The hidden benefit of wearing smart rings

The temptation to upgrade any piece of mobile technology annually is always there, as new versions and updates are introduced regularly. It’s always great to have the latest model, but it’s expensive, slightly wasteful, and becoming more unnecessary all the time to change regularly. You’re a lot stronger than I am if you can resist the siren call.

What is there to do? If you want to get off the expensive tech upgrade train, you need to buy a product that will last and take years to be genuinely superseded. What you need is a smart ring, as I think it’s the most consumer-friendly piece of wearable tech we’ve seen yet. It’s not an immediately obvious thing, but here’s why I think it’s absolutely true.

A consumer-friendly wearable

Oura Ring 4 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The smart ring — any smart ring — is consumer-friendly in just about every sense of the phrase, as it really won’t need upgrading very often, purely as a result of what it is and what you expect of it. Smart rings are based on a piece of jewelry that is commonly purchased once and worn forever. They’re inconspicuous on our fingers, go with every outfit in every situation, and never make you feel nerdy or self-conscious. No one will likely know you’ve got a smart ring unless you point it out, so there’s less of that need to show off that you have with the latest style.

By design, we’re supposed to buy a regular ring and never have to take it off unless we want to, and while more may be added to a collection, they’re not a product that’s upgraded like a piece of technology. But a smart ring is a piece of tech, so won’t it still need regular upgrades to stay relevant and working? No, not really, and this is where they start to make a lot of sense if you’d prefer to buy a product that will last and not feel like you’re missing out or being compromised should a new version arrive.

A smart ring does not have a screen or a flagship processor. You can’t play games on it, and there’s no camera to improve over time. These are the primary reasons you may consider upgrading a phone and they simply aren’t part of the equation for a smart ring. The battery life is already a week on most current smart rings, and if you charge it when you shower or get ready in the morning, you’ll never once worry about battery life anyway, so any battery capacity boost in a new model probably won’t change lives.

But new versions do come out, right?

The Oura Ring (left) and Samsung Galaxy Ring Kenn Maring / Digital Trends

The technology inside a smart ring revolves around the sensors used to measure your health. While sensor improvements may come along with each new model, there’s no question we’re at the point where the vast majority of trackers available now are as accurate as most people would need. The software and algorithms controlling them and analyzing the data can be refined, but many new software features introduced with new models reach older versions, too.

Furthermore, because what’s inside isn’t influenced so much by other companies releasing new components like chips and cameras, an annual hardware release may be redundant anyway. Smart rings are at a point where they are thin, light, long-lasting, feature-packed, reliable, and accurate enough for most people. What, outside of the design, are manufacturers going to update each year? It’s far more likely we will see biannual updates — or possibly even longer.

The Oura Ring 4 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Oura Ring 4 backs all this up. The newly released ring has an updated design that’s not better or worse than the third-generation ring; it’s just different. It’s barely noticeable on my finger and looks excellent, just like the last version. The sensors and algorithms have slightly changed and been updated, but I haven’t noticed any difference in the data it collects or the accuracy compared to my third-generation ring, which I have worn since 2021. The battery life appears to be about the same, too, and the updated app is used on both the new and the old version of the ring.

I can’t give you one primary reason to upgrade from the third-generation Oura Ring to the Oura Ring 4. Outside of you perhaps preferring the design or the finishes of the Ring 4, which is entirely subjective and does not change the way the smart ring works, you could happily stick with the ring that’s already on your finger and not miss out. What’s more, only the most eagle-eyed tech geek will ever know which model you’re wearing. Oura has waited three years to update the Oura Ring, and if you buy it, I expect you will be able to do the same.

It’s not just the Oura Ring

The RingConn Gen 2 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Not convinced yet? I’ve got one more argument Smart rings aren’t designed for the hardcore fitness addict, even the more intensive ones like the Ultrahuman Ring Air, and you probably shouldn’t choose one if you’re at the beginning of a transformative fitness journey. A smartwatch would be a far better choice if you want to increase performance or ability and observe improvements.

Instead, smart rings are lifestyle-orientated. They are excellent at monitoring sleep and general activity and are superb choices for tracking women’s health, too. These aren’t things you outgrow, and sensors are entirely capable of tracking them effectively today. If you aren’t planning to upgrade your health and fitness regime, and don’t want to track specific sports, a device upgrade to keep up won’t be necessary either. You can buy and wear a smart ring with the confidence that it will last you for years.

The Samsung Galaxy Ring Kenn Maring / Digital Trends

I’ve mainly mentioned the Oura Ring so far, but it’s the same story with the Samsung Galaxy Ring and the RingConn Gen 2. Both these smart rings have caught up with the Oura Ring in terms of design, finish, and associated apps, plus they have the same level of functionality. You could buy either one and be safe in the knowledge that any new models are unlikely to dramatically change for several years.

Keen techies will always find a reason to upgrade a smartphone or a smartwatch when a new model comes out, but due to the relatively simple nature of a smart ring, the same reasons simply aren’t there, even when you look really hard. Not only will you have fewer reasons to buy a new model when it’s released, but manufacturers won’t find many reasons to legitimately update the hardware every year either.

Smart rings look great, easily fit into your life, provide meaningful data, require very little upkeep, and are as far removed from the annual tech upgrade cycle train as you can get. It’s a win-win-win.