The Samsung Galaxy Ring is already sold out at Samsung's online store, but a new rival smart ring has just softened the blow with a tempting pre-order offer.
We already rate the RingConn Smart Ring as a good alternative to the likes of the Oura Ring and Samsung's new smart ring. And now RingConn's Gen 2 version is available for pre-order for only $199 (around £155 / AU$295) ahead of its full Kickstarter release in early August.
To get this super early bird price, you need to subscribe to RingConn's newsletter on the Gen 2 product page – you'll then get a link to a reservation page, where you'll need to put down a $1 deposit to reserve your super early bird spot.
When the Gen 2 Smart Ring launches in August, you'll then be sent a purchase link to buy the smart ring, ahead of its expected shipping in September. It's a slightly convoluted process, but given the Galaxy Ring costs $399 / £399 (around AU$750), it could be worthwhile if you're looking for a cheaper ring with features like sleep apnea monitoring.
All of the usual Kickstarter caveats apply, of course, and we haven't yet reviewed this particular model. But our original RingConn Smart Ring review called it “a solid alternative to the Oura smart ring” and, like Samsung's ring, there's no subscription to worry about either.
What's new with Gen 2?
Given the first-generation RingConn Smart Ring is currently 25% off at Amazon in the Prime Day deals (taking it down to $209, from $279), you may be wondering if it's worth waiting a couple of months for the Gen 2 version – even if it does cost less than the original model in this super early bird deal.
There certainly won't be a huge difference between the two rings. The Gen 2 version is marginally thinner and lighter (weighing 2-3g) and has a new shinier coating for its black, silver and gold colors.
Perhaps the two biggest upgrades are to its claimed battery life (now up to 12 days, compared to the seven days of its predecessor) and the new sleep apnea tracking. RingConn claims its Gen 2 ring can detect the sleep-disrupting issue with 90% accuracy, alongside its other sleep-tracking skills.
While our testing found that there were some minor syncing and performance issues with the original version's iOS and Android apps, our review did conclude that it “collects plenty of accurate data for less than most rivals”.
If it can repeat that trick, the Gen 2 could certainly become a good-value alternative to the Samsung Galaxy Ring and the best smart rings so far. But we'll be withholding our final judgment until we've fully tested the two side by side, of course.
