The RingConn Gen 2 Introduces Sleep Apnea Monitoring To The Smart Ring

This content was paid for by RingConn and written by SlashGear.

I've been wondering for a while now if I might have sleep apnea, since I've lost count of the mornings I've woken up exhausted or the times I've suddenly jumped out of bed in the middle of the night gasping for air. That's exactly why I was so excited to try out the RingConn Gen 2 Smart Ring — the first smart ring that can detect sleep apnea.

For those suffering from the disorder or just otherwise interested in improving their sleep health, stress levels, or general well-being, the RingConn Smart Ring offers a convenient and effective hi-tech solution that is simple to use. It's no wonder the innovative product has already raised nearly $4 million from more than 16,000 backers on Kickstarter from August 1. The RingConn Smart Ring is also making waves in tech circles, attracting attention from over 100 top-tier media outlets and influencers at CES 2024.

Established in 2021 by top international scientists and doctors, RingConn has been collaborating with leading research institutions to address global health challenges and revolutionize the wearable market by transforming laboratory prototypes into commercial products that everyday people can use and take advantage of. The startup has demonstrated its robust technical expertise in hardware, software, and state-of-the-art algorithms and has already produced numerous patents and publications in top journals.

With its groundbreaking breakthroughs, the company is committed to improving human health and delivering more accurate, convenient, and professional health management with intelligent wearables — including the RingConn Gen 2 Smart Ring, which offers unprecedented detection for sleep apnea while also further advancing the wearable technology in other ways.

The very first thing I noticed when I took the RingConn Gen 2 Smart Ring out of the box was how incredibly light it was — I'm not exaggerating when I say it practically feels weightless. The ring is about 2 millimeters thick and weighs just 2-3 grams. As I tested it over several days, I would often forget I was even wearing it. I always considered my Apple Watch fairly lightweight, but after more than a week with the RingConn Gen 2, the smartwatch now feels like a piece of iron shackled to my wrist.

As someone who doesn't typically wear jewelry, I was also concerned that I just wouldn't like walking around wearing a smart ring. However, its subtle and stylish aesthetic — which features an inner circle and an outer square design that is meticulously crafted to provide a snug and comfortable fit on your finger — manages to blend in while also simultaneously looking fashionable. I loved the unassuming black matte look of my ring, though I have friends and family who I know would prefer one of the other gloss options that are available, which include gold, silver, and rose gold.

Depending on which size you get, the device has a minimum thickness of 2 millimeters and a weight of 2 grams in its smallest size (size 6,) making the RingConn Gen 2 both the world's thinnest and lightest smart ring ever made. This is especially surprising, considering that the device packs several sensors into its frame, including a body temperature sensor, a three-axis accelerometer, and a PPG sensor that can detect minute changes in the blood volume of microvascular tissue, allowing it to better gather the data it needs to measure your sleep health. Additionally, the ring includes a low-power Bluetooth module.

While smartwatches and other wearables will often come with similar technology, smart rings are way less obtrusive, which makes it so much easier to monitor your body and health without having to think about it. However, because they're so small, health-focused smart rings have traditionally posed a significant engineering challenge — how do you pack in all those hundreds of specialized components needed to provide accurate and useful information while keeping the ring light and comfortable to wear?

Dr. Wang Guoxing, founder of RingConn and former vice president of the IEEE Biomedical Circuits and Systems Society, and his team have taken insights learned from the previous-generation RingConn to create a revolutionary new wearable health monitor that addresses this engineering challenge and expertly balances sophisticated electronics with user comfort. The cutting-edge low-power technology designed and employed by RingConn represents a breakthrough in wearable technology for both advanced health monitoring and unobtrusive wearability.

Including a wealth of sensors while keeping the device lightweight is one thing — but are these sensors actually accurate? Over the course of more than a week, I tried to put every metric to the test. I slept with the ring, I worked out with the ring, and I watched a lot of "House of the Dragon" with the ring. At the same time, I also wore the Apple Watch I've reliably used for years. By comparing the data, including my heart rate, sleep states, and calories burned, I was able to see that both devices pretty much gave me the same measurements.

For example, both devices (and companion apps) broke down any given night of rest into four sleep stages: awake, REM, core, and deep sleep, showing me exactly how much — and when — I was in each stage. According to both the RingConn Gen 2 and Apple Watch, I was able to reach deep sleep four times between 11pm and 3am. That means that either the RingConn Gen 2 accurately read my sleep or that both devices somehow coincidentally are giving me the exact same incorrect measurements, which is highly unlikely.

Jack Picone/SlashGear

Using this testing method, I wasn't able to compare my skin temperature measurements — because the Apple Watch doesn't provide any. It also doesn't present me with easy-to-track scores for my sleep, activity levels, or stress management, which RingConn does. On top of that, I was finally able to measure my sleep for any signs of sleep apnea, which the Apple Watch simply cannot do. While both devices measured similar data and gave me similar results, the RingConn app presents it in a cleaner interface that's easier to read. I could quickly scroll through my night's data and see my heart rate, HRV, and other metrics.

Looking back at the night both devices told me I had four stages of deep sleep, I also appreciated that the RingConn app would tell me whether each metric was in the normal range or not, and provide me with an overview as well as some brief advice. (Since I was in the normal range that night, the app told me simply to, "Keep it up!.") It also gave me an overall score — that night I received a decent "79" and was told that my time awake ratio (19%) was "improvable". It's also really great that I can easily adjust the settings so that the app displays the metrics in the order I prefer. Between writing tech reviews and having a four-year-old son, I don't often get a chance to nap — so I moved the nap data to the very bottom of my metrics so I won't have to waste time scrolling past it every time I check my sleep stats.

Jack Picone/SlashGear

Obviously, there's no display on the smart ring. Instead you get all the data it measures through the RingConn app. I always dread getting a new device because the setup — especially installing any necessary software and pairing it with your smartphone — inevitably leads to some hiccup or headache. However, I literally had the RingConn Gen 2 up and running within two minutes of unboxing it. Setup and pairing was near instantaneous, thanks in part to the very simple and straightforward instructions included with the device.

Not only is the app simple to set up — it's just as simple to use. I get all the information I need at a quick glance, thanks to a clean, colorful interface and a well-designed graph that shows you an analysis of your vital signs, sleep, activity, and stress management. This same infographic also simultaneously compares this wellness balance to the day and week before, making it easy to spot trends. More in-depth analysis can be found by scrolling down or with a tap or two to dig deeper into the data the smart ring has collected.

You can also initiate activity tracking with a large one-tap button that's available on the home screen. This was especially useful for me, as I was constantly using the smart ring to track all of my walks and runs. There's also a dedicated cycling tracker, though I was a little disappointed the app didn't offer additional activities, such as ellipticals and strength training. However, RingConn says that more activities will be added to the app over time, which won't be an issue with my current device, since it's capable of over-the-air updates.

In addition to activity tracking, the RingConn Gen 2 offers several other functions, including allowing you to explore your sleep and nap habits to better improve your sleep quality and revitalize your body. Other features include stress management tools, menstrual forecasts, and the ability to monitor your heart rate, blood oxygen level, and other vital signs to better gauge your overall wellness. In addition to the "scores" you get for sleep, stress, and activity, the app also gives you brief advice and encouragement on how to improve these scores, as well as what you're getting right.

Even better, the device is compatible with iPhone's native Apple Health app — so I can seamlessly incorporate the data gathered by the smart ring into the trends and measurements I've been tracking for years. I also appreciate that RingConn designed the app to work for tablets, allowing me to use my iPad's larger screen size when I really want to dive deep into my metrics.

The RingConn app and device are also Android and IOS compatible, and best of all, there is no subscription fee to use this app. This is a huge benefit that many competitive smart rings and other wearable trackers simply don't offer. Since I was feeling out this product and hadn't yet committed to wearing it full-time, I was especially appreciative that I could try it out at no additional cost. Remarkably, even its most advanced features, like sleep apnea detection, aren't locked behind a premium subscription paywall — so I made sure to test out this groundbreaking tool the very first night I wore the smart ring.

Testing out the RingConn Gen 2, I was especially interested to try out its innovative new sleep apnea detection abilities. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a potentially serious sleep disorder where your breathing repeatedly stops and starts as you sleep. It can frequently go unnoticed — nearly a billion people worldwide suffer from the disorder and many of them may not even realize it. Snoring loudly or feeling tired despite a full night's sleep may be symptoms of sleep apnea. If sleep apnea is not treated effectively, it can lead to other medical conditions, such as hypertension, irregular heartbeats, cardiovascular incidents, diabetes, cognitive decline, and — in severe instances — even death.

While there are currently some devices on the market that can monitor sleep apnea, they're not that practical to use in your daily life. Conventional diagnosis of OSA can involve overnight stays in sleep laboratories that use specialized equipment, and can be an expensive and extremely inconvenient and daunting process. That's exactly why the RingConn Gen 2 Smart Ring is such an important innovation in the field. Using AI and deep learning, RingConn has developed an OSA detection model that can gather and evaluate sleep-related data by employing algorithm processing and precise data generation to deliver a 90.7% accurate rate for identifying OSA. Its potential for medical applications is so beneficial that RingConn is actively pursuing FDA clearance for the OSA monitoring feature.

The RingConn Gen 2 cleverly uses colored LED lights on the inner band to let you know what it's up to. When I activated the sleep apnea detection feature, I could tell it was working by the unobtrusive red glow peeking out from underneath. A few days into my trial, I especially loved this feature because I didn't have to go into my phone to check and see if I remembered to turn on the detection or not.

RingConn uses patented EcoPower technology to refine optical pathways and enhance algorithms that allow for reduced power consumption while maintaining the performance of the device. Simply put, this equates to up to 10 to 12 days of battery life per charge, with over 150 days of use available when paired with RingConn's portable charging case. The case takes up very little shelf space and resembles a jewelry box. The ring snaps right into place on its designated charging spot inside the case, which can be recharged with an included USB-C cable.

Competitor smart rings are lucky to reach half this battery life. Plus, the device's advanced MCU chip provides faster processing speeds and improved performance, while also using the battery power as efficiently as possible. If you think all of this sophisticated hardware makes the RingConn Gen 2 Smart Ring especially delicate, you'd be mistaken. It's durably built and meets the highest dust and water resistance standard — IP68.

It will even continue to function at depths of up to 100 meters underwater. As a germaphobe who washes his hand a million times a day, I was worried the ring would quickly lose its matte black coating. However, the constant exposure to running water, as well as sweat and sunlight from my workouts, did nothing to affect the look — or performance — of the device. Unfortunately, though, I didn't get a chance to test the smart ring in the pool or at the beach (poor me).

By comfortably and unobtrusively providing continuous sleep apnea monitoring and offering users daily insights into their health, the RingConn Gen 2 pushes the boundaries of wearable technology. Its ultra-slim profile and innovative redesigns of key components — including the battery structure, charging method, processing chip, and circuit layout — truly represent a revolution in health-monitoring wearables. You can see for yourself and take advantage of RingConn's impressive new device by pre-ordering the RingConn Gen 2 Smart Ring on Kickstarter for $209. Following its crowdfunding campaign, the smart ring will be available for purchase through RingConn's official website, as well as retailers such as Amazon, at an MSRP of $299.