The new best budget smart ring

Always on the lookout for a true Oura Ring contender, I’ve been closely following RingConn’s portfolio since its first release in 2023. Last year, I gave the company’s Gen 2 smart ring three and a half stars for its comfortable design, impressive battery life, and competitive price point. The latest RingConn Gen 2 Air drops that price by $100, while still delivering a robust experience.

Introducing a budget-friendly device is a savvy move in a market dominated by high-priced smart rings, making advanced health and fitness tracking accessible to a wider audience. While it sacrifices a few headlining features (I’ll get to my charger woes below), after spending a few weeks with the Gen 2 Air ring on hand (or should that be finger?), I’m even more excited than ever about RingConn’s place in the smart ring conversation.

Starting with its elemental moniker, the Gen 2 Air lands between 2.5 and 4 grams, meaning you’ll hardly feel it on your finger. Compared to my Oura Ring 4, it’s noticeably lighter and, more importantly, extremely comfortable. Even with bulbous sensors (as opposed to Oura’s flat ones), the ring never digs into my fingers. I did remove it before some activities, like white-knuckling my rowing machine, but found it surprisingly unobtrusive during others, like weight lifting.

The Gen 2 Air also holds up well to everyday dings, showing far fewer scratches than my Oura Ring after several weeks of wear. Aesthetically, I appreciate how the metallic finish waterfalls down the side of the ring for a refined look, while the Oura Ring 4 has an abrupt, uncoated stripe on the side that cheapens its overall impression.

At a glance, the Gen 2 Air looks and feels a lot like its pricier sibling. With its stainless steel construction and imperfect circle design, the ring is available in two finishes: Galaxy Silver and Dune Gold. I tested the latter (out of respect for Timothée Hal Chalamet) and found the look elegantly classic. An unreasonable childhood fear of barracudas solidified my preference for understated jewelry, and RingConn’s finishes fit that bill perfectly.

Using the company’s free sizing kit, I landed on the same fit as my Gen 2, though I wear this ring on my index finger. It took less than a day to adjust to the 2mm band, and thanks to its excellent battery (which I’ll cover next), I all but forgot I was wearing it.

Battery life on the Gen 2 Air is nothing short of luxurious. Despite the slight reduction compared to the Gen 2 (10 days versus 12), the Gen 2 Air still feels like it lasts forever. In practice, it easily lasted a full week on a charge — roughly twice the duration of my Oura Ring 4.

This was one of the ring’s standout features: I didn’t need to stress about charging constantly or monitor battery levels on the app. When I did check in, RingConn provided helpful info, including an estimate of remaining usage time and a suggested ‘charge by’ window when the ring dropped below a certain threshold. Once I threw the ring on its charger, the app switched to estimating how long my device needed to reach a full charge. This small touch significantly improves the overall experience of RingConn’s rings.

However, I was disappointed to see the company move away from the clam-style charging case of the Gen 2. The Gen 2 Air uses a puck-style charger, a significant step backward. Instead of a portable charging case with a built-in battery, the Air’s charger requires plugging in via USB-C, similar to Oura’s devices. It’s a minor but noticeable loss in convenience.

A budget model of any lineup typically sacrifices some advanced features, and the Gen 2 Air is no exception. Along with the downgraded charging experience, the more affordably priced ring also lacks sleep apnea detection, a feature reserved for the Gen 2. While this isn’t surprising, it’s a notable difference for users with related health concerns.

That said, the Air still tracks the same core health metrics as RingConn’s higher-end model, including sleep, stress, activity, menstrual cycles, and vital signs. It also pairs with the same comprehensive companion app. Though the app can feel dense at times, it offers an abundance of data breakdowns and analysis that really grew on me throughout this review. It’s well-organized, intuitive, and now features more personalized analysis and recommendations.

RingConn has also added an AI component in the “Plan” tab. After answering a few questions about my sleep, stress, and activity habits, I received a personalized set of goals related to each, along with steps. One oddity of this tool is the inconsistent language it uses; for example, the analysis sometimes mixes pronouns awkwardly, such as  “I slept a little less, go to bed early today.” Despite this quirk, the feature is effective, if somewhat basic. With minimal user effort, it does a good job of highlighting trends and changes. There’s also a Beta AI chat feature available, but it only accepts scripted questions. At this point, the tool feels more gimmicky than genuinely helpful — though maybe I’m just bitter that it called five hours of sleep “good.”

In terms of activity tracking, I’d love to see RingConn add more than just four exercise modes. For now, the data currently available at least covers the basics well, including steps, calories, and active minutes. Automatic workout detection would also be a major addition as the set-and-forget nature of a smart ring is a big selling point. Personally, I’d prefer not to have to pull up a companion app to record activities.

Like other smart rings,  the device automatically detects and tracks sleep. During this review period, I found that my sleep aligned much more closely with trusted devices than I experienced with the Gen 2, an improvement that’s great to see. RingConn is also working on a Sleep Improvement Plan feature, which I look forward to trying once it’s available.

Meanwhile, at just $199, the RingConn Gen 2 Air is $100 cheaper than the Gen 2 and $200 less than the latest Oura and the Galaxy Ring. The only comparable smart ring at this price point is the Amazfit Helio, which has half the battery life and fewer size options. Additionally, RingConn’s rings remain subscription-free, unlike the Oura Ring 4, which requires a monthly membership fee.

Overall, the RingConn Gen 2 Air is an impressive budget-friendly alternative to premium smart rings like the Oura Ring 4 ($399 at Amazon) or Galaxy Ring ($399.99 at Amazon). While it sacrifices a few advanced features like sleep apnea detection and a portable charging case, it makes up for it with excellent battery life, a comfortable fit, and a robust companion app. Plus, Oura doesn’t offer my preferred charging style either (though Samsung does).

At just $199, the Gen 2 Air provides solid tracking of sleep, stress, activity, and vital signs at a fraction of the cost of higher-end models and doesn’t require an ongoing subscription fee. By offering core features at a lower cost, RingConn positions the Air as an appealing option for budget-conscious consumers (without compromising on quality). As mentioned, Amazfit’s affordably Helio Ring ($199.99 at Amazon) is only available in limited sizes.

For now, the RingConn Gen 2 Air is the best bet for dipping a toe into the smart ring world, without blowing too much cash. Sure, the device has room for improvement, especially in activity tracking and AI features, but it’s a strong contender in the growing space.