If there’s one thing most smartwatches and smartbands have in common, it’s where they go: the wrist. An Apple Watch will only work on an iPhone, and a Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel Watch on Android, but even with those differences, they all share a location just under the hand.
That’s a problem if you prefer a more analogue take on a watch, or if you have a pricier timepiece you like to keep on your person.
Other options exist, such as screen-free wearables like the Whoop, but if you’re after something even more innocuous, the smart ring could be the option for you.
Right now, there aren’t a lot of choices, and some models — such as the Samsung Galaxy Ring — work like an Apple Watch with an ecosystem lock-in. To use the Galaxy Ring, you need an Android, and ideally a Samsung model.
But some smart rings play nicely with either operating system, and Ultrahuman’s are included with that.
There’s even a new model of those, as Ultrahuman adds to the model released in Australia last year with the Ring Pro, technically the third generation of its smart rings bringing sensor technologies to your finger, as well as up to two weeks of battery life.
The technology encases heart-rate tracking and an on-board machine learning system to use AI to help understand your body.
To do that, Ultrahuman is using a system it calls Jade, an AI system that can use the sensors on its ring to track blood markets, glucose trends, sleep, atrial fibrillation (AFib), caffeine, ovulation, migration insights, vitamin D tracking, and more, with future advances being able to connect with devices in the home to change your environment to suit what your body is doing. Or that’s the idea, anyway.
The Ring Pro will also come in a specific battery-charging case that includes a speaker to help find it when lost, and wireless charging.
Overall, the concept is definitely interesting, though the price is definitely up there, commanding a $739 price in Australia, with shipments expected this month.