In final month’s good ring overview protection, I discussed two issues which might be notably related to in the present day’s put up:

• I’d be following it up with a collection of extra in-depth write-ups, one per ring launched within the overview, the primary of which you’re studying right here, and
• Given the pending ITC (Worldwide Commerce Fee) block of additional shipments of RingConn and Ultrahuman good rings into america, save for warranty-replacements for present homeowners, and a ruling introduced just a few days prior to my submission of the overview writeup to Aalyia, I deliberate to prioritize the RingConn and Ultrahuman posts within the hopes of getting them revealed previous to the October 21 deadline, in case US readers have been fascinated about buying both of them forward of time (notice, too, that the ITC ruling doesn’t have an effect on readers in different nations, in fact).

Colour compatibility

For the reason that Ultrahuman Ring AIR was the primary one which got here into my possession, I’ll dive into its trivia first. To begin, I’ll notice, in revisiting the picture from final time of all three producers’ rings on my left index finger, that the Ultrahuman ring’s “Uncooked Titanium” colour scheme possibility (it’s the one within the center, straddling the Oura Gen3 Horizon to its left and the RingConn Gen 2 to its proper) most intently matches the patina of my marriage ceremony band:

Right here’s the Ultrahuman Ring AIR standalone:

Skip the app

Subsequent up is sizing, mentioned upfront in final month’s write-up. Ultrahuman is the one one of many three that gives a sizing app as a (potential) different to acquiring a equipment, though candidly, I don’t advocate it, a minimum of from my experiences with it. Check out the screenshots I took when utilizing it once more yesterday in prepping for this piece (and sure, I deliberately picked a size-calibrating bank card from my pockets whose account quantity wasn’t printed on the entrance!):

I’ll say upfront that the app was straightforward to determine and use, together with the flexibility to optionally disable “flash” supplemental illumination (which I took benefit of as a result of with it “on”, the app labeled my speckled desktop as a “noisy background”).

That stated, first off, it’s iOS-only, so of us utilizing Android smartphones shall be SOL until they alternatively have an Apple pill obtainable (as I did; these have been taken utilizing my iPad mini 6). Secondly, the app’s finger-analysis choice was seemingly random (ring and center finger on my proper hand, however solely center finger on my left hand…in neither case the index finger, which was my desire). Thirdly, app sizing estimates undershot by one or a number of sizes, relying on the finger; what the equipment indicated was the right measurement. And lastly, the app was inconsistent use-to-use; the primary time I’d tried it in late Could, right here’s what I bought for my left hand (I didn’t additionally strive my proper hand then as a result of it’s my dominant one and I subsequently wasn’t planning on sporting the good ring on it anyway):

Sub-par charging

Subsequent, let’s delve a bit extra into the beforehand talked about seeming firmware-related battery life situation I got here throughout with my preliminary ring. Judging from the June 2024 date stamps of the documentation on Ultrahuman’s web site, the Ring AIR began delivery mid-last yr (following up on the thicker and heavier however functionally equal unique Ultrahuman R1).

Practically a yr later, when mine got here into my possession, new firmware updates have been nonetheless being launched at a surprisingly (a minimum of to me) fast clip. As I’d talked about final month, certainly one of them had notably degraded my ring’s battery life from the traditional week-ish to a half day, in addition to extending the recharge time from lower than an hour to just about a full day. And not one of the subsequent firmware updates I put in led to normal-operation restoration, nor did my tried full battery drain adopted by an prolonged delay earlier than recharge within the hope of resetting the battery administration system (BMS). I also needs to notice at this level that different Redditors have reported that firmware updates not solely killed rings’ batteries but in addition completely neutered their wi-fi connectivity. 

What occurred to the unique ring? My suspicion is that it really had one thing to do with an inherently compromised (coupled with algorithm-worsened) charging scheme that led to battery overcharge and subsequent harm. Ultrahuman bundles a USB-C-to-USB-C cable with the ring, which might suggest (incorrectly, because it seems) that the ring charging dock circuitry can deal with (together with down-throttling the output as wanted) any peak-wattage USB-C charger that you just may wish to feed it with, together with (however not restricted to) USB-PD-capable ones.

Essentially, product documentation claims that it is best to join the dock to a charger with solely a most output of 5W/2A. After doing analysis on Amazon and elsewhere, I wasn’t capable of finding any USB-C chargers that have been that feeble. So, to get there in any respect, I needed to dig out of storage an historical Apple 5W USB-A charger, which I then mated to a third-party USB-A-to-USB-C cable.

That every one stated, following within the footsteps of others on the Ultrahuman subreddit who’d had related experiences (and optimistic outcomes), I reached out to the Reddit discussion board moderators (who’re Ultrahuman workers, together with the founder and CEO!) and after going by just a few extra debugging steps they’d instructed (which I’d already tried, however whatevah), bought shipped a brand new ring.

It’s been secure by a number of subsequent firmware updates, with the saved cost dropping solely ~10-15% per day (translating to the anticipated week-ish of between-charges working life). And the tempo of latest firmware releases has additionally now notably slowed, suggestive of both rising code stability or a refocus on growth of the deliberate new product that aspires to keep away from Oura patent infringement…I’m hoping for the extra optimistic former possibility!

Different observations

Extra feedback, a few of which echo basic factors made in final month’s write-up:

• Since this good ring, like these from Oura, leverages wi-fi inductive charging, docks are ring-size-specific. In the event you go up or down a measurement or just a few, you’ll must re-purchase this accent (one comes with every ring, so that is particularly a priority if, like me, you’ve already purchased extras for journey, elsewhere in the home, and many others.)

• There’s no battery case obtainable that I’ve come throughout, not even a third-party possibility.
• That 10-15% per day battery drop metric I simply talked about is with the ring in its preliminary (sole) “Turbo” working mode, not with the subsequently provided (and now default) “Chill” possibility. I did drop it right down to “Chill” for a few days, which decreased the per-drop battery-level drop by just a few %, however nothing dramatic. That stated, my comparative testing wasn’t in depth, so my outcomes needs to be seen as anecdotal, not scientific. Quoting once more from final month’s writeup:

Chill Mode is designed to intelligently handle energy whereas preserving the accuracy of your well being knowledge. It extends your Ring AIR battery life by as much as 35% by monitoring solely what issues, when it issues. Chill Mode makes use of movement and context-based intelligence to trace coronary heart fee and temperature primarily throughout sleep and relaxation.

• It (like others) misinterpreted keyboard presses and different finger-and-hand actions as steps, resulting in over-measurement outcomes, particularly on my dominant proper hand.
• Whereas Bluetooth LE connectivity extends battery life in comparison with a “vanilla” Bluetooth different, it additionally notably reduces the ring-to-phone connection vary. Virtually talking, this isn’t an enormous deal, although, because the knowledge is seen on the cellphone. The act of choosing the cellphone up (assuming your ring can also be in your physique) can even immediate a speedy close-proximity preparatory sync.
• Not like Oura (and like RingConn), Ultrahuman offers membership-free full knowledge seize and evaluation capabilities. That stated, the corporate sells non-compulsory Powerplug software program add-ons to additional develop app performance, together with prolonged warranties that, relying on the period, additionally embrace one free alternative ring in case your sizing adjustments as a consequence of, for instance, ring-encouraged and fitness-induced weight reduction.
• The app can even robotically sync with different well being providers, corresponding to Fitbit and Android’s built-in Well being Join. That stated, I’m wondering (however haven’t but examined to verify or deny) what occurs if, for instance, I put on each the ring and an inherently Fitbit-cognizant Google Pixel Watch (or, for that matter, my Garmin or Withings smartwatches).

• One different curious notice: Ultrahuman claims that it’s been manufacturing rings not solely in its headquarters nation, India, but in addition in america since final November in partnership with a contractor, SVtronics. And actually, in case you have a look at Amazon’s product web page for the Ring AIR, you’ll be capable to choose between “Made in India” and “Made in USA” product ordering choices. Oura, conversely, has indicated that it believes the claimed photos of US-located manufacturing services are “Photoshop edits” with no foundation in actuality. I don’t know, nor do I notably care, what the reality is right here. I deliver it up solely to exemplify the broader contentious nature of ongoing interactions between Oura and its upstart opponents (additionally together with pointed exchanges with RingConn).

Talking of RingConn, and nearing 1,600 phrases at this level, I’m going to wrap up my Ultrahuman protection and change gears for my different deliberate put up for this month. Time (and ongoing litigation) will inform, I suppose, as as to whether I’ve extra to say about Ultrahuman sooner or later, other than the beforehand talked about (and nonetheless deliberate) teardown of my unique ring. Till then, reader ideas are, as all the time, welcomed within the feedback!

—Brian Dipert is the Editor-in-Chief of the Edge AI and Imaginative and prescient Alliance, and a Senior Analyst at BDTI and Editor-in-Chief of InsideDSP, the corporate’s on-line e-newsletter.

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