When smartwatches first entered the big market, no one was sure as to why would anyone want to buy it and of what use it can be. But as it turned out, it became a blend of success at many grounds, while smartwatches also failed at bringing a tech. revolution.
Smartwatches tried hard to be the successor to cell phones, and they have put a nice dent in the market, developers may have researched on designing a self-sustaining smartwatch capable of running without a phone.
When the large-touch screens failed, came a trend of fitness bands and ultimately hybrid analog watches which also took the fashion sense into consideration. Nonetheless, smartwatches have a decent place of their own in the tech. market. The question is, What Next?
Smart Rings are now becoming a new trend. Though smart rings have been around for some time now, they haven’t been the cynosure of the future tech. gadgets. But the increase in the associated tech. research is leading to a significant increase in the presence of smart rings in the consumer market.
In this piece, we discuss how smartwatches may not be the end product of smart wearable technology, and what still lacks in smart rings, which may pose a barrier in them being the next digital frontier.
What Are Smart Rings?
To make it simple, smart rings are electronic devices wore as an actual ring, which have embedded features found in smartphones and other innovative gesture control features to execute commands on your phone.
The current smart rings are built as an associate wearable to your phone, which allows you to communicate with different apps on your phone. The gesture controls enable users to control music playback. The NFC enabled smartphones have also enabled features of cardless payments at outlets and restaurants.
Now they may have all the features as mentioned or might lack one or two; but, the point is that smart rings have been made possible and they have huge potential to outmatch smartwatches.
What Smartwatch Drawbacks Can Pave a Path for Smart Rings?
Smartwatches have made their way through the market and the fact that they are not just watches but fitness activity trackers now, there is a huge demand for smartwatches, making them the right smart wearable to choose.
But in the past few years, the technology of these devices has lost focus and led to major shortcomings. And these shortcomings may act in the advantage of smart rings. Let’s take a look at a few drawbacks posing smartwatches in the market:
1. Design:
Watches, though stylish, should be simple and not fancy. The reason for hybrid smartwatches to be launched was that very fact that digital smartwatches look like a mini-mobile on your wrist.
It doesn’t fit the simplicity a watch should display. All those fancy bands and designs, plus a glowing screen on your wrist is not something you want to wear for too long.
2. Fashion:
This is one of the major issues smartwatches have failed to acknowledge for a long while. Watches are meant as an element of fashion sense; a wearable which adds a different class to your entire attire.
And a large touch-screen does not fit with those features. Most smartwatches have a similar design – a large screen on your wrist with a plain band supporting it.
Watches, on the other hand, needs to be classy and stylish with analog designs and colors that fit your personality and attire. It wasn’t until recently that hybrid analog watches with features of fitness bands have been launched. But again, they do not make up for a good smartwatch that can track notifications and call activities for you.
3. Reliability:
When you buy a watch, you spend your bucks to get a long-running accessory and not something you need to charge again and again. Plus the concerns regarding potential troubles in the hardware, as well as issues of a corrupt operating system in the future make it a risky deal. This is where smartwatches fail to impress despite having great features.
What Factors Smart Rings can take Advantage of?
1. Comfort:
Rings are like a small ornament to wear on your finger. It’s not taking up too much area on the wrist, which you can also use to wear a real watch now.
They are light-weight, have an aesthetic design, and they even come in simple designs that do not look different than a real ring. Having a comfortable smart wearable is the first thing on my list of preferences.
2. Battery Life:
Battery life or longevity is one of the other concerns smartwatches haven’t been able to overcome. Due to less extensive features, smart rings have a longer battery life, some even having a standby charge capacity of 3-5 days.
- Privacy:
It isn’t like smart rings are completely secure. Both smartwatches and smart rings would require Bluetooth connectivity and access to your phone; however, smartwatches go one step farther. They have access to your mails and contact lists as well.
The only safety concern with smart rings is when you use NFC smart rings to make payments, and giving a wearable device that kind of access is something that would put me in a dilemma.
4. Price:
The most important aspect when buying a high-end electronic device is the price. Smart rings are comparatively cheaper, which would save you plenty of money. A good smart ring which is reported in the market would cost you a little above $200. However, there are smart rings costing upto a $1000 due to their extensive specifications and detailed design features.
What is it Lacking in Smart Ring Market?
There is a horde of start-ups trying to replicate or innovate smart ring design and manufacturing technology. The developers are trying to get investors on board, and there is an inexplicable race of crowdfunding campaigns for the same. The only thing that is keeping these geniuses off the track is the lack of focus.
The smart ring enthusiasts are making the same mistake committed by smartwatch brands. They are not fully aware of why to make what they are making. The purpose of the product has a void and that is killing their approach to the target market segments.
The smartwatches were introduced as a companion to your mobile where you can track messages, emails, and call logs. Many also allowed audio controls and then added a calling feature, a microphone, and smart speakers within them.
When the trend for these wore off, brands went into the health and fitness business, designing smartwatches for your daily workout activity tracking. From heart-rate sensors and step-counters to calorie meters, everything was embedded within these devices.
And now, analog hybrid watches to infuse both fashion sense and smart electronics technology. It looks like none of these brands has finalized their vision, all they are trying to do is beat the competition until they are again surpassed by someone else.
The true purpose of smartwatches hasn’t been determined yet. That’s creating confusion in choice of consumers, and smartwatch makers are losing consumers in their battle to beat the market competitors.
The same is the case with smart ring makers. Design is a major flaw. There are tons of designs patented for smart rings and all of them look different. Many are even too big for a finger and too discoverable to wear in public.
A ring has to look like a ring and any major modification would kill it. They need to hide the technology within the ring and not leave it for others to discover that it’s a smart ring. It’s a major drawback.
Smart rings are to be majorly worn by women who carry phones in their purses and not pockets. Who would wear a ring with a faulty or weird design on their finger?
Plus, there has to be a set of features to decide on smart rings that satisfy everyone’s needs. Ruining users’ pockets in the name of additional features is also not going to help them.
Best Smart Rings for 2020
1. McLEAR Ring
McLEAR is an NFC smart ring, which is designed specifically for accessing fast payment modes. The ring works when a bank account or a credit card is connected to it.
Once the connection is established, users can use a finger tap on NFC-enabled card machines to complete payment on outlets. It is a perfect smart ring for Android as well as iOS devices.
Compatibility: Android & iOS || Price: $99.99
2. Motiv
Motiv is a fitness smart ring for Android and iPhone, and also acts as a secure login device. Mostly a fitness smart ring, it tracks heart rate, calories burned, sleep cycle, and steps. Furthermore, it has an in-built cautionary measure which is activated if your phone is too far from you.
Plus, it acts as a 2-factor authentication device for your login credentials, thus allowing you secure logins without typing-in or saving your passwords.
Compatibility: Android & iOS || Price: $199.99
3. Ringly
It’s not the best smart ring of 2020, but it is a great wearable especially for women who want jewelry like a smart wearable. Ringly is basically a notification tracker, which prompts women to take their phones out of their purse.
A small color-changing notification light tells which of the phone’s app has received a new notification. These apps include social media sites, mail clients, and others.
Compatibility: Android & iOS || Price: $165.00
4. Oura
Probably the best smart ring for 2020, but also an expensive deal, Oura is a wearable device that has it all. From activity tracking to a perfect fitness ring, as well as having aesthetic designs, Oura is a great ornament with hidden tech specs, and it goes with every attire. It comes in three different ranges with Oura Stealth being the finest of them.
Compatibility: Android & iOS || Price: $299-$999
Smartwatches aren’t disappearing so soon, but given the lack of concern towards consumer needs, their market distribution is shattered. And smart ring designers and makers have a great advantage above them.
By blending fashion sense, style, design, and the new-age tech., these smart rings can be the frontrunners in the near future among all smart electronic wearables.
Tell Us About Your Opinion:
Let us know in the comments whether you feel smart rings are good deals or they would be another tech. failure. Also, let us know which smart ring is your favorite. For more blog updates, follow us on social media – Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
