A new ring will soon enter the smart ring market, the Velia ring, previously known as IRIS. With people already pre-booking the ring to get a free lifetime membership, I am not sure where to ring stands in the market right now.
I compared Velia with RingConn to figure out whether Velia would compete with RingConn or if it is just another basic ring with sensors.
Specifications
| Specifications | RingConn Ring | Velia Ring (IRIS) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 3 – 5 g (varies with size) | Less than 5 g |
| Dimension | 7.8 mm wide; 2.6 mm thick | 5.2 mm wide; 2.5 mm thick |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.2 (Low power Bluetooth module) | Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) |
| Ring Battery Life | 7 Days | • Small Size Rings: Up to 3-4 days • Big Size Rings: Up to 5 days |
| Ring Charging Time | 90 minutes | 20-40 minutes |
| Charger | Portable charging case | Portable charging station with USB-C cable |
| Portable Charger Battery Life | 18+ full ring charges | 4 full charges |
| Charger Battery Charging Time | 90 minutes | N/A |
| Water Resistance | IP68; Up to 165 ft | Up to 100 meters: Waterproof up to 330 ft |
| Dustproof | Yes | N/A |
| EMF Safe | Yes | Yes |
| Airplane Mode | Yes | Yes |
| Compatibility | iOS 12.0 or later, or Android 8.0 or later | iOS and Android |
| Memory | Stores up to 7 days of data | Over 5 days |
| Operating Temperature Range | 14°F-104°F | N/A |
| Sizes | 6-14 | 6-14 |
| Free Sizing Kit | Yes | Yes |
| FSA / HSA compatible | No | N/A |
| Warranty | One year | N/A |
| Compatible With Other Apps | Yes | Yes |
Colors And Design
Regarding color options, both these rings offer three colors to choose from- Black, Silver, and Gold. Even their outer surfaces have a shiny finish. However, they differ in design.
While I like my golden RingConn Ring very much, Velia’s carbon-based matte finish ring caught my eye.
I liked the RingConn Ring’s square-oval design, which looks quite sporty and visible on the hand. The round-shaped Iris Ring is quite sleek and looks like minimalist jewelry compared to the RingConn.
Comfort, Material & Durability
While I find the RingConn Ring quite light on my finger, I am pretty impressed with the Iris Ring’s dimensions. Given the Velia ring and RingConn Ring’s dimensions, it is obvious that the Velia smart ring would be much lighter than the RingConn Ring.
Though I am comfortable wearing my RingConn Ring, I keep switching it to my other hand after a few hours to avoid sweat marks. Velia is yet to be launched in the market. So, I have to wait for a few more months to get a real experience of wearing it.
RingConn Ring is made of Titanium and has a PVD coating to protect it from scratches. Moreover, it has launched ring protectors to save it from sharp objects or abrasion. Though its material is durable, I wear the ring along with the ring protector to avoid any unwanted marks on it while doing intense workouts or working with tools.
| Specifications | RingConn Ring | Velia Ring (IRIS) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 3 – 5 g (varies with size) | Less than 4 g |
| Dimension | 7.8 mm wide; 2.6 mm thick | 5.2 mm wide; 2.5 mm thick |
| Material | Titanium and has a PVD coating | Medial-grade Titanium • Gold and Silver Ring: shiny, high-quality PVD coating • Black Ring: carbon-based matte finish |
Velia Ring is also made of medical-grade Titanium, like the RingConn Ring. So, I am pretty sure that the ring would be durable like the RingConn Ring. However, it doesn’t have a ring protector or any sort of extra protection to save it from scratches. So, one has to be very careful while wearing it.
One thing is clear about both the rings- both are scratch-resistant but not scratchproof. Thus, handle them with care and caution.
Features
| Features | RingConn Ring | Velia Smart Ring (Previously IRIS) |
|---|---|---|
| HR & HRV |  | |
| Blood Oxygen Levels (SpO2) | | |
| Sleep Tracking | | |
| Nap Detection | |  |
| Detect Snoring | | |
| Respiration Rate/Breathing Rate | | |
| Skin Temperature | | |
| Body Temperature | | |
| Blood Pressure Monitoring | | (coming soon) |
| Steps | | |
| Distance Traveled | | |
| Calories | | |
| Standing Time | | |
| Workouts Tracking | | |
| Menstrual Symptoms | | |
| Period Logging | | |
| Fertility & Ovulation Prediction | | (coming soon) |
| Stress Tracking | | |
| Wellness Score | | |
| Trends | | |
| Personalized Goals | | |
| Daily Summary | | |
| Insights | | |
| User-Based Insights | | |
| Bedtime Guidance | | |
| Meditation | | |
| Sedentary Reminders | | |
| Health Timeline & Note | | |
| Share Report | | |
While the RingConn Ring and Velia smart ring share a lot of common features, the RingConn Ring lacks the snoring detection feature like the Velia Ring.
I appreciate Velia’s effort to include important metrics like the blood pressure monitoring feature in its upcoming version. It uses a medical-grade thermometer to track body temperature. RingConn Ring can adapt these features as well to give comprehensive health details.
The RingConn smart ring has features to track workouts, steps, distance, calories, standing time, etc., which gives more user-based insights and helps to set personalized goals. However, this feature is missing in the Velia Ring.
Sensors
| Sensors | RingConn Ring | Velia Ring (IRIS) |
|---|---|---|
| PPG Sensors | | |
| Red LEDs |  | |
| Green LEDs | | |
| Infrared LEDs | | |
| Skin Temperature Sensors | | |
| Medical-Grade Thermometer | | |
| Photodiodes | | |
| 3D Accelerometer | | |
The RingConn smart ring has four temperature sensors, four PPG modules, and a 3-axis accelerometer to track health and fitness metrics. However, it lacks a medical-grade thermometer, photodiode, or microprocessor like the Velia Ring. Despite having fewer sensors than the Velia Ring, it can track sleep, stress, workouts, activities, heart rate, etc.
Regarding sensors, the Velia Ring is far better equipped than the RingConn Ring. The latest smart ring has managed to incorporate multiple sensors tactfully in a compact way. Velia Ring has six photodetectors and 18 LEDs, along with a medical-grade thermometer, a 3-axis accelerometer, and a microprocessor.
Given their advanced technology and PPG sensors (3.99 mm in size, which is quite less than other wearables), I highly hope for Velia’s success. While Velia has incorporated multiple sensors, I can’t say much about their accuracy until the smart ring becomes available. By far, Velia has succeeded in patenting the smallest sensor. Let’s hope RingConn does something similar!
Accuracy
While the RingConn Ring tracks many important metrics like sleep, stress, health & fitness metrics, etc., the actual readings might vary. If you are wearing only the RingConn Ring, tracking misinformation can be difficult.
However, I have checked for the RingConn Ring’s accuracy by comparing these metrics to my Apple Watch (which is far more accurate than the RingConn Ring!) and found some astonishing results.
Sleep Tracking
RingConn Ring’s sleep tracking is quite elaborate. From falling asleep to waking up, it tracks sleep stages (awake, REM, light sleep, and deep sleep) and movements thoroughly.
However, I found notable inaccuracies in detecting my sleep time in many instances. Sometimes, it mistakes my nap durations with actual sleep and thus adds it to my sleep duration.
I have noticed that when I lie down and don’t move longer, it mistakes it for a nap. While the RingConn Ring tracks sleep time diligently and gives detailed insights, it needs to work on tracking naps better.
While the RingConn Ring’s ability to differentiate between nap and sleep is appreciable, the inaccurate readings make it pointless. RingConn is solving these errors and updating its sleep-tracking features, but it still has a long road to go.
The Velia Ring has taken a step forward by including the snore detection feature. It hasn’t revealed much about how it will detect it, but it’s there, unlike the RingConn Ring.
While Velia Ring also claims to track sleep, it would be interesting to see how much it is accurate in tracking sleep stages and sleep durations. Its sleep algorithm is still under development. So, we have to wait to get the exact details. Currently, it claims to analyze body temperature along with sleep cycle to give detailed insights on physical state as well.
Stress Tracking
Another important metric that my RingConn Ring tracks is Stress. Before, there was no way to check my stress level, but now I have a score measuring my stress level. It helps me to take a pause and relax.
I didn’t find much difference in my stress tracking readings and am totally satisfied with RingConn Ring’s results. It shows high stress levels when I have intense workouts, brainstorming sessions, or just a hectic day. Since it uses the HRV readings to determine stress levels, the stress data is quite accurate.
The only drawback I found in the RingConn Ring is that while it gives a stress score, it neither provides detailed information nor shows Recovery insights. So, I have to make my own plans to recover from it.
The Velia smart ring also claims to track stress using the HRV data and heart rate patterns. Since it will track stress similar to the RingConn Ring, I expect it to provide accurate results. However, I would like to see things that are missing in the RingConn Ring’s stress tracking- recovery details, elaborated insights, and stress alert notifications. Only time will tell what Velia Ring has in its bag!
Health & Fitness Tracking
I am pretty much impressed with RingConn Ring’s health and fitness tracking. While I found a few errors while tracking my steps, there was not much difference in other metrics.
Since I am very lazy to move and prefer sitting on my chair, RingConn Ring’s sedentary feature has improved me a lot. It keeps me reminding to move/walking when it finds no body movement for a longer period of time.
RingConn Ring’s heart rate tracking is also moderate. While it tracks my heart rate thoroughly, it also has a feature to notify me when I have unusually high heart rates. Despite having this feature enabled, it hardly notifies me. A bug on the app side. Apart from tracking HR, it also tracks my blood oxygen levels and respiratory rate thoroughly.
I find RingConn Ring’s skin temperature tracking quite useful as it combines the information with my sleep details and provides me with a detailed analysis to improve my sleeping schedule.
While RingConn Ring’s sleep-tracking errors cannot be ruled out, its comprehensive tracking system is praiseworthy. It needs to improve more to get higher accuracy.
Google Fit is also compatible with the RingConn Ring’s app for Android users. The calorie burnout details were mostly accurate, but I found many differences in the step-tracking details.
Velia Ring’s accuracy in tracking health and fitness can be judged only after using the ring. Since it uses heart rate sensors and motion sensors to track workouts automatically, I expect it to track these metrics diligently.
Battery & Charging
RingConn Ring has a smart charging case, while the Velia Ring has a charging station & a USB-C cable. However, I would prefer the RingConn Ring’s charging method more than the Velia Ring.
I have to charge the case once, which holds up to 18 charges. The case further acts as the storage box for the ring. So, it has a dual benefit!
Though the Velia Ring’s charging station claims to have four full charges, it is still quite less than the RingConn Ring’s charging case. Moreover, the ring cannot be stored inside it.
Since the Velia Ring contains quite small batteries, it requires frequent charging as well. I prefer charging my ring less frequently, though.
| Charging Details | RingConn Ring | Iris Smart Ring/Velia Smart Ring |
|---|---|---|
| Official Battery Life | 7 days | • Small Size Rings: Up to 3-4 days • Big Size Rings: Up to 5 days |
| Official Charging Time | 90 minutes | 20-40 minutes |
While it takes 90-100 minutes to charge my RingConn Ring fully, I don’t have to worry about charging it for 6-7 days. So, given the charging duration and battery charge life, I am satisfied with the RingConn Ring’s performance.
Though the Velia Ring claims to get fully charged in 20-40 minutes, the charging duration may vary according to the ring’s size. While the charging duration is much less than the RingConn Ring, its battery lasts for 3-4 days only. So, it requires more frequent charging.
I have to wait a bit to check out the actual battery duration and charging time of the Velia Ring. Still, the RingConn Ring’s battery charge duration and charging time are far better than the Velia Ring.
Companion Apps
From what it looks like, Velia’s companion app also uses both dark and light themes. It shows HR, sleep, and activity data in circles with varying colors. This interface is a little too easy for me. I like details,, numbers and trends.
There’s no Readiness or Energy score in Velia. Instead, the app sends you personalized, unique insights after accessing the collected data overnight. The app will send you multiple notifications on how to optimize your energy levels and improve your day. You get a lot of relaxation tips in the app as well.
Though it has circle and bar graphs, I didn’t find them very informative. Well, the ring and the app are still in the initial phase. So, I hope it will include more options and variations. As of now, I feel it needs to improvise its app and make it more data-driven like RingConn.
The RingConn app, on the other hand, is quite illustrative and contains a lot of data sorted into different tabs (Insights, Trend, and Me). It has light-themed slides with colorful graphs containing scores and insights.
Compared to the Iris/Velia app, the RingConn app has more overwhelming data and can be difficult to understand sometimes. However, it has individual slides to give detailed information on important health metrics like sleep, heart rate, calories, stress, etc.
Its summary page contains a wellness balance sheet that analyzes vital signs, sleep, activity, and stress to give ratings that I find really helpful. It helps me plan my day according to my health.
So, in terms of the app, I find the RingConn app much more elaborate and informative than the Velia app.
Price, Subscription & Availability
While the RingConn Ring costs $279, the Velia Ring does not have a fixed price yet. RingConn also offers a discounted price of $259 if purchasing from the official website. The ring protector costs $30. In short, you can get both these things within $300.
Since the Iris/Velia ring is still an ongoing crowdfunded project (now on both Kickstarter and Indiegogo), it is offering varying prices. That’s the beauty of new smart rings! You don’t have to pay extravagant prices initially. Well, that doesn’t mean that the Velia Ring will cost you cheaper.
Despite being a new ring, currently, the Velia Ring costs $290 for a pre-order booking. However, the price varies on different days. The only benefit it offers is that the initial buyers will get a lifetime subscription for free. Otherwise, it will charge $10/month for using its app. RingConn Ring, on the other hand, is subscription-free!
| Pricing Details | RingConn Ring | Velia Ring (IRIS) |
|---|---|---|
| Official Price | $279 | N/A (may vary) |
| Discounted Price | $259 | $290 (current pre-book price); Price varies |
| Subscription | Free | $10; Free lifetime subscription for pre-orders only |
I find the Velia Ring quite pricey compared to the RingConn Ring. It is a first-generation ring that is charging quite a large amount. Only time will tell whether it is worth the price or not.
While the RingConn Smart Ring is available for shipping in the US, Canada, EU countries, UK, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, the Velia Smart Ring’s shipping will be targeted to the US markets initially.
Final Verdict
I believe in actions rather than talk. While the RingConn Ring is already on the market and has thousands of users, the Velia Ring is a new grain.
While I appreciate the Velia Ring’s efforts to incorporate compact advanced sensors and a medical-grade thermometer to give accurate readings, I would like to wait and see its final results.
Though the RingConn Ring is not an FDA-approved health gadget and sometimes gives inaccurate readings, it is evolving and correcting its shortcomings.
Now, we have a better version of the RingConn Ring that is tried and tested by many. So, in my opinion, it would be rushed to say that the Velia Ring is better than the RingConn Ring. However, I want to see how the newest smart ring will challenge its competitors in the coming months.
