A Wearable Ring Equipped with a Screen Appears to Present More Problems than Benefits
I continue to don the Samsung Galaxy Ring regularly, along with other manufacturers' offerings that have been making their way into my collection throughout the year. At no point have I found myself wanting my ring to display the time. I'm accustomed to wearing a smartwatch, simply lifting my arm and twisting my wrist to glance at the hours and minutes. I never thought a smart ring would replace this function for me.
There's a ring from a company named Rokbid, a name unfamiliar to me, producing what appears to be budget-friendly alternatives to existing smartwatch brands, that claims to introduce the world's first smart ring with a display. The SR08 Ultimate retails at $190 (currently available at $90) and boasts a minuscule OLED touch interface that responds to taps. Based on the promotional images, the display appears to take up a substantial portion of the fingertip's top surface.
The display allows you to swipe to transition between data like time, step count, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and sleep duration. Similar to smartwatches, activity-tracking modes for running, hiking, and cycling are offered. Rokbid claims that their health suite can aid with training by presenting your movement patterns on an app.
The SR08 Ultimate is purportedly waterproof to a depth of 50 meters, as advertised by the manufacturer. I'd be intrigued to learn how well it performs during swimming sessions. While the Galaxy Ring also tracks swimming laps, it fails to supply detailed analysis of the session. I can't fathom a less expensive smart ring outperforming this aspect.
The specifications for the smart ring's components appear ordinary, although I am not familiar with most of these manufacturers. It uses the DIALog DA 14585 chip, a name unknown to me, and its battery should last between 3 and 5 days, falling short of extended battery life offered by top brands like Samsung and Oura Ring, which can maintain charge for up to six days. The reduction in battery life likely results from the need to power the display.
The smart ring's primary objective is to go unnoticed. It has proven beneficial in showcasing an ample quantity of data without interruption. The smartwatch's display can be bothersome by overshadowing other tasks. The smart ring enables me to be more mindful of my check-ins, only accessing the Samsung Health app when ready to engage with the data.
Given that this smart ring with a display is not a flagship product from mainstream brands, I doubt we'll see it becoming mainstream anytime soon. However, it is further proof that future technological innovations, as revealed at CES 2025, will certainly leave us amazed.
The SR08 Ultimate's display-enabled features, such as tracking time, step count, heart rate, and sleep duration, are a promising glimpse into the future of tech-infused wearables. With advancements in technology at CES 2025, we might see more affordable smart rings with improved battery life and display quality.
