Amazfit Helio Ring review: A good smart ring with a bad sizing problem

Finest Costs Immediately: Amazfit Helio Ring

The Amazfit Helio Ring is Zepp Well being’s first foray into the world of sensible rings and carries hopes it may possibly get pleasure from a few of the success led by the Oura Ring.

Oura is now not the one participant on this house now with the Samsung Galaxy Ring and the likes of newcomers like RingConn and Ultrahuman additionally competing for a spot in your digits.

The Helio Ring, at its core, works in a similar way to these different sensible rings, monitoring metrics like coronary heart price and sleep, whereas working together with Amazfit smartwatches to supply a extra dependable window into your restoration wants. Like Samsung, Ultrahuman and RingConn, you don’t want a subscription to its monitoring to good use.

Even with a small variety of sensible rings accessible the competitors proper now’s fierce, so is the Amazfit Helio Ring really the one you need to be carrying?

Design & Construct

• Obtainable in a single color 
• Solely three ring sizes accessible
• Makes use of comparable charging dock to Oura

The Helio Ring, not like different sensible rings, is available in only a single color, which I’d describe as a pleasant mix of gold and gray, with an nearly knurled impact that does assist to inform it other than different sensible rings.

It’s constructed from titanium with a resin on the inside and a sensor bump that you would be able to really feel on the underside of your finger, although at by no means made it uncomfortable to put on.

At 2.6mm thick, it’s not fairly the slimmest sensible ring you’ll be able to put on proper now. The Oura Ring 4 measures in at 2.88mm, the Samsung Galaxy Ring is 2.6mm thick and the Round Ring Slim is 2.2mm. If you’d like the slimmest, it’s the RingCon Gen 2 at simply 2mm.

An fascinating transfer right here by Zepp Well being is to solely supply the Helio in three ring sizes. That’s your decide of sizes 8, 10 and 12, which makes your choices much more restricted than different rings. You additionally don’t get the choice of a sizing package, with measurement strategies supplied to be sure you get the best dimension. 

Luckily, I used to be a dimension 8 and the match general was good. It didn’t spin round my finger and was snug to put on inside and out of doors of train and whereas monitoring my sleep.

Mike Sawh

Sturdiness-wise, it’s good to see the Helio provides a 10ATM waterproof score, which suggests it’s appropriate to be dunked in water as much as 100 metres depth and means you’ll be able to put on it for swims and showers.

One problem I are inclined to encounter with sensible rings is that scratch too simply. I haven’t seen any unhealthy scratches simply but, however it could nonetheless be one I’d suggest taking off for eventualities like lifting weights or anyplace the place it might get bumped and knocked.

Health & Monitoring 

• Tracks steps, sleep, coronary heart price and stress
• Options Readiness mode like rival rings
• Works together with Amazfit smartwatches

The Helio options sensors which can be able to monitoring coronary heart price, blood oxygen, temperature and stress by means of coronary heart price variability measurements. There’s additionally an EDA sensor, which is a sensor that’s appeared on Fitbit’s smartwatches and feeds into its guarantees to watch your stress.

Mike Sawh

The concept, very similar to different sensible rings, is to make use of the Helio Ring as a restoration device and carrying alongside an Amazfit smartwatch to trace your exercises and create a extra complete overview of your restoration wants. It means you’ll be able to take the Helio to mattress with you to trace sleep in the event you don’t prefer to put on a watch and never miss out on the info. 

When worn collectively, the concept is that information is fused within the companion Zepp cellphone app utilizing algorithms (Samsung does an analogous factor). You may see completely different information throughout the person gadgets, however when mixed within the app, they’ll present the identical insights.

Like most rings, it’s about letting the sensible ring go about its monitoring enterprise. Then it’s over to the app, which for the reason that launch of the Helio has been given a serious revamp.

The app now looks like a greater match for a wise ring than it was beforehand. It’s largely free to make use of outdoors of Zepp’s AI-powered Coach Chat function, which requires a premium subscription to entry. I feel most might reside with out entry to it although.

Mike Sawh

From the primary display within the app you’ll see your readiness rating, which appears at sleep and exertion information, which is gathered out of your train information. Beneath that lies your core metrics together with resting coronary heart price and richer sleep information. It’s also possible to monitor steps and see further metrics like PAI Well being scores fuelled by elevating coronary heart price by means of train all through the week. There’s additionally further tabs devoted to sleep and exertion (train).

Should you’re looking for out this ring to trace steps, every day step counts have been similar to every day totals I captured on the Samsung Galaxy Ring and the step monitoring on an Apple and Garmin watch. Metrics like resting coronary heart price and coronary heart price variability have been just like these gadgets too. Once I in contrast sleep stats, the sleep scores have been comparable as have been sleep length whereas sleep phases like deep and REM have been comparable too.

Then we get into that headline readiness metric. That is one thing Oura, Samsung, Garmin and plenty of others search to supply that can assist you make higher choices about whenever you train or interested by normally whether or not it could be wise to have a extra relaxed day.

On some days, these Readiness scores chimed with Garmin and Oura’s readiness scores and Samsung’s Power scores. There have been some days, nevertheless, when the scores have been very completely different and is a sign of the ring’s limitations to trace train and needing a Amazfit smartwatch that may to fill in a few of the gaps in its monitoring skills.

Mike Sawh

Inside the Zepp app you’ll additionally see every day readiness insights. On one evening my coronary heart price was increased than regular, which was urged may very well be an indication of stress with some rudimentary recommendation to follow some leisure methods to scale back that coronary heart price. There’s nothing groundbreaking right here, however for somebody’s that attending to grips with having their monitoring information put into some context, it may very well be useful.

One other side right here is the flexibility to trace your stress and emotion. One some days, the app detected an emotional response prompting me to log in. I didn’t see these logged reactions till I get into the app, so a notification or immediate may make it a extra helpful function to assist perceive what may need triggered that emotional response.

I’ve been utilizing the Helio with an Amazfit smartwatch, which does actually really feel like the best way to make one of the best use of it. Not all Amazfit watches supply what Zepp refers to as ‘information fusion’, however most do and the T-Rex 3 I used is a kind of supported gadgets. This manner you get the train information that the Helio Ring isn’t able to recording, together with train coronary heart price to essentially put these readiness scores to finest use.

Battery Life & Charging

• As much as 4 days battery life
• Fees absolutely in 1 hour 40 minutes 

Relying on which dimension you seize, the battery capability of the ring does barely differ. A dimension 8 ring incorporates a 16.5mAh battery, whereas a dimension 12 makes use of a 20.5mAh battery.

Zepp Well being says the battery can last as long as 4 days, so not fairly one of the best battery life on supply on a wise ring however a good one nonetheless. You’d must seize the RingConn Gen 2 for one of the best, which may final for as much as 12 days.

Mike Sawh

I’d say that promised battery life is optimistic, particularly in the event you’re enabling every thing that the Helio is ready to monitor. Options like computerized blood oxygen, probably the most correct coronary heart price monitoring and superior sleep monitoring will see that battery drop a lot faster. 

You will get 4 days whenever you pare again a few of that extra superior monitoring, however it was nearer to 2-3 days with in a single day battery drop as a lot as 20% at instances. I discovered I used to be charging it as commonly as an Oura Ring Gen 3.

When it’s worthwhile to cost it, you’ll want to take a seat it exactly on prime of a charging dock that appears close to an identical to the one together with with Oura’s sensible ring. I desire the earbud-style charging case method that Samsung and RingConn have adopted, however not less than you recognize the Helio goes to remain in place when it’s time to energy it up.

It takes an hour and 40 minutes to totally cost from 0-100%.

Worth & Availability

The Amazfit Helio Ring launched with a worth of £269/$299 however has since dropped to round £150/$170, making it one of many least expensive sensible rings you’ll be able to decide up in the intervening time.

You should buy it from the official retailer within the UK and US then retailers corresponding to Amazon/Amazon US.

As compared, the Oura Ring 4 prices  £349/$349 and requires an extra month-to-month or annual subscription. The Samsung Galaxy Ring sits at £399/$399 and just like the Helio, doesn’t require an added subscription.

You’ve additionally acquired the spectacular RingConn Gen 2 for $279, the Ultrahuman Ring Air ($349) and the Round Sensible Ring Slim ($264).

Take a look at our record of one of the best sensible rings to see all the highest choices.

Do you have to purchase the Amazfit Helio Ring?

The Amazfit Helio Ring is a great ring that provides one thing completely different by way of design in comparison with its rival, even when it’s not the slimmest accessible. The core monitoring has been good for me and now has a companion app that’s a significantly better match for what the Helio can monitor.

It does really feel such as you want an Amazfit smartwatch to get probably the most out of it. Given each watches and rings aren’t ridiculously costly, you would feasibly seize each now for across the identical worth as a rival ring.

There’s are some points to concentrate on although. The dearth of sizing choices being probably the most noteworthy one, which immediately limits its enchantment. It’s additionally providing battery life so long as Samsung, RingConn and, to a lesser extent, Oura are in a position to proper now.

If you will get it to suit, the Helio Ring gives you sensible ring expertise. I’m simply not satisfied it does a greater job as a package deal than Oura and RingConn significantly, whereas Samsung’s ring provides a sleeker design, strong general monitoring, a extra handy charging answer and higher battery to make up for its barely half-baked software program.

Specs

• As much as 4 days battery life 
• Works with Android and iOS
• Subscription-free app
• 2.6mm thickness
• PPG sensor
• Temperature and EDA sensor
• 10 ATM waterproof score