Last updated January 13th, 2025 17:38
I’ve been following the smart ring segment since the first Oura Ring, and these gadgets have fascinated me with their features. However, I didn’t buy the first Oura Ring, and the subsequent versions deterred me due to the controversial subscription model, which, in the long run, costs almost as much as a second ring. This is particularly relevant if we consider that the ring’s lifespan is around four years due to the non-replaceable battery.
Because of the subscription model, I started exploring other companies in the smart ring space. About a year ago, I decided to purchase the Ultrahuman Ring. While there are plenty of reviews for the ring online, few offer long-term experiences with it. That’s why I chose not to write a standard review detailing its features but instead focus on what it’s actually like to live with the ring.
Because while it’s an impressive piece of technology, it also comes with its fair share of issues.
Ultrahuman is an innovative company focused on the field of longevity and health monitoring. Their goal is to provide users with a comprehensive overview of their health and offer tools to improve it. The company is headquartered in Bengaluru, India, and develops and manufactures a range of health devices and applications.
What Ultrahuman Offers:
- Ultrahuman Ring AIR: A smart ring that monitors various health metrics such as heart rate, sleep quality, skin temperature, and more. The data is analyzed using artificial intelligence, and users receive personalized recommendations to improve their health.
- Ultrahuman M1: A continuous glucose monitor that allows users to track their blood glucose levels throughout the day.
- Ultrahuman Home: A home health device that monitors environmental factors that may impact health, such as air quality and humidity.
- Blood Tests: The company also offers various blood tests that provide detailed information about the user’s health status.
How Ultrahuman Works:
Using wearable devices and applications, Ultrahuman collects data about the user’s health. This data is then analyzed using advanced algorithms and artificial intelligence. Based on these analyses, users are provided with personalized recommendations to improve their health.
Why Ultrahuman Is Interesting:
- Innovative Technology: The company utilizes cutting-edge technology to develop its products.
- Comprehensive Approach to Health: Ultrahuman offers holistic solutions for monitoring and improving health.
- Personalized Approach: Through data analysis, users can receive tailored recommendations.
Who is Ultrahuman for?
Primarily, based on my experience with the ring, I would say it’s mainly for geeks and tech enthusiasts. If you are looking for something simple that will collect data and requires no effort on your part, I’m afraid I will disappoint you. Ultrahuman is not for you. At least, that’s my experience. The ring is great for measuring values related to your heart, sleep, and recovery, but it’s not entirely without issues. If I were to define the target audience for whom Ultrahuman would be suitable, it would mainly be people who don’t mind not only monitoring the metrics and features of the ring but also comparing them with other devices. Additionally, you will sometimes have to manually update the firmware to a different version because the current one will have some “bugs.”
And why would you actually need to update the current firmware? If you are satisfied with measuring trends in movement, calories burned, skin temperature, or heart function, you will be happy. But if you try to get the most accurate data from the ring and compare the numbers with other devices, you will be disappointed. You will reach a point where you’ll be trying out new firmware every other week to get somewhat closer to accurate numbers. It’s sad, but that’s how it is. I will get to this in more detail below.
First issues after just two months of use
Why is Ultrahuman, in my opinion, not entirely reliable?
I’m currently testing my second ring and can compare the two. The first issue arose in the second month of use with the first ring. The ring frequently disconnected from the phone, and it wasn’t possible to reconnect via Bluetooth. Sometimes, it would take several attempts to establish a connection. This went on for about three weeks until the ring stopped connecting altogether. The device itself still worked—it continued measuring and collecting data. The LEDs indicated that it was active, gathering health metrics. However, all this was pointless if you couldn’t transfer the data to the app for evaluation.
Fortunately, I must praise Ultrahuman’s customer support (I’ll address this later). I contacted them via the app’s chat feature, and after about an hour of communication and sharing screenshots, they immediately acknowledged the defect. They promptly sent a replacement ring. The package was shipped in about five days and arrived from India within two weeks. Customs duties and taxes were covered by Ultrahuman. All I had to do was fill out DHL’s customs forms. That’s how I received the second ring.
Issues with Metrics
Subsequent problems were software-related but no less frustrating. Initially, the default firmware sometimes stopped measuring. For instance, you’d check the app and notice three hours of missing data. This is particularly annoying if, during those three hours, you went for a run or a walk. At the end of the day, you’d end up with completely skewed metrics about your performance and condition.
I contacted support again, and they guided me through updating the firmware, which resolved the issue. This would have been great if it hadn’t introduced another problem: the ring started counting an absurd number of steps. For example, if you worked six hours at your computer without leaving your desk, the ring might record 9,000 steps. It registered every hand movement on the keyboard as a step. I reached out to support once more, and they acknowledged the issue, which was caused by a flawed step-counting algorithm. Unfortunately, this error affected the entire day’s measurements. Even if you spent the day at work, the metrics would show results as if you’d been on an all-day hike. A new firmware update was promised within two weeks.
After two weeks, a new firmware update was released, which fixed the step overcounting issue—only to introduce undercounting. For instance, if you walked 16,000 steps on a hike, the ring would record just 9,000. This again resulted in inaccurate metrics for activity and recovery.
To summarize, I’m now on my fifth firmware version, and the step counting is still unreliable. The same goes for calorie tracking. On the same route, with the same effort and step count, the ring might calculate 360 kcal burned one time and 1,200 kcal another. It’s simply not dependable.
Unfortunately, the same issues occur with sleep tracking. Sometimes, the ring decides not to track your sleep at all. On multiple occasions, I woke up to find no sleep metrics. While this might not seem like a big deal, other app features rely on sleep data to calculate your overall daily condition. Without sleep data, the app doesn’t provide additional metrics like recovery, leaving you without information for the entire day.
What works well with Ultrahuman?
To be fair, Ultrahuman has excellent customer support and a great app. Yes, I’ve faced many issues with the ring, but it seems the latest firmware is starting to work reasonably well. Whenever I encountered a problem, customer support was outstanding. They respond almost immediately and genuinely work to resolve issues. If your ring breaks physically (not due to your fault), they quickly offer assistance and send a replacement, including a charger, free of charge. I haven’t experienced such helpful and responsive support in years.
What I also appreciate about Ultrahuman is their app. As mentioned earlier, it’s geared more toward geeks who enjoy detailed data and don’t mind digging into it. If you’re looking for a simple overview of your health, you might be better off with Oura. But if you want raw data and detailed insights, Ultrahuman is perfect for you.
The app itself isn’t just for collecting and interpreting data from the ring. It’s essentially a health hub. You can access meditation, yoga, and breathing exercise courses, using their tutorials to better understand your body’s signals. Guided breathing exercises are also available. The app teaches you to breathe correctly in various situations, such as stress, improving focus, or preparing for sleep. During breathing exercises, the ring measures heart metrics (heart rate and HRV) and temperature, which is fantastic.
Thanks to Ultrahuman, I’ve made breathing exercises a regular part of my routine or a pre-sleep ritual. It genuinely helps, as you can verify over time through improved sleep tracking and lower heart rates.
On the other hand, the Czech language in the app would need many corrections, and it’s clear that the translation was done machine-wise, for example using artificial intelligence. Some phrases are not translated at all, others don’t make sense (for example, in sleep, “light” is translated as “light” instead of “shallow sleep,” etc.).
Does it make sense to get Ultrahuman?
That is a question with no clear answer. Honestly, if Oura didn’t have a subscription, I would choose this ring after these experiences. It’s a safe bet. On the other hand, for a relatively reasonable price, you get a pretty good piece of fairly well-equipped hardware. The rest is about the software inside, which Ultrahuman really updates and improves regularly, every 14 days.
Personally, Ultrahuman helped me improve my heart metrics. I started walking and running more thanks to it, I see much more of a difference when I go to bed late versus on time. Additionally, I started regularly exercising with breathing exercises, I’m trying cold showers thanks to the ring, and many other things. This device really makes you care a little more about how your body works and how you can better influence your health and turn it to the better. So for me, it definitely makes sense. The question, of course, is the price, because for 9000 CZK, you can buy smartwatches that can also measure the same things today. The advantage of the ring is mainly its size, because not everyone is used to sleeping with watches on their wrist. The ring itself is small and very lightweight. After a while, you completely forget you’re wearing it. The second advantage is that the ring is really a silent data collector and analyzer. It doesn’t disturb you with notifications or vibrations. And last but not least, as I’ve mentioned, Ultrahuman has a really great app that gives you detailed data, which I haven’t found anywhere with smartwatches.
So in the end, you have to answer for yourself whether these benefits and negatives are worth spending around 9000 CZK. The ring is simply not flawless, and it’s necessary to consider this before purchasing. But who knows, maybe over time Ultrahuman will manage to fine-tune the firmware enough that all these problems disappear, and it will be truly a perfect piece of hardware without errors. Only time will tell.
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