Recently, I had a bit of a shock and found that my weight had ballooned to an amount that my doctor considered unhealthy.  Already with relatively extensive heart disease, I embarked on a health and fitness regimen to try to reverse this weight gain.

As part of that, I reached out to Renpho to test one of their smart rings (since breaking my finger earlier this year, my previous ring no longer fits on my preferred finger), and they sent me the Renpho Lynx Smart Ring to aid me on my journey.

If you want to read more about this journey, you can find them on EFTM (1,2) with more updates coming in the next couple of weeks.

The Renpho Lynx Smart Ring is an affordable smart ring with no recurring costs or subscriptions.  One upfront cost and that’s it – a nice feature in this day and age.

Specs

The Lynx Smart Ring from Renpho is designed for everyone and, as such, has some solid specs, though it may not be as feature-rich as some others.

The ring is available in two colours, Titanium Silver and Carbon Black, which are quite stylish because they are not just a single colour but have some design and style, and they actually match my wedding ring nicely.  

It is thicker than other rings I have tested but still only weighs less than 5 grams.  The increased thickness is no doubt a factor in the impressive battery life of over a week.  Renpho include a charging case with the ring which is great because you can charge it wherever you are and don’t have to be connected to a USB cable while doing so.

The smart ring measures the basics: heart rate and heart rate variability, SpO₂ (blood oxygen saturation), stress levels, and sleep and activity tracking.

Design and fitting

As with all other smart rings, Renpho will send you a sizing kit to help you get the right-sized ring – free of charge.  If you already know your size you can just order without the kit as well.  Simply choose your size and order away.

The ring has a thick design and can certainly be felt on the hand and, depending on what sort/size of ring you are used to, may or may not annoy you.  I did feel it on my hand more than the other smart rings I have used but not enough to annoy me.  

What I loved about the ring was the very small cross on it, which indicates that it is correctly oriented with all the sensors in the correct positions.  Some other smart rings have these but not the ones I have tested.  The ability to quickly run my thumb over the ring and be able to feel or not feel the cross in the correct location so I could adjust it came in very handy.  In my job, I am always washing my hands, so the ring gets moved a lot.

I find the ring fits in well with my wedding ring and does not look out of place next to or near it so it was a great design for me  – your mileage may vary.

Software and features

In a bid to make the ring suitable for everyone, Renpho has made it less specific to athletes and more suitable for the average person.  I don’t mind this approach for them.  It’s a smart ring at an accessible price that the average person can use to keep a general track of their overall health.  Most other smart rings cost a lot more than this one, making entry into the segment for a basic health overview beyond reach.

First off, the ring will not automatically send data to your phone’s app.  It stores the data on board and only sends it when you open the app on your phone and pair it with the ring.  This is probably what accounts for the long battery life of the ring but it means you will not get any notifications or updates of your health during the day.

A big problem with this lack of constant notifications is that you will not know when the ring is low on battery or runs out of battery.  I had it run out a couple of times without noticing.  Check it once a week is my advice – every Sunday evening?

At the same time, the app will not automatically start exercises or record your stats while you exercise.  To do that, you will need to open the app and start the exercise workout manually.  

By itself, the app/ring will record your ‘Activity’, ‘Steps’, ‘Sleep’, heart rate, heart rate variability, SpO2, and mental stress:  all the basics.  The measurements are accurate when compared to those from my WHOOP MG, which is all you can really ask.

Final thoughts

As the title states, the Renpho Lynx Smart Ring embodies the KISS principle, and it benefits from it. It doesn’t have the fancy bells and whistles of a more expensive fitness ring such as the Ultrahuman Ring Air but the vast majority of people will not miss these extra, more complicated features.

The Lynx Smart Ring is a basic ring that measures all the important things for everyday health for the everyday person — just not what an elite athlete requires. It is accurate in its measurements, is comfortable to wear, and looks good. For the everyday person this is a health smart ring just for you.

The Renpho Lynx Smart Ring is currently on sale for $249 from Renpho (RRP $379).