RingConn's Ultra-Slim Gen 2 Smart Ring Earns SlashGear 'Innovation Award' At IFA 2024

RingConn is making its presence felt at the IFA with its second-generation smart ring, and in quite emphatic fashion. The RingConn Gen 2 Smart Ring, which launched on Kickstarter in August, has already soared past a crowdfunding tally worth nearly $4 million. But what truly stands out about the wearable device is a special health feature.

The RingConn Gen 2 is the first smart ring to offer sleep apnea detection. The company says it has developed its own deep learning-based algorithm that looks out for signs of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Built atop clinical studies conducted in partnership with health and research institutions, the company claims an accuracy of over 90% at recognizing sleep apnea symptoms.

The company is now eyeing FDA certification for the feature. RingConn hopes to leverage the smart ring's sleep apnea detection feature to alleviate the risks of related problems like heart diseases and hypertension.

The first-gen RingConn Smart Ring stood out with its comfortable design, in-depth sleep tracking, and reliable battery life. The successor builds up on that momentum courtesy of its slim design and four colors from which to choose. Tipping the scales at just around 3 grams and a cross-section profile of only 2 millimeters, the Gen 2 Smart Ring stands out as one of the thinnest and lightest options out there. RingConn claims its offering outshines rival products with a profile that is 12% narrower and 23% slimmer.

Color options are black, silver, rose golden and royal gold, with a total of nine sizes to pick from. And yes, RingConn offers a sizing kit with each order to help buyers pick the best size for their fingers. Notably, RingConn also offers a protective cover made out of hypoallergenic silicon material to keep the smart ring in pristine shape, while the ring's shell itself is made from aerospace-grade titanium alloy.

The RingConn Gen 2 Smart Ring is rated to last 10 to 12 days on a single charge, which is dramatically higher than the week-long battery endurance figures promised by the likes of Samsung and Oura for their respective smart rings. Paired with the supplied charging case, the RingConn wearable is said to provide enough juice for 150 days.

The company claims to have achieved those figures thanks to a reimagined efficiency algorithm that tones down power uptake by the circuitry and biosensors by up to 259% margin. The company also adjusted the light pathways and tweaked the microcontroller unit fitted inside the tightly packed chassis to achieve higher battery life.

RingConn Gen 2's suite of health-centric features include detailed shut-eye time tracking that breaks down different sleep stages, overall quality, real-time breathing patterns, and net efficiency of your sleeping period. The next-gen photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor handles heart health analysis by measuring heart rate, variations in the heart rate pattern (HRV), and blood oxygen saturation levels. This data, combined with sleep analysis, ties into the sleep apnea detection system as well.

As far as fitness activities go, the RingConn Gen 2 Smart Ring can detect workouts like running (both indoor and outdoor), cycling, and walking, while relaying details like exercise duration, heart rate (minima and maxima), calories burned, movement speed, and more. Moreover, all of this data is seamlessly integrated within Google Health Connect and Apple Health dashboards as well.

Another noteworthy perk is the stress monitoring system, which evaluates biosensing data collected throughout the day. Based on this information, it assigns a stress index and calculates what RingConn refers to as stress ratio.

RingConn Gen 2 offers notable improvements over its predecessor, and also leapfrogs the competition with the addition of a sleep apnea monitoring facility. Another crucial area where it stands out is the attractive asking price of just $209 during the crowdfunding campaign, and more importantly, a no-subscription approach to offering its health assessment features.

It's also worth pointing out here that core health features are not ecosystem-gated. For example, sleep apnea monitoring and deep sleep pattern customization facilities are available in the same fashion across both Android and iOS platforms.

Mass production of RingConn Gen 2 is already underway, and it will start shipping globally in September. Pre-orders are already live from the product's Kickstarter page, with some rewards in tow for early backers. The smart ring will be available to purchase from the company's official website, and later, via Amazon as well.

As of now, the Super Early Bird price tag of the RingConn Gen 2 Smart Ring stands at $209. The combo deal, which also includes a charging dock as well as a trio of ring protectors, will set you back by $263. Once the early backer period is over and commercial availability kicks into motion, the smart ring will go for an MSRP of $299 a pop. You can also splurge separately on the ring protector and the magnetic charging deck for RingConn's latest and greatest smart ring.