I always wonder how the new smart rings compare to the good old smartwatches — not the ordinary ones, but the well-established ones, like the Apple Watch.
To find an answer, I wore one of the new smart rings, Amazfit Helio, and my Apple Watch 9 together for over a month and compared them across several parameters. This article is going to be all about which smart wearable I liked better and why.
WearableXP’s Verdict
Although smart rings are all the hype these days, and the newer ones are expected to be even more advanced, I still liked my series 9 Apple Watch better. It can do so much more than what the newly launched Helio can do.
As a person who prefers the comfort and discreetness of smart rings, I never knew I’d say that a smartwatch is better. But the Apple Watch 9 truly deserves the crown here.
Not convinced? No problem. Keep scrolling, and I will walk you through my experience with both wearables so that you can see what made me reach this verdict.
Sensors
| Sensors | Amazfit Helio Ring | Apple Watch 9 |
|---|---|---|
| PPG Sensors |  |  |
| Electrical heart sensors |  | |
| Skin temperature Sensor | | |
| Photodiodes | | |
| 3D Accelerometer |  | |
| High-g Accelerometer | | |
| Gyroscope | | |
| Infrared LED | | |
| Green LEDs | | |
| Red LEDs | | |
| EDA Sensors | | |
| Ambient light sensors | | |
| Compass | | |
| Always-on Altimeter | | |
Design & Colors
Amazfit Helio isn’t like most smart rings on the market today. Yes, it has a completely circular design, but unlike the other rings, it has a dotted texture on the outside. I have the Helio ring in titanium—the only one available at the moment.
And well, despite the unconventional design, the ring looks really light (thanks to the 2.6mm thickness and 8mm width) and beautiful on my finger.
Now, the Apple Watch 9 obviously doesn’t have the most standout design in the market; you know Apple doesn’t do that. It has the same characteristic rectangular design with rounded corners it’s always had. Sure, there are rumors of a new design every now and then, but they are always crushed right before the launch.
But what is different about the new series is that it comes in the prettiest color have—pink!!! I am not talking about the loud, bold Barbie pink here. Instead, the watch has a light pink, soothing, pastel-like shade that I adore. I however got the classic black one with the black strap as well.
The watch comes in various other colors (Midnight, Starlight, Gold, Silver, Graphite, and Red).
So, even though I appreciate Helio for its extraordinary design and I like how different it looks on my finger, I can’t look at anything past my classic black Apple Watch 9 and like its design better.
Material, Comfort & Durability
The outer part of my Helio ring is made up of titanium alloy and the inner part has a resin covering. So, not only is the ring super scratch-resistant, but also very comfortable to wear. There were times when I’d unintentionally hit my hand against surfaces, but regardless of my accident-prone lifestyle, the Helio ring escaped with relatively few scratches!
Furthermore, I have come to think that the dotted texture of the Amazfit Helio is not just a design quirk. It is possible that the makers of the ring had it just because of how little scratches it would show on the surface. Because hey, regardless of how pretty a shiny or matte design is, it would probably end up showing more scratches over time.
In comparison to the Helio ring, I didn’t find my Apple Watch to be as scratch resistant. You see, the aluminum watch I use comes with an ion‐x front glass that is not as scratch-resistant as the Sapphire front crystal of the stainless steel cases.
So, although I don’t get to see any scratches doing my everyday chores, *accidentally* hitting my hand against a textured wall did lead to a scratch or two on the screen. I’ve been hurting ever since.
Plus, it’s no news that titanium is more durable and scratch-resistant than aluminum. So, it goes without saying that the Helio ring is more durable than my Apple Watch.
However, there’s something that I truly like about the materials that Apple uses. Apple Watch 9 is offered in both aluminum and stainless steel cases. You’d think there’s nothing new here. But let me elaborate. In lieu of Apple’s decision to go carbon-neutral by 2030, series 9 is mostly being crafted from recycled stuff. This is something that Amazfit isn’t doing.
For example, the case of my series 9 is made up of 100% recycled aluminum, the battery consists of 100% recycled cobalt, and the Sports Loop that my aluminum watch comes with is crafted from 82% recycled yarn. How cool is that?
But when it comes to comfort, the Helio ring will still triumph over the Apple Watch— or any smartwatch, for that matter. When you start wearing a smart ring to bed for sleep tracking, there’s literally no going back.
I mean, think of this: the Helio is barely 3-4 grams in weight, whereas the Apple Watch is around 32 grams (I use the 41mm variant). So, naturally, I feel more comfortable with the ring! In fact, a lot of times during this, I even forgot that I was wearing something to track my health!
I never felt this lightweight and free with the Apple Watch—even though I am all for its design and build. It’s not just the weight but also the notifications, the always-on display, and simply knowing that the watch, too, has a lot of apps I use on my phone that would distract me more than I liked.
Specifications
| Specifications | Amazfit Helio Ring | Apple Watch 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Titanium Alloy (outer ring), Resin (inner part of the ring) | Case– Aluminium, Stainless Steel Display– Ion‑X front glass, Sapphire front crystal Strap– Recycled yarn, Fine Woven Battery– Cobalt |
| Weight | 3.75 & 3.82 grams | 31.9 grams to 51.5 grams |
| Dimensions | Thickness- 2.6mmWidth- 8mm | Height: 41mm Width: 35mm Depth: 10.7mmHeight: 45mm Width: 38mm Depth: 10.7mm |
| Size | 10 &12 | 41mm: Fits 130–200mm wrists 45mm: Fits 140–245mm wrists |
| Charger | Wireless charging dock | Magnetic Fast Charger USB‑C Cable |
| Battery Life | Up to 4 days | Up to 18 hours of normal useUp to 36 hours in Low Power Mode |
| Charging Time | 1 hr 40min | Around 75 minutes |
| Colors available | Titanium | Pink, Midnight, Starlight, Gold, Silver, Graphite, and Red |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth | L1 GPS, GNSS, Galileo, and BeiDou LTE and UMTS11 Wi‑Fi 4 (802.11n) Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Compatible With Other Apps | Yes | Yes |
| Water Resistance | 10 ATM/ 100m | Up to 50M; ISO standard 22810:2010 |
| Memory | N/A | 64GB |
| Compatibility | Android 7.0 and above, iOS 14.0 and above | iPhone XS or lateriOS 17 or later |
| Warranty | 1-year | 1-year limited warranty |
| In-built GPS | Yes | Yes |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C to 40°C | 0° and 35°C (32° to 95°F) |
| EMF-Safe | No | Yes |
| Airplane Mode | No | Yes (via mobile) |
| Sizing kit | No | N/A |
| FSA/HSA Eligible | No | No |
| Microphone & speaker | No | Yes |
| Buttons | No | Yes (One) |
| Double Tap Gestures | No | Yes |
| AI Assistance | Yes | Siri |
| Chip & Space | N/A | S9 SiP with 64‑bit dual‑core processor 4‑core Neural Engine 64GB capacity |
| Display | No | Always‑On Retina LTPO OLED displayEdge‑to‑edge display |
Battery Life & Charging
| Charging Details | Amazfit Helio Ring | Apple Watch 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Official Charging Time | 100 minutes | About 75 minutes to 100% |
| My Charging Time | 100- 120 minutes | 40-100 minutes |
| Official Battery Durability | Up to 4 days | Up to 18 hoursUp to 36 hours in Low Power Mode |
| My Ring’s Battery Durability | Around 3 days | ~ 1 day |
Because of their bigger form factor, smartwatches are said to have a longer battery life than smart rings. But the Apple Watch contradicts this. It has an 18-hour “all-day” battery life, while Amazfit promises up to four days of battery life.
Neither stands true to its advertised claims, though. With the Helio ring, I get around three days of battery life. Surprisingly, I managed to get about a day of battery life with the Apple Watch.
But that’s all on me, guys. I use simple watch faces even though I am tempted to use something really fancy. I have most of the notifications off—not just because they are distracting but also because they contribute to faster battery drainage.
I go through all this trouble so that I don’t have to put my Apple Watch on charge frequently—even though I find the process simple and quick. The S9 Watch comes with a Magnetic Fast Charging USB C cable. So, all I have to do is put the Watch on the charging base and leave it there for around 45 minutes.
Apple says that the watch charges up to 100% in about 75 minutes, but I am not patient enough for that. Plus, a good 45-minute charge can easily give me around 80% of my battery, and I am good with that.
Charging the Helio ring is also quite simple. All I have to do is put the ring on the charging dock, connect the dock to a power source via a USB cable, and leave it so for around 2 hours. In that time, the ring charges a full 100% and lasts for around 3 days.
Needless to say, the Helio has better battery life, and I wish that with this year’s upgrade, Apple had worked on improving battery life instead of focusing on providing an upgrade of 1,000 nits in the display from the previous series. Because the thing is, I couldn’t notice a significant difference between the displays of my Series 8 and 9 anyway.
Features
| Features | Amazfit Helio | Apple Watch 9 |
|---|---|---|
| HR, HRV & RHR | Yes | Yes |
| Workout Heart Rate | Yes | Yes |
| ECG | No | Yes |
| Heart Rate Notification | No | Yes |
| Irregular Rhythm Notification | No | Yes |
| Blood Oxygen Levels (SpO2) | Yes | No |
| Sleep Tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Nap Detection | Yes | No |
| Detailed Sleep Analysis | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep Coach | Yes (Paid feature) | No |
| Weekly & Monthly Sleep Reports | Yes | No |
| Respiration Rate | No | Yes |
| Breathing Quality | Yes | No |
| Skin Temperature | Yes | Yes |
| Steps | Yes | Yes |
| Distance Traveled | Yes | Yes |
| Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Workouts | Yes | Yes |
| Sports Coach | Yes | No |
| Achievement Prediction | Yes | No |
| Advanced Running Support | Yes | No |
| Period Prediction | Yes | Yes |
| Fertility & Ovulation Prediction | No | Yes |
| Mood & Energy | No | Yes |
| Menstrual Symptoms | No | Yes |
| Emotional state | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic emotion detection | Yes | No |
| Daily Summary | No | Yes |
| Set Personalized Goals | Yes | Yes |
| Personalized Wellness Assistance | Yes | Yes |
| PAI Health Assessment System | Yes | No |
| AI Chatbot | Yes | No |
| Insights Feature | Yes | Yes |
| Data Export | Yes | Yes |
| Stress | Yes | No |
| Recovery | Yes | Yes |
| Readiness Score | Yes | No |
| Readiness Insights | Yes | No |
| VO2 Max | Yes | Yes |
| Emergency SOS | No | Yes |
| Crash Detection | No | Yes |
| Fall Detection | No | Yes |
| Live Tracking | No | Yes |
| International Emergency Calling | No | Yes |
| HomePod Control | No | Yes |
| Find Lost iPhone | No | Yes |
Apple Watch comes with some really cool features. For example, the Series 9 has a gesture control feature that only two smart rings in the market have: the Rogbid Smart Ring and the Samsung Galaxy Ring. Given this feature, I only have to make a pinchy pinch motion with my thumb and index finger to do things like pause the music, take/ reject calls, etc.
The list of things that can be done with this gesture is so long…that I myself don’t grasp its full range of capabilities, and therefore, I don’t make good and full use of the feature like I should be doing.
Furthermore, I’ve always found the SpO2 monitoring feature to be quite useful. However, in lieu of the ongoing lawsuit about technology patents, Apple has decided not to include this feature in series 9 or Ultra 2. So, I am a little bummed over that, too.
Tracking Accuracy
Activity Tracking
Activity tracking is where the Apple Watch truly triumphs over the Amazfit Helio. It can record way more workouts than my Helio ring can, for example, HIITs, strength training, and whatnot. Because with the Helio, I can only track cycling, running, walking, and treadmill.
Since I do so much more than that, Helio’s activity-tracking capabilities always fall short of my requirements.
Using the Apple Watch for my activity tracking was a game changer. It uses far more advanced sensors than the Helio and could, therefore, track things like my step count, the distance that I ran for, the number of calories I burned during HIIT, etc.
So, as a health and fitness enthusiast, I trust the Apple Watch’s step and activity tracking data way more than Helio’s.
Heart Rate Monitoring
I found the Apple Watch’s heart rate tracking capabilities to be way more advanced than those of Helio. Not that I have ever felt the need to do it or even done it, but it’s quite cool knowing that my Apple Watch can also perform ECG, whereas the Helio can’t.
But it’s not just about the capabilities; the data that Apple Watch provided was slightly more accurate than the ring, too. For example, the Apple Watch could detect rapid changes in my heart rate while I was exercising, but the Helio couldn’t.
Sleep Tracking
Both the Amazfit Helio and Apple Watch 9 are said to excel in their sleep-tracking capabilities. Both of them mostly track similar metrics, like total time asleep, sleep time, wake-up time, naps, sleep stages, etc. However, I feel Helio is slightly more advanced in its tracking capabilities, as it also checks for Apnea, Daytime Sleepiness, Insomnia, and RLS.
Furthermore, they are similar in their accuracy and inaccuracies. Both of them got a few things correct and the other few wrong at times. For example, while the watch provided me with the correct “Time Asleep” and “Wake-Up,” it used to get the “Fall Asleep” incorrect sometimes.
Similarly, there were times when I was simply lying on the couch and reading before finally heading to bed. The Helio would consider it bedtime, and the time that I would take to get up and finally go to bed was counted as sleep disturbance.
Apart from this, the data that both the wearables provided me with was correlated.
Menstrual Tracking
I truly want to see how Amazfit Helio would compare with the Apple Watch in terms of menstrual tracking.
Both wearables require me to log in the start and end dates of my period before I can see predicted dates. However, the Apple Watch also works with Natural Cycles to use my body temperature to show additional cycle-related insights. Because of this, I have always found my Apple Watch’s data to be more insightful.
As of now, the Apple Watch and the Oura ring are the only smart wearables that are doing so. So, I really want to see how the Helio is going to compare to something like that. Since the Helio was only released a little over a month ago, I have yet to see predictions.
Companion Apps
Amazfit Helio’s companion app is Zepp, and that’s about it. But when it comes to Apple Watch 9, be ready to use three different apps at once: the Watch app, the Fitness App, and the Health app. But no, it’s still not as overwhelming as the Zepp app could make you feel.
If you’re a total beginner, there’s a good chance you will feel swamped with numbers and charts right upon opening the app; at least, that’s how I felt.
Whereas all three apps that work with Watch 9 don’t take a lot to get used to. All three of them are intuitively built, and switching between them isn’t a hassle, even though it may look so.
For example, the Watch app is the control center of your Apple Watch. Using it, I can personalize my entire Apple Watch as per my taste. I can customize settings, manage apps on my Watch, change watch faces, set up notifications, gestures, widgets, etc.
While the Zepp app also lets me customize the layout of the app, it’s not as advanced as what the Watch app offers. And so, there’s not much I could do to make the numbers and charts less overbearing for myself.
When it comes to managing Fitness, Zepp offers an in-app paid feature called Zepp Fitness that I didn’t use. However, I did see my workout-related stats on the free version of the app. For example, the app aptly shows me stats about my runs—the distance I ran, the duration of my run, and even the route I took!
The Fitness app on my iPhone was still simpler to grasp my workout and activity data. The app would show me my daily activity progress using three concentric rings that represent Move, Exercise, and Stand goals. Furthermore, I can track specific workouts and trends over time as well. Just like Zepp Fitness, there’s also an Apple Fitness+, but I didn’t subscribe to it either.
I prefer what Apple offers in not just tracking workouts but also presenting their stats and analysis over the Zepp app.
The Health app combined all my health and fitness-related data. It shows me data from the Fitness app in addition to other health-related data like heart rate and sleep, and even the activity gets recorded via my iPhone during the times I am not wearing the watch. Furthermore, given my forgetfulness, I also make use of the Medications App to remind me to take my supplements on time and the Mindfulness app when I feel overwhelmed or anxious.
The Zepp app also offers me the option to set reminders for medicines and other things, but in case I need meditation music or the likes, I have to get Zepp Aura.
A quick scroll through this app gives me a comprehensive view of how I am doing health and wellness-wise. This is similar to scrolling through the home screen of the Zepp app every morning. Doing so tells me about my sleep, stress, readiness scores, and more. All this information helps me better prepare for my day. And if I want to understand these metrics in more detail, the app gives me the option to do that, too.
But did I tell you that you can install the Zepp app on both Android and iOS devices, whereas the Watch app can only be installed on iPhones? This is probably the biggest drawback of using an Apple Watch; if you’re not already a part of the ecosystem, you can’t use it.
Pricing & Subscription
| Pricing Details | Amazfit Helio | Apple Watch 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Official Price | $299.99 USD | $399-$1049 |
| Discounted Price | N/A | N/A |
| Subscription | Yes (Optional) Zepp Aura – $69.99/yearZepp Fitness – $19.99 for 6 months | Yes (Varies depending upon network service provider) |
I will say this upfront: the Helio ring is a lot more affordable than the Apple Watch. I got my Helio ring for around $300. On the other hand, the 41mm GPS-only model of Apple Watch 9 has cost me $399. This number could have gone up had I opted for the GPS+ Cellular model or the 45mm size.
But when it comes to subscriptions for companion apps, the Watch App is mostly free to use, whereas Zepp requires a subscription that costs $69.99 a year if you want to use Zepp Aura or $19.99 if you want to get Zepp Fitness. While it’s not mandatory to do so, Zepp Aura is quite useful, and once the limited free trial period ends, I know I will be tempted to pay the price for the app.
So, in the long run, the price of the Helio ring and its companion app combined is about the same as that of the Apple Watch.
Which Device Should You Buy?
Get the Apple Watch 9. I never believed that a smartwatch-hating person like me would say this, but if you use an iPhone already or are planning to switch in the near future, the Apple Watch 9 will be way better than the Helio ring.
Yes, the Helio offers better comfort, durability, and battery life, but hey, these are some things that can easily be managed with the watch, too!
As for comfort, sure, the ring is more comfortable, the watch doesn’t cause particular discomfort either; you will get used to it within a few days. As for durability, try being a little careful? You’d have to be the same with the ring because it’s not completely scratch-proof. As for the battery, the fast charging does makes things easier.
This is because the accurate data that the Apple Watch will provide you with will be way more useful than what the Zepp app will show. As for the pricing, I can assure you that the Apple Watch will be worth the investment.
