. As a distinct category of devices, they’re one of the smallest and most compact. It’s a big challenge for any company going into wearables since they need to significantly invest in their engineering and software development.

The Ultrahuman Ring Air is the smart device for those who may be hesitant or a bit on the fence with it comes to fully committing to smart devices. Not to stir any debates with the smartwatch wearing camp, but the Ring Air is as unobtrusive as any wearable can get. Another value proposition is the freedom to wear a traditional watch or go watch free but stil have a wearable.

It’s available in ten sizes for that will fit a wide variety of fingers. In order to get the right size, users can determine their ring size with an available sizing kit from Ultrahuman prior to ordering.

As a wearable, getting the right size is crucial for this smart right that is made from jet-fighter grade titanium. The inner band is made from medical grade epoxy resin which houses the complex electronics containing the sensors, processor, and battery. The ring is coated with a tungsten carbide layer for added durability and scratch resistance.

Bundled with the ring is a compact magnetic charging dock that connects via USB-C to a power source. It takes around an hour and a half to two hours to fully charge the ring. In terms of battery life, the ring lasts anywhere from 4 to 6 days depending on power usage mode. A critical mode can even extend battery life further.

Using the Ultrahuman Ring Air is as easy as installing the app which is an essential component and wearing the ring. It is recommended that the ring is worn even during sleep for complete tracking. 

Inside the ring is a slight hump which contains the PPG sensor which monitors the heart rate and blood oxygen levels. Other sensors include a 6-axis sensor for motion tracking and a skin temperature sensor. 

For meaningful data analysis, the ring needs to be worn at least for two weeks. It is recommended that it is also worn daily for continuous health data analysis.

The sensors can work together to give the users their core metrics which are broken down into sleep, movement, and dynamic recovery which is an indicator of overall well-being. The Ring Air can take a snapshot of various health markers such as active hours, resting heart rate, temperature deviation, and restorative sleep among others.

The ring can suggest when is the optimal time to sleep or even the ideal time to have coffee without affecting your sleep. A weekly digest helps collect all the data and compares it with the previous week so users can monitor their progress in the areas of sleep efficiency, heart rate variability, movement, active hours etc. 

The data that the app can display can be overwhelming and may seem to blend into each other but tapping on the upper right corner of the data point displays a tooltip.

While the main Ultrahuman app with all of its robust monitoring functionality is fully subscription-free, other optional data points called PowerPlugs which give the Ring Air extra functionality can be installed. A lot of these PowerPlugs are mostly free and may be useful for other users and have specific functions like tracking menstrual cycle and ovulation for women. 

With retail price of P22,500, the Ultrahuman Ring Air belongs in the same price bracket as an upper midrange to premium smartwatch. As a premium wearable, the Ring Air is an all-in-one solution for those who want an advanced yet discreet health and sleep tracker. — Ed G. Geronia Jr.