RingConn Gen 3 tracks blood pressure and vibrates – but is it useful?
1/7/2026
Translation: Veronica Bielawski
Pictures: Lorenz Keller
The third generation of RingConn’s smart ring has a longer battery life and new features such as blood pressure tracking – no subscription needed. That’s enough for the wearable to earn top marks in my test.
Two new features have really stirred up the Community: the third generation of RingConn’s smart ring allows you to track blood pressure changes, and it vibrates for important health notifications and when the battery is low. I tested the RingConn Gen 3 for almost two months and took a close look at both new features – though the ring has plenty of other strengths too.
Blood pressure tracking
«Vascular Health Trends at a Glance» is what the manufacturer calls the blood pressure feature on its website – and that clunky wording is fitting. After all, the ring isn’t a medical device. It can’t actually measure blood pressure, only track changes in it. This piece of jewellery is by no means a substitute for a proper blood pressure monitor.
What’s more, the blood pressure tracking feature can’t be used at all without a BP monitor. Why not? Because the ring uses optical sensors to detect changes in the blood vessels, which requires a reference value for it to work. If you switch on blood pressure health trends in the app (RingConn is a bit less cautious with its wording there), you’ll have to measure your blood pressure three times with an external device within the first 24 hours and enter the values.
Every 30 days, the app prompts you to measure externally again and enter the values. This is meant to make the result more precise, though you can still use blood pressure tracking without monthly calibration.
During my two-month test, I recalibrated the ring once as required. In addition, I compared my blood pressure with the app’s values often, with encouraging results: I found no significant differences between the manually measured values and those calculated by the ring.
You can find all your info in the app under blood pressure trends. The main value is shown in three categories: stable (green), slight (yellow, meaning slight changes in blood pressure) and noticeable (red). If the ring detects significant changes, it sends a warning.
The ring checks your blood pressure every 30 minutes and displays the values as a graph. It also shows the average values for night and day, plus the latest reading for each. I can also «measure» at any time at the touch of a button.
Of course, anyone instructed by their doctor to check their blood pressure regularly shouldn’t rely on the ring. It’s not made for that – and it isn’t certified for it either. The tracking is helpful for those who don’t actually have to measure their blood pressure regularly. That way, you can react faster if the ring detects a change than if you only ever have your pressure taken every year or two at the GP’s.
In contrast with many smartwatches (which also use optical sensors for blood pressure tracking), the ring activates automatically every 30 minutes.
Very discreet vibration with untapped potential
Fortunately, the ring never had to alert me to any blood pressure changes during my test. But it did alert me several times to a risk of headache, which the software calculates from heart rate variability, stress, sleep and recovery data, as well as local weather data. In that case, the ring vibrates briefly and you get a push notification on your smartphone. The vibration is noticeable but very discreet. A bit too discreet for me, actually – I totally missed the gentle vibration at least once when I was out and about.
The double vibration, which happens when the battery drops below 20 per cent, is more noticeable. But even so, it’s gentle enough not to be startling.
In the app, you can choose between various notifications, such as battery warnings, movement reminders and health alerts. You can also schedule quiet time to shut off all alerts, for instance during sleeping hours.
What’s still missing are additional vibration features. For example, the option to use the ring as an alarm clock. Or to turn on vibration for important notifications. Perhaps the manufacturer will add this with a future update.
The headache alerts were accurate – and, above all, they came early. In situations of high stress, the ring warned me early enough that I could step off the throttle. Once, the warning came at the exact moment I noticed my head starting to throb.
Exemplary battery life of eleven days
The fact that I didn’t get constant vibrating alerts is, in part, thanks to the long battery life. The manufacturer has continuously improved it: with the first generation, it was six to seven days. The second lasted nine days in my test. Now, in this test, I’m getting just over eleven days – and that’s with continuous use, all measurements enabled and regularly checking my data in the app. That’s excellent, and it sits right in the middle of the manufacturer’s claim of 10 to 12 days. By turning off vibration, you can extend the battery life by a further one to two days.
Compared with the second generation, the RingConn Gen 3 is 0.3 millimetres thicker and half a gramme heavier. I didn’t notice the slight increase in everyday wear. On the contrary: the new ring looks more elegant, as it’s slightly narrower. Overall, it’s barely distinguishable from a genuine piece of jewellery. Most people don’t realise I’ve got a wearable on my finger.
The ring comes in several colours: silver, gold, matte black, and – new – two brushed variants in silver and rose gold. I tested the brushed silver. Although I usually prefer darker colours, I like this variant a lot. It looks elegant without being flashy. The surface shimmers in totally different ways depending on the light.
The Gen 3 is available in sizes 6 to 15 – the largest size is new. I wear the same size as with the previous generations – size 11 – on my middle finger. If you’re unsure about your size or have never had a smart ring before, definitely order the sizing kit. It’s money well spent.
The charging case is also new, and it fits all sizes of the ring. It has a built-in battery and can recharge the ring ten to twelve times before needing to be hooked up itself. It feels high-quality and is included with the RingConn Gen 3, whereas with other manufacturers, it costs an extra 80 to 100 francs or euros.
Continuous software development – no subscription needed
According to the manufacturer, the sensors in the ring have also been updated. I don’t notice this in testing – neither in a positive nor negative sense. In the areas I can compare, the sensors measure just as precisely as in the previous generations.
I see this, for example, with sleep tracking: the time I fall asleep is spot on, as are the waking periods during the night. Compared with a smartwatch, I get very similar results. The difference is that I need to charge the smartwatch after just 36 hours, and it’s far less comfortable to wear at night.
I also counted 1,000 steps twice using a clicker and compared the result with the ring’s. Like its predecessors, the Gen 3 consistently undercounts, but it’s within the expected range compared with smartwatches or other rings. The deviation is only 1.5 per cent.
RingConn has continuously expanded its ring software and stayed true to its core principles, providing only cautiously interpreted data – no push notifications with daily briefings or advice.
I like that: I can choose what interests me. There’s a lot to choose from: sleep, activity, stress, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, heart rate variability, breathing rate, skin temperature, sleep apnoea and much more. The app’s design is clean – I find my way around it with no trouble.
As with other smart rings, the RingConn still doesn’t perform quite as well when it comes to sport. It does automatically detect activities, but I have to confirm them afterwards in the app for them to be evaluated correctly. The system often assigns no training type, or the wrong one, so I have to step in. At least the ring supports a wide range of sports, with well over 60 workout types, from gymnastics to pickleball to wheelchair sports.
I can also actively record my activities – but there the choice is limited to seven sports: hiking, running outdoors, running indoors, cycling outdoors, cycling indoors, rowing machine and yoga. The ring is no substitute for a sports watch; even regular smartwatches offer better tracking options.
The manufacturer continues to offer all software functions without a subscription. That’s exemplary – and, for me, a better deal than competing products, which may provide more automated analysis but also cost money every month.
In a nutshell
The best smart ring I’ve tested so far
The RingConn Gen 3 has a low-key design and long battery life, and comes with a handy charging case. It reliably measures activity, sleep and recovery. The user interface is well thought out, and the app is clean, though rather basic. All functions are included in the purchase price, with no subscription.
The manufacturer has included two new features: blood pressure tracking, after calibrating the ring with a conventional monitor, and vibration for health alerts and when the battery is running low. Unfortunately, there’s no option yet to use vibration for important notifications or as an alarm clock.
Pro
- High-quality and stylish
- Eleven days or more of battery life
- No subscription
- Wide range of functions
- Clean app
Contra
- Vibration with limited usability
- Blood pressure feature requires a separate BP monitor
Lorenz Keller
Senior Editor
Lorenz.Keller@digitecgalaxus.chGadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.
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