Ultrahuman Ring Air Review: Is This $350 Smart Ring Worth It?

I have noticed that smart rings are becoming a sleek alternative to bulkier wearables, offering subtle, stylish health tracking for those who don’t want a more bulky device on their wrist. Some reasons why people avoid smart rings include style (they don’t like how they look), or they don’t want a distracting screen on their wrist with notifications that constantly interrupt you when you’re trying to focus on work or find your zen.

One of the latest contenders in the smart ring space is the Ultrahuman Ring Air. It can track everything from sleep to stress in a lightweight, subscription-free package. But does the hardware and app combination deliver data and insights in an actionable manner, making it worth the $349 (or $314 with code TAK10) price tag?

Well, after a month of wearing it, I’m ready to share what it’s really like. This review is less about tech specs and more about the practical, day-to-day experience—so you’ll get a clear idea of what owning one feels like in real life.

About Ultrahuman

Founded in 2020, and headquartered in Bangalore, India, Ultrahuman has very quickly established itself as one of the big players in the health and wellness space with its health tracking platform. The company focuses on products that help users better understand their body’s data to improve overall health and performance.

The Ultrahuman Ring Air got its name for being the world’s lightest sleep-tracking wearable, but they also have another platform called Ultrahuman M1, that uses continuous glucose monitoring to give real-time feedback on how your diet and activities impact your glucose levels.

When paired, the Ring Air and M1 provide a more detailed picture of your metabolic health, combining glucose data with body, movement, and sleep data to offer deep correlations that can help users make smarter lifestyle choices.

Key specifications of the Ultrahuman Ring Air

• Weight: 2.4g to 3.6g, depending on size
• Materials: Titanium with Tungsten Carbide Carbon coating
• Sensors: Infrared Photoplethysmography PPG sensor, skin temperature sensor, motion sensors, heart rate, and oxygen saturation
• Battery life: 4-5 days (though up to 6 is possible)
• Waterproofing: Up to 100m
• Price: $349 USD from ultrahuman.com, with no subscription required

Why would someone want a smart ring?

I think this is an important place to start, because you may be researching this ring for the wrong reasons, or alternatively the right ones! Confirmation bias is a wonderful thing when purchasing expensive gadgets like this.

Smart rings offer a unique alternative to traditional fitness devices like GPS running watches by focusing on discreet, all-day health tracking without the bulk. Here’s why someone might choose a smart ring over a watch:

• Lightweight & Discreet: Unlike a watch, a smart ring is small, lightweight, and practically unnoticeable during the day. This makes it perfect for people who want to track their health 24/7 without the feeling of wearing a larger, bulkier device; especially when sleeping or going about daily activities.
• Subtle Aesthetic: If you prefer a more low-key look, smart rings blend seamlessly with your style. You get the health-tracking benefits without the gadget-y appearance of a smartwatch. I personally love wearing my Garmin Forerunner 965 because it tells people “I’m a runner” 🙂
• Comfort for 24/7 Wear: Smart rings are designed to be worn continuously, even during sleep, and track things like heart rate, sleep stages, and stress without any discomfort. They won’t interfere with your day-to-day routine the way a watch might.
• Battery Life: Despite their small size, smart rings often have impressive battery life, lasting several days between charges. This is great for anyone who doesn’t want the hassle of frequent charging that some smartwatches require – I’m looking at you Apple.

However, the trade-off is that smart rings lack advanced workout features like built-in GPS or detailed real-time stats for running and exercise. They’re more focused on overall wellness and recovery, making them ideal for people who want general health insights rather than performance metrics for things like runs, gym workouts, and cycling efforts.

What it’s like wearing in the day to day

It’s worth using the sizing and styling kit during your order process so that you can see what the materials look like in person, and more importantly get the perfect fit for the finger you intend to use the Ring Air on because a good fit determines how accurate tracking is.

The Ultrahuman Ring Air is extremely lightweight and comfortable, barely noticeable after a few minutes. With its matte black finish and premium design, it feels more like a traditional ring than a fitness tracker. Unlike bulky smartwatches, you can wear it more comfortably 24/7 without it getting in the way, making it ideal for continuous health tracking, including throughout the night whilst you sleep.

If you follow my YouTube channel, then you’ll have likely seen me wearing it all the time, even whilst running – I wanted to do this, in order to compare some key data points to my Garmin Forerunner 965 running watch.

I get roughly 4-5 days between charges, which is in line with other premium smart rings. If you ever get worried when checking the app only to find there hasn’t been any data syncs for a while, don’t worry, your data isn’t lost, it’s just sitting on your Ring, waiting to be synced.

When the battery runs low, it enters a low-power mode, pausing syncs to your phone until you recharge in order to help save power for tracking and reduce the chances of data tracking black holes.

Charging is very easy on the wireless dock that comes with the ring, and it takes roughly 90 mins to fully charge from 0% to 100%. The ring gets warm during charging but cools down quickly after you put it back on.

How Accurate is the health data compared with a Garmin?

The Ultrahuman Ring Air has lots of sensors to track heart rate, sleep stages, heart rate variability (HRV), temperature, and stress levels. The data collected is robust and you can get lost in the App for ages, looking at all of the insights gathered – it really is fantastic in that respect – much better usability than Apple Health app and possibly even better than Garmin Connect in terms of layout and wealth of data shown

I noticed some users have noted that sleep tracking can be inconsistent, when it comes to estimating sleep duration, however I’ve noticed it to be similar to my Garmin in that respect.

For example, here are how last night’s data compares with one another:

• Sleep time – Ring Air: 8hrs 30min | Garmin Forerunner 965: 8hrs 47min
  • Deep sleep time – Ring Air: 1hr 36min | Garmin Forerunner 965: 2hrs 3min
  • REM sleep time – Ring Air: 1hr 36min | Garmin Forerunner 965: 1hr 49min
• Average heart rate – Ring Air: 51bpm | Garmin Forerunner 965: 47bpm
• Overnight HRV – Ring Air: 49-57ms | Garmin Forerunner 965: 50ms

The Ring Air also gives me information on my temperature throughout the night, and when I hit my lowest heart rate – which is an indicator of when the most restorative sleep begins – Garmin doesn’t provide this.

The Ring Air app goes on and on in terms of the information and insights into all this data, proving to be much more attainable than Garmin when it comes to sleep health tracking and what to do in order to get a better night sleep, and a more alert waking routine.

The data might be different to other devices, but it still provides useful relative insights, like identifying patterns that affect recovery. For heart rate and HRV, the ring performs solidly during day-to-day activities, though accuracy can drop off during intense workouts or activities with rapid movements but that’s not what it’s designed for.

How does It hold up in active situations?

While the ring tracks basic activity and heart rate, it isn’t built for serious workout tracking like a dedicated fitness watch. Heart rate accuracy can drop during more intense workouts, and the ring may struggle to capture movement-heavy activities like weightlifting or high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

Also, if you do lift a lot of weights, you can expect scratches on the outside over time. I have a nightly dumbbell strength routine which I started off wearing my ring for for the first few days, but it was just uncomfortable – so I now take my ring off when lifting weights, the same way I do with my wedding ring.

My ring has remained relatively scratch free over this past month even with those bouts of weight sessions so while durability is very good, if you were to lift weights with metal handles a lot, I can see that exterior scratching up somewhat – but scratches don’t bother me as long as the product still works – which it would.

On the plus side, the 100m waterproof means you can wear it swimming or in the shower, so it’s tough enough to handle everyday activities without worry that you’ll stop it functioning.

How it compares to a fitness watch

The Ultrahuman Ring Air performs best when it comes to subtle, 24/7 wellness tracking – it’s not the best workout tracker. If you’re looking for detailed, real-time stats on workouts, heart rate zones, or GPS tracking for running, you’ll find a fitness or running watch like a Garmin or Apple Watch to be much better suited to your needs.

Where the ring wins is in its discreetness and ability to provide actionable insights on sleep, stress, and recovery without having to wear something bulky on your wrist.

The App is intuitive and useful

The Ultrahuman app does a great job of turning raw data into actionable insights. It tracks everything from heart rate variability to how your daily habits (like caffeine consumption or activity) affect your recovery.

The PowerPlugs feature is an interesting addition, offering extra tracking like AFib detection and Vitamin D monitoring.

Overall, the app is user-friendly, enjoyable to browse, and it’s refreshing to get all these features without a subscription – a major plus compared to competitors like Whoop and Oura.

What’s good

• Lightweight and comfortable: At just 2.4g, you’ll barely notice it’s there. It’s designed for 24/7 wear, including sleep, making it far less intrusive than a bulky fitness watch.
• No subscription required: Unlike competitors like the Oura Ring, the Ultrahuman Ring Air doesn’t require an ongoing subscription, making it a more budget-friendly option in the long term.
• Actionable health insights: The app does an excellent job of turning data into practical recommendations, from managing caffeine intake to suggesting when to rest. The usability and depth of information, especially regarding sleep health, are impressive and intuitive.
• Good battery life: With a 4-5 day battery life, it’s convenient for continuous use without constant recharging. The wireless charger also works smoothly, and charging takes about 90 minutes.
• Discreet design: Perfect for people who prefer to avoid flashy or bulky wearables. It blends in like a regular ring, with no distractions from notifications or screens.

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What’s not so good

• Sleep tracking accuracy: While useful for identifying trends, the sleep tracking can be a bit inconsistent in terms of precise sleep duration compared to other devices, like my Garmin running watch.
• Prone to scratches: Despite its titanium construction, the matte black finish shows some wear over time, especially during activities like weightlifting. It’s not ideal if you’re hard on your gear. That said, these scratches do not affect the performance of the sensors in any way.
• Limited workout tracking: The ring struggles with high-intensity workouts or activities involving quick movements. If you’re into detailed workout metrics or heart rate zones when running, or need GPS data, this won’t replace a fitness watch.
• Charging warmth and portability: The ring gets warm during charging, and the stationary charger isn’t ideal for people on the go. It’s a small issue but worth noting for frequent travelers.
• Occasional fit issues: The ring can sometimes spin on your finger, even when it fits well. This might cause occasional inaccuracies in data collection, particularly during certain activities.

The verdict

The Ultrahuman Ring Air is stylish, comfortable, and delivers subtle, all-day health tracking without the pain of a subscription. At $349 (or $314 with my exclusive 10% Off code ‘TAK10‘), it presents great value for money for anyone looking to monitor their wellness with a focus on sleep, stress, and recovery, and it fits seamlessly into daily life.

However, if you rely heavily on workout and run tracking, this ring might fall short of expectations – and it may not be worth it if you already have a high-quality running watch with similar sleep tracking features. If you don’t have a running watch and don’t plan to get one, then it’s a no brainer for you.

For $349, it’s reasonably priced for what it offers, but if you already have a capable fitness or running watch, the Ring Air may feel redundant. It shines as a discreet, notification-free health tracker for those who want less distraction and more focus on wellness.

Would you give the Ultrahuman Ring Air a shot? Let me know in the comments! If you enjoyed this review, don’t forget to subscribe to my Newsletter and YouTube Channel for more honest takes on the latest running gear and health tech.