Football manager Gareth Southgate and his England squad were each given a smart ring to wear during the Euros last summer. It was meant to offer information to monitor health, recovery and sleep. It also shows the growing popularity of wearable technology that uses sensors to collect data on multiple metrics related to the body, including heart rate variability (HRV), blood oxygen rate and body temperature.

At the moment, a few brands are doing well in this particular wearable segment, like Oura, Samsung and Ultrahuman. What about something affordable but trustworthy when it comes to readings? RingConn is one such brand. You may not be familiar with it but RingConn has been doing brisk business online. I first experienced the brand last year and it was enough to take the fledgling category seriously.

Each area of health monitoring has a separate section, including sleep, stress, activity and vital signs.

The company has a new product — RingConn Gen 2 Air. As the name suggests, it’s more affordable than Gen 2.

Why smart rings?

With smartwatches pretty much covering all metrics, one may question the necessity to sport smart rings. It has a few advantages. First, the smart ring is an unobtrusive way to track health. Slip one on the index finger, and you can forget you are wearing it while the device records heart rate, steps, sleep stages and more. The ring syncs, from time to time, with the phone app to review your data. Besides, it has to be charged every few days instead of every day, like with a smartwatch.

Bells and whistles

RingConn Gen 2 Air has all the top features Oura and Samsung are offering and it comes with a well-designed app. Good-looking and durable, the ring collects plenty of data and allows you to configure your goals. All this without the need for a subscription.

If you are trying to build healthier sleep habits, a smart ring can be unobtrusive and the companion app will give you a list of metrics to enjoy forty winks.

The ring is crafted from titanium steel and comes in two finishes — Dune Gold and Galaxy Silver. Talking about comfort, it’s a squircle, so it’s not exactly a circle; it has slightly squared-off edges but it’s very comfortable on the finger.

I have been wearing the ring for a few weeks… the entire day, even while bathing, gardening and weekend cooking. Sure, it’s comfortable, but you will definitely be aware that you are wearing the RingConn. With the Air version, the ring is slimmer, lighter and narrower than the first-generation RingConn but there are a lot of sensors around the inside that require the ring to be of a certain thickness. Where RingConn has done a good job is that the light from the sensors doesn’t distract people in the room.

RingConn Protector (left) ensures uninterrupted connectivity and protection without compromising accuracy and to choose the perfect ring size, there is a kit.

A helpful feature: On the bottom of the ring, there is a mark that tells you it needs to be closer to the palm. If the ring turns slightly on the finger, you will know when to adjust it.

Since the ring is IP68-rated, you can wear it in the shower and swimming pool. Also, you can pick up a RingConn protector that enhances the product’s longevity.

A note on battery life: RingConn suggests up to 10 days of juice but I needed to recharge every eight-nine days, which is not bad. Also, I had no issues connecting to my iPhone to sync.

It’s about data

Ultimately, you want the smart ring to monitor all your health metrics. I wore it simultaneously with an Apple Watch Series 10. The app driving the smart ring is quick to sync and I had no problem with the connectivity range.

Data is neatly organised. At the top of the page is Wellness Balance, which collates vital signs, sleep, activity and stress (Relax Status) to provide a rating. If you tap, there are some suggestions on the areas that can be worked on and how you might do it. But it’s not something that you already don’t know about.

Charging RingConn Gen 2 Air involves a dock and USB cable (in the box). Battery life easily lasts eight or nine days.

Next, there are several categories — sleep, activity, stress, vital signs and exercise. There’s a lot of data that you can find, and there is also the option to customise your goals, choose your hours of sleep, set your steps, and determine how many calories you want to burn each day.

There is a tab titled ‘Exercise’ but the number of workouts being tracked is limited — Outdoor Running, Indoor Running, Outdoor Cycling and Outdoor Walking. It means you need another tracker if you take fitness seriously, especially if you have a gym membership.

Readings for heart rate and steps tallied closely with what Apple Watch recorded. The sleep data was good, but at times, it said I slept 30 minutes extra.

Make the call

A few things to remember before buying a smart ring. First, they are similarly priced as smartwatches, so you may not invest in both. Second, watch straps adjust easily to different-sized wrists but with smart rings, you need to be careful with the sizing, especially when it comes to seasonal swelling. Third, if your exercise routine involves golfing or lifting weights, smart rings will not help; it’s a hindrance during such activities.

Apart from that, smart rings are discreet while collecting data. As for the RingConn smart ring, it is an affordable and smart-looking option. There is accuracy working in its favour and it is the smart ring I would recommend if you want a decent health-tracking device with most of the bells and whistles. It is especially helpful if you want to monitor your sleep and overnight health. Talk about enough bang for the buck, RingConn Gen 2 Air delivers.

At a glance

Device: RingConn Gen 2 Air

Price: $199 (you can order online)

High notes

• Comfortable on the finger

• Covers most of the health metrics that more expensive brands offer

• Good battery life

• Sturdy and light

• No subscription required

Muffled notes

• Smart rings won’t help if you lift weights or play a sport like golf

• More colour options could have helped