Diesel Ultrahuman Ring — 5 Things you need to know

Diesel and Ultrahuman have announced a new smart ring, and it has a bit more about it — style wise — than the competition.

An Oura ring is made to look as unobtrusive as possible. It’s smooth, it’s plain, it’s simple. But the Diesel Ultrahuman Ring proves smart rings don’t have to be that way.

You’ll pay £469 for one. And if you end up preferring the classic smart ring look instead, no problem. You can get it in the Ultrahuman Ring Air. Either offers up to six-day battery life, plenty of ring sizes and all-day health stat tracking without the bulk and distractions of a smartwatch or fitness tracker.

Here are the five top things you need to know about the Diesel Ultrahuman Ring.

The design was overseen by Glenn Martens

Ultrahuman provides the tech, Diesel influences the look, which in this smart ring was provided under the guidance of Glenn Martens. He’s a Belgian fashion designer and current creative director of Diesel.

It may take a moment to get your head around what’s going on with the ring’s design. Those patterns are actually the “D” of the stylised version of the Diesel symbol logo, next to that same shape flipped horizontally.

Repeat that pattern across the ring’s outer and it ends up not looking too much like a company logo at all.

It's made of titanium

A smart ring doesn’t have to be plain, but you do want it to be light. It’s why the Diesel Ultrahuman Ring’s outer section is made of titanium rather than, for example, steel.

Titanium is tough but also super-light, which leaves the ring just 2.9g to 4.1g — it naturally varies depending on the size you need.

Ultrahuman makes this ring in sizes 5 to 14, and you can get a “fit kit” to find out which you need if you’re not much of a ring-bearer already.

Two styles, two finishes

The Diesel Ultrahuman Ring has a more provocative style than most other smart rings. But you get to pick between two visual personalities with the two available finishes, dubbed Cryo and Phantom.

Phantom is a “distressed” black style, one that lets some of the silver of the underlying metal shine through. The aim is to give the ring a “dark and gritty presence.” And while the style may not be for everyone, it certainly has more grit to it than an Oura ring or the Ultrahuman Air Ring.

Cryo is a shinier, brighter look. Pure silver, with the added complication of that embossed design. “Icy in tone, effortless in presence,” says Ultrahuman. Fair enough.

All your key stats, no subscription needed

One of the best bits of an Ultrahuman smart ring is, unlike Oura and its £5.99 a month ongoing cost, there’s no need for a subscription.

You get sleep tracking, heart rate and heart rate variability. There’s a body temperature sensor, the optical heart rate reader can analyse blood oxygenation and the ring monitors how much you move each day. All of the usual fitness tracker stuff, bar full-on GPS tracking of runs, walks and bike rides — which smart rings don’t really do.

You can get add-on body intel

There’s no need to pay extra. But like so many techy companies these days, Ultrahuman does offers ways to eat up more of your cash.

This smart ring can be upgraded with PowerPlug software add-ons — basically like DLC for your wearable. You need to pay extra for ovulation and menstrual cycle tracking, which costs £29.99 for a year or £52.99 for two years.

Not fussed, or that — erm — doesn’t apply to you at all? There’s also AFib Detection, which looks for signs of heart issues overnight. This one costs £49 for a year, £79 for two years.

• Camden Watch Company’s new timepiece is inspired by one of London’s wildest duels