A New Oura Competitor Has Entered The Ring, From An Unlikely Place

Smart rings are all the rage, at least among a subset of the techy fandom, and the latest Oura-a-like comes from a more traditional name in tech, with the Acer FreeSense Ring.

This ring has a titanium alloy outer shell, and weighs just 2-3g depending on the size chosen. It’s available in ring sizes 7-13.

As with other rings in this class, the majority of its stats are derived from optical heart rate reader hardware, which is notably hidden in Acer’s rendered images. This hardware, of course, can measure your heart rate. And through this it can derive heart rate variability and, thanks to the use of a red LED in the sensor array, blood oxygenation.

It will also monitor sleep quality, with any luck while proving greater comfort than the average wrist-worn fitness tracker or smartwatch.

One of the distinct appeals of the Acer FreeSense Ring is it does not need an ongoing paid subscription.

“Users also have full access to all health data without additional subscription fees, making the FreeSense ring a practical and reliable daily wellness companion,” says Acer’s commentary on the ring.

Despite that, Acer does claim the apps will provide “personalized wellness insights” and suggestions, which are a key part of the paid subscriptions in better-known fitness platforms like Garmin Connect+ and Oura, which costs $5.99 a month.

MORE FOR YOU

Google’s New Android Update — 3 Things Your Phone Can No Longer Do

Microsoft Confirms Windows Upgrade Choice—You Must Now Decide

Microsoft Update Fails—New Download Breaks Windows

It’s impossible to tell how useful the Acer FreeSense Ring will be in reality, though, as Acer does not have an existing health and fitness software platform.

While a neat concept, the Acer FreeSense Ring sits among the more stunt-like releases Acer reveals each year, alongside its eKinect bike desk. These initially eye-opening products exist, but don’t always end up with super-wide distribution or all that much visibility, at least not for some time after announcement.

That said, Acer’s eScooter range is found in a bunch of super-mainstream retailers. Perhaps the FreeSense Ring does have a bright future after all.

Acer has not yet revealed how much the ring will cost, though, or when it will hit shelves. The ring was shown off at Taipei’s Computex show, alongside a whole heap of laptops, monitors and PCs. It will be available in pink and black finishes, and has swim-ready water resistance of IP68/5ATM.