The Amazfit Helio Ring, the new smart ring from Zepp Health, will be on sale in the US from May 15.
The ring will cost $299.99, although will be available for $149.99 “when paired with [Amazfit] smartwatches” as part of a ring-and-smartwatch bundle deal. The full details of these bundles are yet to be announced, but we know it will pair the ring with an Amazfit Cheetah or Amazfit T-Rex Ultra.
The Helio Ring, unveiled at CES 2024 in January, is slightly different than the rest of the best smart ring contenders out this year, such as the Samsung Galaxy Ring and the already-available Oura Ring. While those devices are focused on sleep and holistic health for everyday users, the AmazFit Helio Ring is said to be designed with elite athletic performance in mind. However, in a press release published on 30 April, the Ring is said to generate a ‘recovery score’ – just like Oura does, and Samsung’s ring will do.
At the moment, it’s unclear when the Helio Ring will launch in the UK or Australia or what it will cost in those regions, but we expect the full details to be announced after the ring goes on sale in the US.
The Amazfit Helio Ring is said to weigh less than 4g. It’s not quite the lightest ring out there – that prize goes to the Ultrahuman Ring Air – but certainly looks pretty slick, being made of “skin-friendly” titanium.
It promises to be very accurate when it comes to heart rate monitoring too. The press release states: “the sensor’s proximity to the user’s pulse enables even more accurate health data measurement”, making similar claims to Oura when it comes to a smart ring’s accuracy over even the best smartwatches.
Analysis: A sign of things to come
While the release date means the Amazfit Helio Ring will be out before the Samsung Galaxy Ring, I’m more interested in the price. $300 in the US is essentially the starting price of an Oura Ring, before you take into account any premium finishes or subscriptions.
It’s potentially a sign that we can expect most of the upcoming smart rings, including the Samsung Galaxy Ring, to follow suit with similar pricing.
Amazfit is bundling its watches and Helio Ring into package deals, which is another interesting insight into the way rings might be available to purchase. Samsung, like Amazfit (but unlike Oura), will also expect users to be locked into its own ecosystem – chances are, users getting a Samsung Ring may also want to own one of the best Samsung phones and potentially a watch such as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6. Therefore, we may see a ring/phone/watch discount bundle cropping up when the Galaxy Ring finally lands on shelves.
Expect a full review of the Amazfit Helio Ring when it lands later in the month.
