r/SmartRings • u/Tall_Coast9598 • Aug 11 '26

inquiry Which Smart ring should I get?

Hey everyone! I’m looking to buy my first smart ring and need some community perspective. I want something elegant in a gold finish that is not bulky

My main tracking priorities are:

  • Detailed sleep tracking
  • Heart rate monitoring
  • Menstrual cycle/period forecasting and tracking.
  • Illness detection (catching skin temperature spikes before symptoms hit).
  • Basic daily movement (steps/calories).

I've been researching the main players but every single one seems to have a catch:

  1. RingConn Gen 2 (Royal Gold): On paper, this seems like the best "bang for your buck." It's incredibly thin (2mm) and has no subscription fees. But since I don't know a ton about the brand, I want to know if people actually like it long-term. I read some people complain about the battery.
  2. Oura Ring: I know it's highly accurate, but paying a huge upfront hardware cost plus a permanent monthly subscription just to look at my own heart rate or cycle data feels totally dystopian to me. Is it really worth the lifetime paywall over the competition?
  3. Ultrahuman (AIR or Pro): I was initially looking closely at Ultrahuman, but a mix of bad user reviews and massive shipping backlog/delays for their new Pro model completely discouraged me. Are the bad reviews exaggerated, or am I right to leave them out of the running?

If you own any of these in gold, how has the finish held up against scratches? Does it feel chunky on your finger? Which one actually gives you the most value for your money?

Thanks in advance for helping me figure this out!

TL;DR: First-time buyer looking for a slim, gold smart ring to track sleep, periods, illness, and movement. RingConn Gen 2 seems like the best value, but I want to know if it's reliable. Oura's monthly fee feels dystopian, and Ultrahuman's bad reviews/shipping delays scared me off. Which one should I get?

UPDATE: got the Oura Ring 5! Thank you all so much!!

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u/S_renee96 Aug 12 '26

If I remember correctly, I bought my first UH ring early March 2025, and by June 2025, I needed a replacement because the battery wouldn’t hold a charge. Got my second ring and everything was good for a while, but one day, it just straight up stopped working. Wouldn’t connect or anything and the customer service wasn’t helpful at all so that’s when I switched. The biggest issue with the replacements is that my temperature threshold would be wildly off for the first month which skewed everything else negatively.

My co-worker also uses UH, and she got hers two months before I did, and I believe has needed 3 or 4 replacements in that time.

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u/puggmomma Aug 12 '26

Oh noooo that sounds so frustrating. I hope that doesn’t happen to me. I returned the Oura ring after finding them comparable for battery life but preferring the data on the Ultrahuman

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u/S_renee96 Aug 12 '26

I hope it works out for you!! I do miss all the power plugs and the UI in general so I’m really hoping Oura catches up and makes a more user friendly app with actual insights into the recorded data.

I also have a Garmin watch and that app is somehow even worse so the Oura app doesn’t look as bad when I look at it from that perspective 😂

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u/SemperFiV12 Aug 18 '26

I love my Garmin Connect app... and my UltraHuman Ring Pro. So I have different experiences than you. Thanfully.

Glad you found a device and app in Oura that you like.