Forget the Galaxy Ring — buy my favorite smart ring instead this Black Friday
by Sanuj Bhatia · Android PoliceIt's 2024, and smart rings are the "new thing" in wearables. Samsung entered the market with the Galaxy Ring in mid-2024, and Oura followed suit with the launch of Oura Ring 4 after a three-year gap. Unlike a few years ago, there are now plenty of options available. However, as is often the case with new technology, these devices come at a premium — both smart rings mentioned are priced well above $300.
If you've been waiting for Black Friday to snag a deal on a smart ring and give it a try, you're in luck. While neither Samsung nor Oura is offering major discounts on their smart rings, there's one standout option for those looking for an affordable yet feature-packed option: the Amazfit Helio Ring. It's the best value-for-money smart ring you can buy this holiday season.
Amazfit Helio
$149 $199 Save $50
The Amazfit Helio Ring is a sleek, titanium smart ring designed to track your activity and heart rate in a discreet package that resembles a simple wedding ring. It provides insights into your daily steps and sleep quality without requiring any subscription. Recently, the price was reduced from $399 to $199, and with the Black Friday deal, it's now an unbeatable $149.
A $200 price cut made it great, but Black Friday makes it unbeatable
Black Friday's $149 price makes Amazfit Helio Ring a steal deal
The Amazfit Helio Smart Ring originally launched at $399, placing it firmly in the premium segment. While the ring showed promise, its high price made it a tough sell against other smart rings, especially when seasoned competitors like Oura and Ultrahuman were selling at similar (and at times for a bit less) prices. In October 2024, Amazfit responded by slashing the price by $200, bringing the Helio Ring down to $199, which made it a much more appealing option.
But for Black Friday, Amazfit has gone even further — dropping the price to just $149. This is half of what most other reliable smart rings on the market cost. In fact, you could buy two Amazfit Helio smart rings and still save $100 compared to the Galaxy Ring. If you've been curious about trying a smart ring, there's never been a better time to dip your toes into the ecosystem.
Now, you might wonder: are you losing out on features at this price? Technically, yes, but you're not really missing much. The Amazfit Helio Ring offers similar features as the other smart rings like 24/7 heart rate tracking, sleep monitoring, blood-oxygen tracking, stress tracking, and even sleep apnea detection. Not only that, but it's also built with lightweight yet durable titanium alloy.
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Amazfit fixed the quirks that held it back at launch
No more subscriptions and an improved app experience
I've been using the Amazfit Helio Ring for over four months now, and if I'd purchased it at this Black Friday price, I'd have been even more impressed. Admittedly, I faced a few issues during the first two months, but Amazfit's excellent support and regular updates over time have made this smart ring worth every penny — and then some.
When Amazfit cut the price to $199 in October 2024, they also rolled out an update that fixed many of the quirks present at launch. Initially, some features were locked behind a subscription, which is common for wearables, but it didn't sit well with users given the original $399 price tag. Amazfit has since scrapped subscriptions entirely and now offers all premium features at no extra cost.
Now, you get all the features right out of the box, including an AI coach that you can use to dive deeper into your sleep analysis. For example, I asked the Zepp Aura AI to review my sleep data from the past week. Not only did it provide a detailed report, but it also provided me with recommendations to improve my sleep.
Another thing that I've been impressed with is the new and revamped app UI. Previously, the app felt clunky and unintuitive, but the new design has made a huge difference. The app now has a minimal UI, as opposed to what it was before, and key metrics are now displayed front and center. The interface is fully customizable too, so you can place the data you care about most right on top of the home page. You can also access the AI coach directly from the app's home screen.
Of course, the Amazfit Helio Ring isn't perfect. There are a few drawbacks, such as the lack of features like automatic workout detection, fewer supported workouts, the absence of a "Find My Ring" feature, limited ring sizes, and no charging case. But when you're paying less than half the price of other smart rings, these drawbacks are easier to overlook.
Amazfit Helio
$149 $199 Save $50
The Amazfit Helio Ring is a sleek, titanium smart ring designed to track your activity and heart rate in a discreet package that resembles a simple wedding ring. It provides insights into your daily steps and sleep quality without requiring any subscription. Recently, the price was reduced from $399 to $199, and with the Black Friday deal, it's now an unbeatable $149.