I ditched my smart ring for the Fitbit Air; I’m never going back — here is a clear breakdown of what happened and why it matters right now.
The details below put the news in context: the key points first, the background after.
The Fitbit Air might not have taken the world by storm, but considering the $100 device isn’t much more than a fitness tracker minus a screen, the fact it made large ripples is a big achievement by itself.
I’ve made no secret of how much I love my Fitbit Air. The discrete armband has effectively replaced a smartwatch or other fitness tracker for me, and I wear it almost all the time now.
Categorizing the Fitbit Air as a fitness tracker feels wrong, somehow. With its lack of a screen and basic tracking, and limited sensors, I’d say it has more in common with a smart ring.
I’ve used a smart ring before, and while the two devices have a lot in common, I would boldly state the Fitbit Air is a lot better than the Samsung Galaxy Ring I’ve used previously.
I’d go as far as to say the Fitbit Air is a better product than any smart ring available today.
Your next fitness tracker won’t have a screen, but it will have AI
They track your basic vitals and exercises, without being as obvious as a smartwatch or fitness tracker.
They do this by foregoing a display and keeping their profiles low.
In the case of a smart ring, that’s by being a ring. For the Fitbit Air, it looks like a strap on your wrist.
But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit there were some big differences in how they fit.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring, and any smart ring, really, is what it is.
You buy it in a specific size, and, given it’s a solid piece of technologies, that’s the size you’ve got.
You would have bought a specific size to fit onto a specific finger, and unless your other digits are a similar size, you’re not really able to change where you wear it.
You can wear it tight, loose, around your wrist, upper arm, or even your ankle, if the strap is big enough.
People have attached watches to the strap, doubling up on its usefulness, and you can even 3D print straps if you want.
The Fitbit Air is simply far, far more adaptable and versatile.
From step counts to smartwatches — how well do you really know Fitbit and its iconic devices?
What was the name of Fitbit’s very first wearable fitness tracker, released in 2009?
Which Fitbit device was the first to feature a built-in GPS?
What is the name of Fitbit’s health and wellness subscription service, launched in 2020?
The Fitbit Versa 2 introduced which virtual assistant feature?
Which Fitbit model was the first to receive an ECG (electrocardiogram) app for detecting atrial fibrillation?
The Fitbit Ionic smartwatch was discontinued by Fitbit in 2022. What was the primary reason given for the recall?
This one is fairly straightforward — the Air is a lot cheaper than most smart rings.
If you want to buy a smart ring, you’re generally looking to part with at least $400. The Oura Ring 5 starts at $399, while the Galaxy Ring starts at a similarly high value.
Cheaper options are available that bring the entry price down, but ultimately, none can match the Fitbit Air’s $100 price tag.
Granted, you get more for your money. The Air doesn’t feel like a budget device by any means, but it cannot match the premium materials smart rings are made from.
Plus, several smart rings offer more features than the Fitbit Air. For instance, the Oura Ring 5 can monitor your temperature and warn you if you’re at risk for illness based on deviations from your norm.
Smart rings look and feel more high-end than the Fitbit Air ever could, but that means a much higher price.
Still, if you’re looking for a basic tracker you don’t have to pay attention to, the Air’s low price is hard to argue against.
The larger asking price for a smart ring hurts even more when you realize it has little to no resale value.
I mentioned earlier that the Fitbit Air’s different straps mean it’s more adaptable to your needs. It also means it’s possible to sell it or give it away when you’re done with it.
Don’t get me wrong, you can give your smart ring away, as long as whoever you’re giving it to has your exact finger size.
Okay, so that’s not exactly correct. If their fingers are slightly smaller, they can add ring adjusters to make it fit properly, or use homebrew methods, like small dabs of glue to shrink the ring’s inner slightly.
But even so, it’s a big additional hurdle that few other pieces of smart tech have.
I flat-out don’t want my Galaxy Ring anymore, but I can’t be bothered to go through the hassle of selling or giving it away.
And why don’t I want it anymore? Well, it all comes down to the next point.
Smart rings are miniature trackers crammed into a tiny ring, and that’s very cool.
However, that tech requires a battery, and lithium-ion batteries are … well, they’re not things you mess around with.
Lithium-ion batteries tend to become “spicy pillows” as they age, expanding and eventually exploding.
This is a serious problem for all smart tech, and a big reason why you should keep an eye on all of your smart devices and check them from time to time.
Yes, this is a fairly rare event for most people, but we’ve already seen examples of it happening.
With most wearable tech, it’s a horrible moment and a shock, but you can at least quickly take off a watch or a fitness tracker.
A smart ring, though? You need to slide that off, but if the battery has already expanded, you might find it impossible to remove.
Yeah, I don’t want to end up in that position, and it’s put me right off the idea of smart rings.
I thought it could be a great way to forgo wearing a smartwatch in favor of something lower tech, and I was right. But the Fitbit Air does it better.
It’s more comfortable to wear, is more adaptable to my life, and it’s a device I can see myself wearing long-term.
Smart rings have their advantages, yes, and they’re far prettier than the Air.
But I can’t get over that resale options are limited, and the idea of having an exploding ring stuck to my finger. That one haunts me at night.
The Fitbit Air delivers everything I want a smart ring for, and it does it for far less than any smart ring. It’s the one I’d buy again and again over a smart ring.
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