Not a fan of traditional smartwatches or fitness bands, yet eager to effortlessly monitor your daily activities and sleep patterns? The Indian wearable tech brand, Noise, has introduced an ingenious solution. The Luna Ring, priced at Rs 14,999, is a sleek smart ring designed to comfortably nestle on your finger, tracking your vital stats and delivering real-time results through its dedicated app.

Getting the Right Fit:

Unlike traditional smartwatches or fitness bands, you have to have the right size as resizing the Ring isn't a DIY affair. Recognising this unique challenge, Noise kindly provided me with a sizing kit to determine the ideal fit for my finger. While size 9 was an impeccable match, I opted for size 10 to ensure a slightly more comfortable feel. While Noise suggests wearing the ring on the index finger, I frequently switch it between my index and second finger."

Nifty Design:

The foray of Indian wearable brands into the smart ring market is indeed noteworthy. However, it's essential to recognise that this isn't an entirely novel concept. Back when the wearable industry was gaining momentum, the Finnish company Oura Health initiated a Kickstarter campaign for their first-generation ring in 2015. The Noise Luna Ring appears to draw inspiration from this concept. Nevertheless, Noise asserts that their product was conceived and entirely developed in-house, right here in India.

The Luna Ring boasts a remarkable slimness, measuring a mere 2.8 mm in thickness. It's currently available in three distinct colours: Stardust Silver, Lunar Black, and Midnight Black. Within the ring's interior, a multitude of sensors diligently record physiological signals and are neatly integrated into a flexible PCB, shielded by a waterproof casing according to the company's specifications. In terms of design, the Luna Ring exhibits a sleek and streamlined appearance.

While it's true that smart rings, owing to the inclusion of various sensors and a battery, tend to be thicker than standard rings, they can introduce some separation between the fingers, potentially affecting comfort. However, the Luna Ring delivers a comfortable wearing experience that can last for days, weeks, and maybe even months.

Pairing, Luna Ring app, and more…

Accompanied by a charging dock and a Type-C cable, the initial step in utilising the Luna Ring involves pairing it with the dedicated app. To initiate the pairing process, I placed the ring on the charger, after which the Noise Luna Ring app promptly detected and established the connection. Subsequently, the app prompted me to provide essential details such as height, gender, and weight, which would be later utilised to compute scores for various parameters. Once the pairing was complete, I found the ring and app working seamlessly in tandem.

One aspect that left me somewhat dissatisfied was the extensive list of permissions that the app requested during the ring pairing process. Having installed the app on an Android smartphone, I found it sought permissions to access and edit contacts, photos, and more, which can be a privacy concern in today's digital landscape.

On a more positive note, the app's user interface proved to be quite intuitive. The home page prominently showcases various metrics, including activity, readiness, and sleep scores, all based on an impressive 70 metrics. I found it convenient to delve deeper into the details of these metrics, but we'll explore this further in the review."

Activity Tracking:

The Luna Ring autonomously records steps and heart rate. Using the activity and other parameters, the app generates an activity score based on the data. In addition to displaying the score, it provides insights into various contributors to your activity, including hourly movement, training frequency, training volume, daytime activity, and more.

While the app is capable of recording multiple activities, it's important to note that the ring itself doesn't automatically detect them. I found myself manually inputting workout sessions. For example, during my morning walk, I had to manually enter details such as the start time, end time, and the intensity of the walk. It's understandable that the Luna Ring lacks a screen and therefore can't provide prompts to record workouts in the same way that devices like the Apple Watch or Fitbit do. However, when paired with a smartphone and equipped with AI and algorithms, it would be beneficial for the app to automatically detect workouts and prompt users to register the details.

One area where I noticed a slight discrepancy was in step counts. While my Apple Watch registered 8,700 steps, the Luna Ring recorded 11,500 steps, indicating a variance between the activity tracking of the two devices.

Sleep Tracking:

While I'm comfortable with workout and activity tracking via a smartwatch or fitness band, I dislike wearing them during sleep. This is where the Luna Ring shines, offering unobtrusive sleep tracking. Importantly, it excels in sleep tracking accuracy. It adeptly detected the times I fell asleep and woke up in the morning. The sleep tracking feature provides a comprehensive breakdown of my sleep, including the total duration, time allocated to REM, deep sleep, and light sleep, along with additional insights such as restfulness, latency, and timing. My sleep efficiency typically ranged from 75% to 94%. However, it also drew my attention to latency and restfulness. The company says, in the future, the app will send notifications based on the data it collects to enhance overall health and well-being.

Readiness Score:

In addition to tracking activity and sleep, the app also provides insights through the Readiness Score, which indicates how prepared you are for the day. This score is based on your recent activity and sleep patterns over the past few weeks. A readiness score over 75 is considered optimal, while a score between 45 and 74 is deemed good, and anything below 45 suggests a need for attention. Throughout the two weeks of testing the Luna Ring, my readiness score fluctuated between 60 and 85.

Battery Life:

With the size 10 Luna Ring that I wore, the battery impressively lasted for three full days, still retaining approximately 14% charge. The included charging dock doesn't come with an adapter but can be easily used with any USB adapter, requiring around 60 minutes for a complete recharge.

Verdict:

Noise's foray into the smart ring market is indeed impressive. This wearable is ideal for individuals who appreciate minimalistic tech accessories yet seek continuous access to their vital body statistics. The Luna Ring by Noise gets it right on the first attempt.