You Really Shouldn’t Buy a “Cheap” Smart Ring
Smart rings are becoming increasingly popular, and with the arrival of the Galaxy Ring in late 2024, their popularity will likely only increase. Unfortunately, as technology becomes popular with the masses, cheaper versions often become available. Sometimes this can be a good thing: after all, competition is good in the tech industry, and not everyone can afford to spend several hundred dollars on technology. The downside, however, is that this also opens the door for shady companies to get involved in the tech space, and that’s what seems to be happening with smart rings now.
If you look through lists of the best smart rings on the market right now, you’ll see some good options like the Oura Ring 3 and Ultrahuman Ring Air . You’ll also likely see a ton of other lesser-known brands, especially if you start looking in places like Amazon. The downside here is that these cheaper rings can open the door for companies to seriously mishandle your personal medical data.
Of course, smart rings aren’t the only wearable devices that have raised some concerns about the ethics of data collection and storage. Fitness trackers and smartwatches pose the same problems, albeit on a much larger scale. Previously, with smart rings, this wasn’t a big deal because there weren’t many options. However, as we see an increase in the number of smart rings on the market, there will inevitably be more companies promoting devices that don’t fully respect your data. Many of them seem to be building on the potential that companies like Oura have demonstrated, but at their core they’re more like a cheap fitness tracker or smartwatch – not very accurate and riddled with a lack of information about what they’re doing to your health. data.
In short, buying a cheap smart ring may save you money, but it may also put your health data at risk. This is because many of these smart rings are based on licensing agreements that allow a brand company to purchase a ring from someone else, then add their brand to it and ship it as their own product. This happens a lot in other parts of the industry as well, especially the phone case industry (in case you’ve ever wondered why all those random brands on Amazon look the same).
This is something TechRadar covers very well in a report from author Becky Caddy, who details her research into the cheaper side of smart rings. Caddy notes that when talking to various smart ring suppliers and trying to figure out whether their products are licensed, many of them choose to act coy and never really answer the question. This gives the company plenty of opportunities to abuse your trust in their systems, which is a good reason to stay away from anything they offer.
It’s because of these licensing agreements that you really need to be careful about what type of smart ring you buy. You see, when you decide to buy something like the Oura Ring 3, you sign up for the Privacy Policy maintained by Oura , which states that Oura may collect your data, but will not share or sell that information to third parties. or data aggregators. Other companies like Samsung are also taking a strict approach to data, and when the Galaxy Ring comes out, it’s likely we’ll see strict plans to protect your health data.
Additionally, there is also the question of accuracy and how well the sensors included in the cheap smart ring you buy will work. Many of the cheaper smart rings boast a lot of features, but they never lose their accuracy. This is a problem because one of the main reasons to buy a smart ring right now is due to its ability to act as a health and fitness tracker. If you don’t get accurate readings, it won’t do you any good.
If you do want to buy a smart ring, there are some really great options right now. Oura Ring 3 , as I noted above, is one of the best smart rings. Oura does a great job of protecting your privacy, and the accuracy of Ring’s various reports is also excellent. The Ultrahuman Ring is also another solid option for those looking for more of a fitness-focused smart ring, so be sure to check out both of them and compare any cheaper smart rings you might be eyeing for features, accuracy, and privacy policy they offer more expensive rings.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be good smart rings that fall into the cheaper price range. Inevitably we will get better and more affordable smart rings. But if you are going to buy something that will access your data, make sure you are always aware of the risks associated with it.