RingConn vs Evie Ring: Battle of the subscription-free smart rings
If you’re looking for a comprehensive smart ring without the recurring costs of a subscription-based model then the RingConn and Evie Ring warrant a side-by-side comparison. Launched in early 2023, the RingConn promises robust functionality for both men and women. Meanwhile, the Evie Ring, released in March 2024, has garnered attention for its women’s health focus.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
This in-depth comparison takes a close look at both rings, drawing upon my hands-on experience with the RingConn alongside insights from industry experts and user feedback. Let’s dive straight in.
Key takeaways
RingConn boasts a slightly more mature platform and longer battery life, making it a solid choice for both men and women. The Evie Ring tracks largely the same metrics, but stands out with its emphasis on women’s health, mood tracking functionality, and the exciting potential for future medical-grade monitoring capabilities.
View on RingConn, Movano Health. For $10 off on RingConn, at checkout use discount code: BFD50EC113.
Jump to
Hardware
Technical specs
Features
Price
Bottom line
RingConn vs Evie Ring: the differences explained: Hardware
Look & feel
RingConn is a unisex device. Evie Ring is primarily designed for women, but can also be worn by men.
As you’d expect, the two devices adopt a circular design for a smooth, comfortable wearing experience. However, a key difference lies in the Evie Ring’s unique open design. This allows for some flexibility, accommodating natural finger swelling throughout the day or due to hormonal changes, ensuring a consistently comfortable fit.
The rings employ durable materials for daily wear; the RingConn uses titanium with a PVD coating, while the Evie Ring is crafted from liquid metal, a zirconium-based amorphous alloy with a titanium PVD coating. This translates to robust and lightweight rings that are non-allergenic and shouldn’t irritate the skin.
Size options are important for a perfect fit. The RingConn offers 9 sizes for optimal comfort, while the Evie Ring comes with slightly fewer sizing options. Both rings generally ensure a snug and secure fit without feeling too tight or restrictive. RingConn’s design parameters are set at 7.8mm in width and 2.6mm in thickness. The Evie Ring is slightly larger, at 8mm wide and 3mm thick.
As for water resistance, the RingConn boasts an IP68/5ATM rating, making it suitable for swimming and showering. The Evie Ring offers protection up to 1 meter of water, which covers daily hand-washing and likely light splashes, but not full submersion like swimming. So that’s an important difference to be aware of.
When it comes to color choices, the RingConn shines with its options of Moonlit Silver, Midnight Black, and Pale Gold. Meanwhile, Evie Ring goes for a classic yet stylish approach with Silver, Gold, and Rose Gold variations. So something there for everyone.
Sensor technology
As far as underlying tech, RingConn includes an infrared sensor, red and green sensors, along with a skin temperature. The Evie Ring also boasts red and green LEDs, infrared PPG sensors, skin temperature sensors, photodiodes, and a 3D accelerometer. So not much difference there.
Importantly, Movano Health is conducting clinical trials to explore the Evie Ring’s potential for measuring blood pressure and non-invasively monitoring blood glucose levels. They are also seeking FDA approval for the Evie Ring as a medical device. However, it’s crucial to remember that these capabilities are still in development, and their future availability is not guaranteed. If those are the features you are primarily interested in, you might want to hold off purchasing for now.
Battery life
As far as battery life, the RingConn advertises up to 7 days on a single charge. We found this initially to be the case with our sample, but after a few months the battery life depleted somewhat. Now we can get about 4-5 days between charges. Which is still respectable. The device fully recharges in about an hour and a half, and there’s a portable charging case that can be used to top up the battery from zero to full a whopping 18 times.
On the other hand, the Evie Ring offers a shorter advertised battery life of up to 4 days, so a bit less than RingConn. It too has a charging case, that holds enough power for over 10 additional ring charges. The Evie Ring also charges quite rapidly, achieving full charge within about an hour, which is very efficient.
RingConn vs Evie Ring: Technical specs
The following table showcases the technical specifications of the RingConn and Evie Ring:
Specification | RingConn | Evie Ring |
---|---|---|
Release Date | January 2023 | March 2024 |
Case Material | Durable titanium, PVD Coating, Non-allergenic, seamless inner molding | Liquidmetal, zirconium-based amorphous alloy, titanium PVD coating |
Shape | Circular | Circular, open design |
Size | Width: 7.8mm, Thickness: 2.6mm (9 size options) | Width: 8mm, Thickness: 3mm |
Weight (without strap) | 3 to 5 grams (depending on ring size) | 3.2 to 3.7 grams (depending on ring size) |
Sensors | Infrared, Red and Green, temperature sensors | Red and green LEDs, Infrared PPG sensors, skin temperature, photodiodes, 3D accelerometer |
Water-resistance | IP68/5ATM dustproof and waterproof | Up to 1 meter |
Connection | BLE 5.2, EMF-Safe, Allows Airplane Mode | BLE, EMF-Safe, Allows Airplane Mode |
Battery Life | Up to 7 days, Full charge in 90 minutes, portable charging case | Up to 4 days, charging case holds 10+ ring charges |
Colors | Moonlit Silver, Midnight Black, Pale Gold | Silver, Gold, Rose Gold |
Typical RRP | $279, no subscription | $269, no subscription |
RingConn vs Evie Ring: Features
These devices offer the typical functionality you’d expect from a respectable smart ring. This includes detailed sleep analysis (stages, duration, quality), heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) tracking for stress and recovery insights, activity tracking (steps, calories), and skin temperature monitoring.
The RingConn benefits from a slightly more mature platform as it has been available for a longer period. This translates to a more refined user experience and a wider range of supported features. The company is also very active and dishes out software and firmware upgrades on a regular basis.
Where the Evie Ring distinguishes itself is its emphasis on women’s health. It leverages temperature data and other metrics to aid in menstrual cycle tracking, ovulation prediction, and understanding overall cycle patterns. This dedicated focus sets the Evie Ring apart from the more general health tracking approach of the RingConn.
The Evie Ring also stands out with its unique mood tracking feature. By combining physiological data collected by the ring with user input, it aims to provide insights into mood patterns and potential correlations with other tracked health metrics. This potentially allows for a more holistic understanding of your well-being.
RingConn vs Evie Ring: Price
As far as price, the RingConn and Evie Ring are positioned as affordable alternatives to subscription-based smart rings like the Oura Ring. The RingConn has a price tag of $279, while the Evie Ring is slightly more affordable at $269. So the difference is negligible, particularly as RingConn can often be picked up at a discount.
What’s also worth noting, neither of these rings requires a monthly subscription fee. Which is refreshing. This means you get access to all their health and wellness tracking features with a one-time upfront cost, offering potential long-term savings compared to subscription models.
RingConn vs Evie Ring: Final thoughts
The RingConn and Evie Ring offer great alternatives to Oura Ring, that both come without the burden of subscriptions. The RingConn stands out with its slightly longer battery life, mature platform, and broader appeal for both men and women. The Evie Ring, on the other hand, distinguishes itself with its open design with a gap, women’s health focus, unique mood tracking, and the exciting potential for future medical-grade features like blood pressure and glucose monitoring.
If you’re looking for a solid all-around health tracker with a proven track record, the RingConn delivers. If women’s health features and the possibility of advanced medical monitoring pique your interest, the Evie Ring is worth considering, keeping in mind those potential additional capabilities are still in development.
View on RingConn, Movano Health. For $10 off on RingConn, at checkout use discount code: BFD50EC113.
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