Which smart ring is the best? Oura Ring vs. Galaxy Ring vs. RingConn vs. Ultrahuman

Smart tracking rings are showing up more and more often, and there are more and more providers. Looking at the prices, though, such a ring is not exactly cheap fun, and the features differ considerably. I’m comparing the Oura Ring, the Galaxy Ring, the RingConn and the Ultrahuman Ring Air. Except for the Oura Ring, I was provided with all of them as test units, some as loan units. That has no influence on the test result. I wore all four at the same time, and I’m glad that time is over.

The rings at a glance

I tested the Oura Ring 3 in the Horizon model, the RingConn Gen 1, the Galaxy Ring released in summer 2024 and the Ultrahuman Ring Air. A few days before the video, the Oura Ring 4 came out, which is said to have more accurate tracking and longer battery life, but is otherwise largely identical according to Jen.

Design and wearing comfort

At first glance they all look similar. The RingConn is the narrowest and thinnest at 6.8 mm wide and 2 mm thick, and the Ultrahuman the widest at 8.1 mm. The Galaxy Ring and Oura Ring are the thickest at about 2.6 mm. The weight is between 2.6 and 3.6 g. The rings come in silver, black and gold; I got gold on all of them, except silver on the Galaxy Ring. The silver looks less high-quality. I held the gold Galaxy Ring in my hand at the lounge event, and it looks just as high-quality and I liked it best thanks to its slight curve.

All of them are comfortable to wear, and you forget them after a while. I got skin irritation from none of them. The sensors are supposed to sit on the palm side. On the Galaxy and Oura Ring a small marking shows the position, on the RingConn you can tell by the shape, on the Ultrahuman by the curve on the inside.

Choosing the right ring size

Because you wear the ring around the clock, the right size is very important. All four manufacturers offer a free sizing kit. Be sure to order it. I used the test rings for all of them, and only Oura and Galaxy Ring fit my size, with the other two far too big. That may be because I was puffy on the day of the test. So: wear the test ring for at least two days and nights, better three. If the ring doesn’t fit on one day, you still have nine other fingers, and for me switching from the left to the right index finger often helps already.

Charging and battery

The RingConn and Galaxy Ring charge in a charging case with its own battery that you can take along when you’re out and about. On the Galaxy Ring it looks like a small jewelry box. Oura and Ultrahuman charge via a charging adapter. All manufacturers state up to a week of battery life, five days for the Galaxy Ring, and that’s exactly what you experience. I’ve been wearing my Oura Ring for about a year and a half, and it now lasts only about 5 days. The batteries are extremely small and lose capacity over time.

The apps compared

• Oura: nicely tidy, delivers the most important information at a glance. The daily readiness takes in pulse, heart rate variability, body temperature, respiratory rate, sleep and the previous day’s activity and gives recommendations to push harder or to ease off the gas.
• Samsung Health (Galaxy Ring): an enormous advantage for Samsung and Android users, because the ring is integrated into the familiar ecosystem. There is also an energy score. Data from the Galaxy Watch, workout tracking and nutrition feed in, plus training and meditation programs. The Galaxy Ring is not an option for iPhone users because it isn’t compatible with iOS.
• Ultrahuman: extremely many values, with reference ranges but without a clear summary, which is overwhelming. The app leads on resources: sports programs, scientific learning and explainer videos and a podcast, but entirely in English. Nutrition can be tracked here too.
• RingConn: tidy, with an overall overview (wellness balance), but stripped down without depth. For anyone who just wants a simple overview, that can be an advantage.

Tracking compared

All of them track sleep with sleep stages, body temperature, pulse, blood oxygen, steps, calorie burn and heart rate variability. From that they calculate stress level and overall condition. How accurate the values are, I can’t judge, but I can compare the rings.

Sleep on a night in August:

Ring	Sleep duration	Deep sleep	Sleep quality
Oura	8 h 21 min	13% (1 h 3 min)	87
RingConn	8 h 25 min	25% (2 h 10 min)	78
Galaxy Ring	8 h 53 min	23% (2 h 3 min)	96
Ultrahuman	8 h 47 min	25% (2 h 13 min)	99

Sleep duration differs by up to 30 minutes. The Oura Ring stands out in particular with only 13% deep sleep, even though it has been on the market the longest and advertises the most accurate measurement.

Movement on a Wednesday in August:

Ring	Steps	Distance	Total burn
Oura	16,394	16.1 km	2,405 kcal
RingConn	14,550	not given	2,138 kcal
Galaxy Ring	14,583	10.78 km	2,051 kcal
Ultrahuman	10,919	not given	2,265 kcal

The calorie figures vary by up to 400 calories. That means: trackers are not 100% accurate, and for that you’d need a sleep lab. What matters are the trends. Whether I walked 12,300 or 12,500 steps doesn’t matter. Whether I permanently manage only 1,000 instead of 7,000 steps or sleep four to five instead of six to eight hours does.

Special features

• Galaxy Ring: By tapping you trigger the camera of the Samsung smartphone or silence the alarm, which has James Bond vibes. Waking by vibration would be even better, but the ring would need a motor for that.
• Ultrahuman: Integration of a blood glucose monitor via the FreeStyle Libre sensor on the upper arm. That is my highlight, also for non-diabetics, to see which foods push blood sugar up and how fluctuations affect sleep, resting pulse and heart rate variability. The patches cost extra, two for about €80, and each lasts 14 days, so over a month. I found out that I can’t eat oatmeal: my blood sugar shoots up and crashes again, which means cravings.

Cycle tracking

Because all the rings measure body temperature right after waking up, after a few months you have an accurate overview of your cycle and ovulation, when the temperature rises abruptly. This is called the temperature method and can be used for family planning or contraception. I stress that body temperature can also fluctuate for other reasons.

There are big differences in how it’s displayed. In the RingConn app you can’t see the temperature trend at all, and the Ultrahuman app doesn’t offer an adequate view either. Only the Oura app, with the best display in my view, and Samsung Health can do that. There you can see when ovulation took place and, after a few months, make fairly accurate predictions. For me the Oura Ring was the game changer here.

Prices

Ring	Price	Ongoing costs
Oura Ring (4th generation)	€399 (silver), €549 (gold, rose gold)	€5.99 subscription per month
Galaxy Ring	€449	none
Ultrahuman	€379	Blood sugar and fat metabolism €24.99 per month
RingConn	about €279	none

At Oura the color alone costs €150 more, even though women benefit more and buy gold. I call that cheeky. Without the subscription you can no longer use the Oura app after the trial period. After 9 months even the cheapest Oura Ring is more expensive than the Galaxy Ring. With Ultrahuman I would cancel the blood glucose measurement after a month. With Samsung and RingConn all ring features are free.

Who is a smart ring worth it for?

• for anyone who wants to track sleep, movement and health but doesn’t want to wear a smartwatch
• for anyone who doesn’t wear a watch at night but wants to track sleep
• for women who want to track their cycle using the temperature method

My recommendation

• Oura Ring: for anyone with the necessary spare cash who relies on the former market leader and a clear app with good analyses.
• Galaxy Ring: for Samsung and Android users because of the integration into the ecosystem and the clear analysis.
• Ultrahuman: for anyone who wants every value in detail with reference ranges, and for anyone with blood glucose measurement. Ultrahuman is currently the only provider that includes this.
• RingConn: because of the price, an entry-level model to test whether a ring is right for you.

For women who want accurate, temperature-based cycle tracking, in my view only the Oura Ring (iPhone) or the Galaxy Ring (Android) come into question. That’s a game changer. I’m an Android user and am therefore now replacing my Oura Ring with the Galaxy Ring.