💍RingConn Gen2 – great deal! 💰

I have been testing the second generation RingConn smart ring (also known as "Gen2") for a few days now. This is the new version of the ring for which RingConn is launching a Kickstarter campaign these days.

In this article we'll focus on the following:

• First and second impressions of the ring itself,
• the differences between Gen1 and Gen2
• the RingConn app,
• campaign details (when and for how much),
• and some visual comparisons with the competition.

So let's get started 💥

💍 It still looks the same... doesn't it?

When the Gen2 ring arrived, the first thing I noticed was the change in packaging. It's a white rectangular box (the Gen1 box was the opposite - black and cuboid).

As with the Gen1, a charging case is included. This looks exactly the same. However the change is there, the LED now indicates a certain battery status of the case, thus RingConn incorporated the community feedback 👏

Quite frankly (how else, right?), when I took the ring out of the case, I thought "it looks almost the same as the Gen1 ?!". The ring retains its (a)typical shape, the sensors and charging pins look the same.

The second thought was to compare it with the case of the Ultrahuman. Let me remind you. The first Ultrahuman ring was called R1 and was, shall we say, on a par with the Oura ring in terms of size. A few months later, Ultrahuman released a new version called the Air. This was effectively a slimmed down version of the R1.

Well, after a few days of testing, I had to admit that both of my first impressions were wrong.

1. There is a small but noticeable shift in miniaturisation between the Gen1 and Gen2. I would particularly like to highlight the width of the ring. It's another step away from the ugly, fat gadget to a discreet wearable device. And even with the competition, you can see that every millimetre hurts. Look at the Galaxy Ring. It did not take a risk and came up with an own "version of the Oura"
2. The comparison with the Ultrahuman evolution of the R1 ▶️ Air is not valid for at least two reasons. With the RingConn there was not only an "unflattening" but, as I said, a narrowing of the width of the ring. And also, very interestingly, to increase the battery life of the ring.

💍 Gen1 🆚 💍Gen2

Let's summarize the main features of Gen2 and what their context is:

• Apnea monitoring - RingConn claims that Gen2 is the first smart ring to offer this functionality. This is not entirely true as I have tested this functionality within the Gen1:

💍RingConn news - exercise, apnea report, sharing with family, and... return!

At the moment I see the RingConn smart ring as a sort of third place in terms of interest. The Oura ring is pretty well known these days, and Ultrahuman has made a good name for itself thanks to biohacking ecosystem. I also think RingConn is a good price/performance

LordOfTheSmartRingsLORDoftheSMARTRINGS

However, this seems to have been a beta and they are now marketing this functionality primarily for Gen2. As a reminder, sleep apnoea is actually breathlessness during sleep (even for 10 seconds), which can primarily be detected by measuring SpO2, or blood oxygenation. At the same time, RingConn claims to be 90% accurate, although it is not yet FDA-certified.

• A battery life of 10-12 days – that's really admirable. Gen1 already had the best battery life. Read more here. From my Gen2 test it really looks like at least 10 days.
• Lighter and thinner – so says RingConn:

• My RingConn size 9 is like this:
  • Weight: 2,46 g. This beats the lightest Circular Slim & Ultrahuman Air (both 3 g) to date.
  • Thickness: 1.94-3.52 mm. It thus beats the current number one - Circular Slim (2.2 g) in the thinnest area.
  • 6.84 mm wide. The next in this is Oura with 7.9 mm.
• It's a battle of tenths, but RingConn is the new champion in all these disciplines (very light weights).
• No subscription - of course.
• Water resistance - this should be a shift in the standard from 50m -> 100m
• Colours - I'm a fan of matte. The Gen2 came in a glossy version, which is a change from the silver of the Gen1.

Gen2 and others

A relatively popular technique for differentiating yourself from the competition is the comparison chart. However, its truth can be quite misleading. There are already a large number of rings on the market and they are constantly evolving. I took the Gen2 vs. others chart and actually have to chastise RingConn a bit. It looks like he chose a different ring for each row to make his table look good:

For example, all the rings we tested have iOS & Android versions of the apps. Perhaps they are targeting the Samsung ring (Android only). Sleep time customisation is wrong as well as Oura & UH have this functionality. There is no subscription fee for the majority of rings except Oura.

📲 RingConn app

The RingConn app (iOS and Android) is still the same. You just need to pair it with your new ring (or if you have a Gen1, you need to unpair it first). There are 2 main changes since our last article:

• Sleep apnoea monitoring - as I've already outlined, this functionality was available in some mode before, now it's available as a separate tile within the main screen, including graphical output in the app. The original version was a pdf report.
• Release of more exercise types - RingConn has released 3 more exercise types.

Current version: 2.10.0

🦵Kickstarter

A Kickstarter campaign usually has its own peculiarities and risks. There are often delays, non-deliveries, etc. But with this campaign, I wouldn't worry about the ring not arriving. First of all, the first generation went through a successful campaign (Indiegogo). Secondly, the development is done, now it's just a matter of production.

The price starts at $209, which is a great price.

I suggest you check if shipping is included in the price or separate. Customs should be included according to FAQ.

The current campaign talks about shipping in September 2024. If you go to Kickstarter or other servers, you'll find another series of rings. However, RingConn is unique in that it's both hardware and app ready, having run Gen1 on it for over a year. Some features have been in beta for a long time, but that's not a limitation.

👀Visual comparison with competitors

🤔 Conclusion

I personally backed the RingConn Gen1 on Indiegogo in the past. And it was a good choice. And if I don't get the Gen2 to test, I'll back it again.

The ring is great value, almost half the price of some of the competition. Long-term tests have shown RingConn to be a very reliable meter, development is ongoing and in the past they have added ability to share with family for example. On the other hand, I still miss a little deeper and more personalised insight and recommendations.

There was speculation that RingConn would come up with some revolutionary innovation, such as NFC payments or an attempt to measure blood pressure. That did not happen. But I still think the new generation is a nice achievement.

If you have a Gen1, the question is whether it's worth upgrading to the second generation. You get a smaller device with a better battery. At the moment I think apnoea monitoring will only be commercially available under Gen2.

For now, you can get the ring here: