The world of smart devices is ever-expanding, from televisions to phones to watches to rings. The RingConn Gen 2 Air arrived at the perfect time—just as I lost my smartwatch but still wanted to track my steps and health during a few major trips, including visits to Spain and Sweden. If an airport walk goes untracked, does it even count? Luckily, my first foray into smart rings has been fairly successful!
My first concern when considering a smart ring is how bulky it might be. They often appear heavy, with a thick band similar to a man’s wedding ring. While the RingConn Gen 2 Air does have a wider band, it weighs only 2.5 grams and measures 6.8 mm at its thickest point and 2 mm at its thinnest. It’s available in two elegant finishes: Galaxy Silver and Dune Gold. Additionally, you can customize it with one of seven different coloured protective shades to add some flair. I found that the RingConn Gen 2 Air maintained the subtle femininity I was looking for.
But what does a smart ring do? Honestly, everything a smartwatch can do that doesn’t involve a display or speaker. So you won’t be checking maps, answering calls, checking emails or getting texts. What you can do is monitor your Sp02, heart rate, sleep, respiratory rate, stress, steps and more.
“The RingConn Gen 2 Air was able to keep some of that femininity I was looking for.”
In practice, the RingConn Gen 2 Air was as accurate as any smartwatch I have owned. My steps seemed on par with what they should be. The ring definitely caught when my heart rate was above normal, even going so far as to send me a push notification letting me know something seemed off. The RingConn app tracks abnormalities, lets you know when things return to normal and allows you to mark off what the cause could be—alcohol, infection, caffeine, etc.
For me, sleep tracking is the most interesting, as I have a lot of issues with waking, tossing and turning, or not being able to fall asleep at all. Within the app, you can set sleep goals and a bedtime schedule, and it will rate you based on that. Though I found the time I fell asleep and the times I woke were accurate, how it rated my sleep was a little bit strange. One night, I woke more than seven times, but it still praised me for a good night’s sleep. I beg to differ.
Tracking things like your period is also available on the RingConn Gen 2 Air, but given the current political climate, I can’t recommend that to anyone in any country. You can also connect your data to Google Fit, if that is something you’re interested in. Overall, I was really impressed with the level of detail you could obtain after prolonged use.
“The RingConn Gen 2 Air has been comfortable, stylish and accurate, with far more in-app options than I expected from a ring.”
For instance, you can track your average stress score across a variety of graphs, with an overall, early morning, morning, and afternoon section. There is a secondary graph to mark your low-stress, normal-stress, moderate-stress and high-stress periods. Each area of monitoring has a separate section like this, including sleep, stress, activity, and vital signs, with the option to check things over by week, month or year.
Something the RingConn Gen 2 Air brings to the table is an in-app “AI Health Program.” Essentially, there is a little chat where you get your notifications in more of a conversational format, and you can ask questions like “How active am I?” it will let you know how close you are to your goal and give you some motivation. Personally, I think this is just unnecessary bloat, but some people may find it helpful.
Charging the RingConn Gen 2 Air was easy thanks to the included dock and USB cable. It took about 20 minutes to reach a 20 per cent charge, so it’s not the fastest charging device. However, the RingConn Gen 2 Air has a battery life that lasts well over a week, meaning a two-hour charge will last longer than most smartwatches. I was impressed when I went away for more than a week without needing to bring my charging dock at all.
Whether or not you like a smart ring is really whether or not it has everything you need, the only downside is the lack of notifications that a display provides. The RingConn Gen 2 Air is $199 USD, so when I can get the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 for significantly less, I kind of miss my notifications. That being said, the RingConn Gen 2 Air has been comfortable, stylish and accurate, with far more in-app options than I expected from a ring.
