This subscription-free smart ring is an Oura alternative I still recommend in 2026

RingConn Gen 2 astute ring

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The RingConn Gen 2 is simply a subscription-free astute ringing for $299.
• It monitors your sleep, activity, stress, and vitals with a marathon artillery life.
• Its idiosyncratic interface feels underdeveloped.

I've tested dozens of astute rings, and astir assertion to person batteries that past astir a week, but marque it to time 5 oregon six earlier dying connected me. Part of the entreaty of astute rings, compared to smartwatches, is expected to beryllium their longer artillery life, truthful what gives? 

Also: My Oura Ring raised a reddish emblem astir my health, and I made the mistake of ignoring it

I've got 1 for you if you privation a astute ringing with a genuinely competitory artillery life. I've been investigating the RingConn Gen 2 astute ringing that boasts 10 to 12 days -- importantly much than immoderate of the astir fashionable rings connected the market. In addition, it comes with different perks -- and a fewer drawbacks -- that acceptable it apart. 

Right disconnected the bat, the RingConn 2 has immoderate greenish flags. Unlike competing astute ringing brands with products that commencement astatine $350 and spell each the mode up to $400 oregon $450, this astute ringing costs $300 -- and has nary subscription gatekeeping your wellness data. Sizing starts astatine six and goes done size 14, and you tin get the ringing successful 3 colors: silver, black, and gold. 

The physique of the ringing is much quadrate than circular, but I recovered myself unbothered by this unsocial shape. It fits comfortably astir my digit with nary problems. Despite steadfast and predominant wear, the ringing doesn't tarnish easily, either. 

Also: I bricked my iPhone to forestall doomscrolling - and accidentally fixed my life

The RingConn Gen 2 comes with a lawsuit that extends its already impressively agelong artillery life, powering the astute ring's bare artillery for implicit 150+ days. As idiosyncratic who is perpetually charging respective wearable devices astatine a time, this long-lasting charging lawsuit you tin usage untethered from an outlet is simply a immense plus. 

The RingConn Gen 2 measures your vitals, sleep, activity, and stress, but doesn't measurement readiness -- a communal metric astir wellness tracks see these days. Instead, it provides a Wellness Balance feature. It takes each of your information and displays it successful a flower-like graph, with longer petals for the biometrics that are gathering oregon exceeding the recommended benchmarks and shorter petals for those that aren't. 

When each your petals are the aforesaid length, it indicates that your wellness is astatine equilibrium. It's a originative approach, and I liked that I could spot each the important information displayed successful specified a digestible and ocular mode close arsenic I opened the app. 

RingConn's Wellness Balance compiles your activity, sleep, vitals, and accent scores into a holistic illustration of your health. 

Screenshot by Nina Raemont/ZDNET

Also: This is the astir antithetic wellness tracker I've seen yet, but the plan makes astonishing sense

Hardcore trainers usage the readiness oregon vigor diagnostic connected their astute ringing apps to gauge however aggravated their workout regimen should beryllium for the day. If that's you, you mightiness beryllium displeased with the Wellness Balance functionality, and I'd urge the Oura Ring, Ultrahuman Ring, oregon Galaxy Ring instead. 

The app besides delivers scores alongside context, which is helpful. I was sick 1 time portion investigating the ringing and spent the full time sleeping. Because of each the clip I spent successful bed, it warned maine that excessively overmuch slumber tin dilatory down my metabolism oregon pb to value gain. 

Also: The champion astute rings of 2025: I tested and recovered an evident winner

RingConn says that the artillery connected its second-generation ringing lasts up to 10 to 12 days, but successful my testing, I recovered that it lone lasted seven. Still, that's acold longer than the artillery lives of different astute rings I've tried, which past 4 to 5 days connected a azygous charge. I tin accidental without a uncertainty that this astute ringing has the astir awesome artillery beingness retired of each marque I've tried. 

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

According to its website, the RingConn Gen 2 besides boasts a slumber apnea detection diagnostic with 90.7% accuracy. If you're a chronic snorer looking to larn much astir however your breathing impacts you passim the night, the slumber apnea diagnostic could assistance show your condition. 

It tells you erstwhile determination are important oregon insignificant outliers successful your slumber passim the night, providing not lone a graph detailing this but besides a timeline showing erstwhile your SpO2 fluctuated during the night. 

I wore the Oura Ring 4 successful tandem with the RingConn Gen 2 and recovered that the second seems to underestimate some the clip I walk dormant and the steps I instrumentality passim the day. 

Also: Our favourite Cyber Week deals

On a steadfast nighttime of sleep, Oura recorded 8 hours and 2 minutes, a slumber ratio of 94%, and a slumber people of 90. RingConn recorded an 84 slumber score, 7 hours and 45 minutes asleep, and a slumber ratio of 91%. In some cases, RingConn is subtracting astir 15 minutes from my night's sleep. 

The 1 country wherever I consciousness RingConn's astute ringing is lacking is its idiosyncratic interface. The app feels underdeveloped, and immoderate of the messages lacked idiosyncratic discourse that proved they were being generated from my ain data. On 1 bully slumber people day, each that it said erstwhile I clicked connected the slumber tab was: "Good slumber makes you happy." I anticipation the recommendations tin go much tailored and informative successful aboriginal updates.   

ZDNET's buying advice

I enjoyed astir aspects of wearing this subscription-free astute ring, and astatine $300, it's 1 I'd urge to those looking for an alternate to Oura's subscription-based services. Especially if you privation artillery beingness that volition past you a week. 

The idiosyncratic interface is simply a small under-developed, and immoderate of the wellness insights look a small impersonal. But otherwise, the RingConn Gen 2 is an awesome astute ringing with connected the cheaper extremity of the spectrum.