This No-Subscription Smart Ring Shamed Me Into Changing My Unhealthy Habits

[TECH AND FINANCIAL]

The Ultrahuman Ring Air can be a good entry point for anyone curious about testing the smart ring waters, especially if you’re looking for something more subtle than a smartwatch. It’s designed for background, long-term health tracking rather than on-the-spot reads, with a lightweight design and longer battery life that makes it easier to wear 24/7 (ideal for sleep tracking). At $349 (plus $50 more for the brushed rose gold finish), it’s still an investment, but it feels like slightly less of a commitment than competitors like Oura, which lock many key insights behind a monthly subscription.

But this ring isn’t for everyone. You need to be ready to dive into the data and do a little sleuthing of your own to interpret your metrics and figure out which ones are helpful for you. Some, like Cardio Age and Sleep Score, were self-explanatory and useful at a glance, while others, like temperature tracking and stress, are harder to find or decode. Sometimes, it felt like I was doom-scrolling my own vitals, clicking on one stat only to tumble down a rabbit hole of more questions than answers. And there were definitely times when the data didn’t match reality.

All that said, I walked away feeling more mindful of my sleep, stress and even unexpected metrics like UV exposure. And honestly, the consistency of logging — even without perfect accuracy — was enough to push me toward better habits.

Better design than a smartwatch, but not quite jewelry

After ordering a smart ring, the next step is finding the right size. I thought I knew my ring size and was ready to skip ahead — but trust me, don’t. Like most smart ring makers, Ultrahuman sends a sizing kit, and it’s worth doing properly. I was between sizes, so I wore two of the included sample rings for about 48 hours to figure out the best fit. I ended up choosing the larger one so I could comfortably swap it between my middle, index and thumb — especially since my fingers tend to swell with humidity or at certain times of the month.

Battery life is surprisingly great (even in Turbo mode)

Ultrahuman claims four to six days of battery life, but I was pleasantly surprised to consistently hit the higher end, even while running it on all cylinders. The ring offers three battery modes: Turbo, Chill, and Critical, each adjusting data collection to extend battery life. I kept it in Turbo mode, which tracks the maximum amount of data, and still averaged about six days per charge. That alone made me more consistent with sleep tracking; something I usually dread with a smartwatch, since charging often ends up colliding with bedtime or peak workout time.

The charging puck is a little black ring stand similar to that of the Oura Ring. An LED signals when it’s fully charged, which takes about 3 hours. The Ultrahuman app, which is used for pairing the ring and configuring its settings, also sends reminders when the battery is getting low, which I appreciated.

Health tracking: Decoding the data maze is not for the faint of heart

The Ultrahuman Ring Air tracks just about everything you’d expect — stress, sleep, heart rate, skin temperature, VO2 max and daily activity. But it also collects data on a dozen other things you may not need. You can even layer on more insights with what Ultrahuman calls “PowerPlugs.” These are data widgets that use existing metrics (or general guidelines) to translate into actionable advice.

For example, I added the cycle and ovulation tracker, the Vitamin D (UV exposure) tracker and PowerPlugs for caffeine timing and circadian rhythm. They help figure out the best times to get sunlight, drink caffeine and schedule workouts to improve sleep and keep energy levels up. There are also specific PowerPlugs for shift workers that adjust metrics to irregular schedules, and one for pregnancy that provides week-by-week insights.

Some metrics are exclusive to Ultrahuman, which essentially translates your health data into something everyone understands: how well (or poorly) you’re aging. Healthy aging has become a major focus for wearables in general, with companies like Oura and Samsung leaning heavily into age-based stats as a way to help users understand their overall wellness.

My Polar chest strap clocked me peaking at 176 bpm, while the Ultrahuman Ring topped out at 124 bpm, missing two full heart rate zones. For indoor workouts like Pilates, weightlifting or anything that doesn’t dramatically spike heart rate, the ring won’t even register it unless you manually start a workout in the app. 

That moment really forced the question: If it’s not getting this right, what else is it getting wrong, mainly when so many other metrics, like recovery, stress and sleep, rely on accurate heart rate data running in the background?

It’s not just workouts, either. Twice during my month of testing, the ring also gave me “extra sleep credit” for time I was very much awake — just binge-watching on the couch. (Not the first wearable to make that mistake, but still.)

Bottom line: Should you buy it?

For $350, the Ultrahuman Ring Air is a solid first smart ring for most people. It’s not flawless, especially when it comes to workout tracking, but it’s a great wellness companion that can help you improve or adopt healthier habits. The lack of a subscription alone makes it one of the most accessible smart rings out there.

It’s perfect for biohackers, data nerds or anyone curious enough to geek out over their body’s inner workings. Just be ready to do a little of the homework yourself.

The ring won’t replace my smartwatch anytime soon, but I was surprised to realize how well it complements the watch. Where my watch handles live-workout tracking, the ring picks up the slack on sleep, recovery and long-term wellness.

Its strength isn’t in hyper-accurate data, but in the consistency of logging it. That consistency — and the fact that it translates the data into something tangible like age — was enough to help me spot some not-so-healthy habits and push me toward better ones. Even in its imperfections, that says a lot about what this ring can offer.