Ultrahuman Ring Air vs Amazfit Helio: Innovative features or exercise precision
In recent months, I’ve had the opportunity to publish hands-on reviews of both the Amazfit Helio and the Ultrahuman Ring Air. The former, launched just over a month ago, represents a significant milestone as the first smart ring from a major smartwatch brand. This move has been quickly followed by Samsung’s entry into the market with its Galaxy Ring. In contrast, Ultrahuman has been a player in the smart ring arena for more than a year, building a reputation and refining its offerings.
As you’ll find out from my comparison below, Ultrahuman Ring Air impresses with its comprehensive updates, a constant stream of new features, and a remarkably well-designed app. On the other hand, the Amazfit Helio shines in its accuracy of heart rate monitoring during activity tracking, leveraging Zepp Health’s extensive experience in fitness wearables.
But there’s more. Continue reading to find out exactly what else sets these two rings apart.
Ultrahuman Ring Air can be purchased on Amazon / Ultrahuman. The device typically retails for $350. The $299 Amazfit Helio is available on the Amazfit website.
Read my detailed hands-on reviews: Ultrahuman Ring Air, Amazfit Helio.
Amazfit Helio vs Ultrahuman Ring Air: Look & feel
The Amazfit Helio and Ultrahuman Ring Air both offer sleek designs focused on comfort and durability. In terms of size and weight, the two rings are not vastly different, with both emphasizing lightweight construction for all-day wearability.
One notable distinction in comfort is the Amazfit Helio’s rounded edges, which contribute to a more seamless wearing experience compared to the Ultrahuman Ring Air. Both rings prioritize a minimalist aesthetic, with neither featuring LED lights or external buttons, maintaining a traditional ring appearance that doesn’t draw attention to their smart capabilities.
The Amazfit Helio sports a subtle patterned design finish, adding a touch of visual interest to its otherwise understated look. In contrast, the Ultrahuman Ring Air opts for a completely smooth exterior.
Both rings are constructed from durable materials – the Helio uses a skin-friendly titanium alloy, while the Ultrahuman employs titanium with an additional coating of Tungsten Carbide Carbon for enhanced durability. Interestingly, in my testing, the Amazfit Helio has shown to be less prone to scratching compared to the Ultrahuman Ring Air, despite the latter’s specialized coating.
As far as water-resistance, either device will suffice. The duo has a 10 ATM rating, allowing the rings to withstand depths of up to 100 meters.
It’s worth noting that neither ring includes a vibration motor, which is common for devices in this form factor due to size constraints.
All things considered I would give a slight edge to Amazfit Helio as far as look and feel – due to its more comfortable design and because its less prone to scratching. But the difference is not huge. Whichever device you choose, there is a range of size options to choose from. So make sure you choose the appropriate size for your finger.
Amazfit Helio vs Ultrahuman Ring Air: Under the hood
Under the hood the rings feature advanced PPG sensors for heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring. The Ultrahuman Ring Air uses an infrared PPG sensor with green and red lights, while the Amazfit Helio employs Zepp Health’s BioTracker PPG sensor with dual-color LEDs. This tech allow both devices to track vital signs like heart rate, heart rate variability, and blood oxygen levels.
As you’d expect, both rings incorporate motion sensors for activity tracking. This allows the devices to monitor daily activities such as steps taken, distance traveled, and calories burned, as well as sleep patterns. And let’s not forget the temperature sensor, which can help identify trends and anomalies in nightly skin body temperature.
The main differentiating factor in terms of sensors is the Amazfit Helio’s inclusion of an EDA (Electrodermal Activity) sensor. This addition enables the Helio to provide more detailed stress tracking, offering users a deeper insight into their mental well-being alongside physical health metrics.
Battery life
When it comes to battery life, the Amazfit Helio and Ultrahuman Ring Air offer comparable performance, with no significant difference between the two. The Ultrahuman Ring Air boasts a battery life of 4 to 6 days on a single charge, which aligns closely with real-world usage. Users typically see a 15-20% battery decrease after a full day of use.
The Amazfit Helio is also capable of going for about a week. But the exact battery life will depend on how you’ve customised the settings. The Zepp Health app gives you a lot of control regarding the features. For example you can specify how often you want the ring to read you heart rate. There are also other features you can tweak, turn on or off.
Charging times are also similar, with the Ultrahuman Ring Air taking 1.5 to 2 hours for a full charge. Both rings come with dedicated charging docks, so not portable charging case as some other options on the market.
One negative thing about smart rings is that often battery life will deteriorate over time. The good news is that even though I’ve had the Ultrahuman Ring Air for more than a year now, its battery longevity is no different from where it was when I started wearing the device. I’ve had the Amazfit Helio for only a month now, so cannot attest to its long-term battery performance.
Amazfit Helio vs Ultrahuman Ring Air: Features
Both the Ultrahuman Ring Air and Amazfit Helio offer impressive functionality. And the core data that you get is similar. So steps, activity tracking and a bunch of recovery metrics. This includes detailed sleep and recovery data, HRV, resting heart rate, nightly skin temperature, blood oxygen and more. Pretty much everything you’d want from something sitting on your finger.
However, the approach the two devices take to health tracking is slightly different.
The Ultrahuman Ring Air stands out with its innovative metrics and frequent feature updates. The company has shown a remarkable commitment to continuous improvement, often introducing new features every few weeks.
This approach has resulted in some unique metrics not commonly found in other smart rings. For instance, the Ring Air offers a detailed circadian clock feature, breaking down your day into various phases and providing insights on how to adjust your circadian rhythm through light exposure, physical activity, and diet. Another standout feature is the Stimulant Restriction Window, which helps users understand how caffeine affects their body based on factors like sleep index, circadian rhythm, and body weight.
For me, Ultrahuman probably has the best smartphone app of any other smart ring.
On the other hand, the Amazfit Helio takes a more traditional approach, focusing on core health metrics. It utilizes the well-established Zepp app, which is also used for Amazfit’s smartwatches. This app provides a clean, intuitive interface with easy-to-navigate tabs for Home, Sleep, Workout, and Profile.
One notable advantage of the Amazfit Helio is its inclusion of an EDA (Electrodermal Activity) sensor, which allows for more detailed stress tracking. This sensor can identify stress responses, providing users with deeper insights into their mental well-being. However, it’s worth noting that this information is only available through the smartphone app, which somewhat limits its real-time usefulness. A vibration alert on the ring itself during moments of high stress could potentially enhance this feature’s practicality.
Now, worth a mention is that the app also offers a paid subscription. But you don’t need this as almost everything is free. The only things that sit behind the paywall are some sleep enhancing features and more detailed weekly sleep insights.
In terms of accuracy, both devices perform well in tracking basic metrics such as steps, sleep, and heart rate. Users can expect pretty reliable data from both the Ultrahuman Ring Air and the Amazfit Helio for core functions. But there is an important difference.
As detailed in-depth in my hands-on review, the most impressive aspect of the Amazfit Helio is its exceptional heart rate tracking during exercise. Unlike other smart rings I’ve tried, it consistently delivers accurate data, even during intense workouts.
I put it to the test on six different runs, including a half marathon, and it consistently matched or came incredibly close to the readings from my Garmin Forerunner 955, both for average and maximum heart rate. No other smart ring that I’ve tested currently offers accurate tracking when it comes to high intensity exercise.
Amazfit Helio vs Ultrahuman Ring Air: Bottom line
The Amazfit Helio and Ultrahuman Ring Air each offer a good set of features, but with some differences. The Ultrahuman Ring Air stands out with its innovative approach to health tracking, frequently introducing new features and providing unique insights such as the circadian clock and Stimulant Restriction Window. Its well-designed app and comprehensive health metrics make it an excellent choice for those who want an all-round health tracker.
The Amazfit Helio, on the other hand, sticks more to the basics – leveraging Zepp Health’s extensive experience in the wearables market. Its standout feature is the exceptional accuracy of heart rate tracking during high-intensity exercise, outperforming other smart rings in this aspect. The inclusion of an EDA sensor for stress tracking adds another layer of health monitoring, although its real-time usefulness is somewhat limited by the lack of on-device alerts.
In terms of design and comfort, both rings offer sleek, durable construction, with the Amazfit Helio having a slight edge due to its rounded edges and better scratch resistance. Battery life is comparable between the two devices, with both offering about a week of use on a single charge.
The bottom line? Those seeking innovative features and comprehensive health insights might lean towards the Ultrahuman Ring Air, while users prioritizing accurate heart rate tracking during workouts and a more established ecosystem might prefer the Amazfit Helio.
Ultrahuman Ring Air can be purchased on Amazon / Ultrahuman. The device typically retails for $350. The $299 Amazfit Helio is available on the Amazfit website.
Read my detailed hands-on reviews: Ultrahuman Ring Air, Amazfit Helio.
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