As I was about to board my flight from Hong Kong to Delhi a few days ago, I noticed a gentleman wearing two watches: an Omega Seamaster on his right wrist and an Apple Watch Ultra on the other. It wasn’t the first time I had seen someone wearing both an analogue and a smartwatch, but it made me wonder: why wear two separate watches? Why not just one?
Honestly, I relate to that person. I love wearing and collecting vintage watches, but ever since I adopted a healthier lifestyle, I can’t live without a smartwatch that tracks my sleep and overall health. But here’s the tricky part: which watch do you wear, and when? I thought about it a lot and couldn’t find a satisfying answer until I tried the Fittr Hart X2. It’s a smart ring that tracks my sleep and health, and the best part is that it’s so discreet, I can still wear my vintage Titan watch.
I have been living with the Fittr Hart X2 for two weeks, and here’s the truth about wearing a smart ring over a smartwatch or fitness tracker.
What: Fittr Hart X2| Price: Rs 19,499
Looks and feels like a wedding band
A wedding ring is one piece of jewelry most people never take off. For men, especially in India, it might even be the first and only piece of jewelry they ever own. While the Fittr Hart X2 may not hold the sentimental value of a wedding band, it’s something that can complement one.
The Fittr Hart X2 is a smart ring. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The design of the Fittr Hart X2 is similar to smart rings from Oura, Ultrahuman, and Samsung — a sleek, circular band made of titanium that comes in three finishes: Gun Metal Black, Sterling Gold, and Frost Silver. However, I must say that smart rings in general are chunkier than regular metal rings.
One thing I have noticed about smart rings is that the metal coating on the exterior often gets scratched, and, can easily scratch other surfaces. Like any ring you wear regularly, it will inevitably pick up knocks and scuffs over time. However, I can say with confidence that I haven’t experienced this yet with the Fittr Hart X2.
The ring must be purchased according to your size, and you’ll need to go through a standard sizing process to find the right fit. Fittr sent me a ring sizing kit so I could choose my size (I ended up with my usual size 8: the sizes range from 6 to 13), and once that was done, the actual smart ring was shipped to me. I recommend choosing a size that fits comfortably. Don’t go for a tight fit. Comfort is key, especially for people like me who have sensitive skin and are prone to rashes in the summer.
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I liked the feel of the ring. It has a slimmer design and fits comfortably around my finger with no issues. The great thing about smart rings is that there’s no learning curve; they look just like a piece of jewelry. Like most other rings of this type, it features an array of sensors on the inside to track your health and sleep. The sensors emit a glow that’s not visible in daylight but can be seen in the dark. However, they don’t glow all the time, only when actively taking readings.
The sensors inside can flash up but not all the time. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
During the course of the review, I barely noticed I was wearing it: it stayed on my finger all day. I only felt like removing it once, maybe. That’s an intentional choice, though you can take it off once a day when washing dishes or lifting something heavy. Remember, wearing a smart ring is a major departure from using a smartwatch, which you often have to take off daily for charging, when going to bed, or while showering. The ring is also water-resistant and can be worn in the shower or while swimming, as it can be submerged in water up to 50 meters.
For connectivity, the Fittr Hart X2 smart ring pairs via Bluetooth 5.0 and connects to a smartphone app, which is available on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Impressive performance, especially how it tracks your sleep
I had never worn a smart ring before, and this was my first time actually trying one on. It’s not a completely different experience from wearing a smartwatch on my wrist, but during my time with the Fittr Hart X2, I observed that smart rings are primarily health trackers.
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The idea is to wear them all day and use them as health and fitness trackers, rather than for notifications like incoming calls or setting alarms. That’s the primary difference between a smart ring and a smartwatch. And I get why more people are willing to try smart rings. I am sure a hardcore athlete or runner would still prefer advanced smartwatches like the Apple Watch Ultra or Garmin, or even a fitness band like Whoop, and would rely more on the accuracy of data and in-depth health statistics.
Smart rings, however, are aimed at casual runners or those who are into wellness and health but don’t dive too deeply into the data. In that sense, the Fittr Hart X2 seems to fit perfectly into that category.
The Fittr Hart X2 smart ring works perfectly fine with my iPhone. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The Fittr Hart X2 measures the basic health metrics any average user would need to know…things like heart rate, SpO2, sleep, activity, and stress. All of these stats are presented nicely and visually in the app through graphs.
For me, though, the biggest reason I agreed to review the Fittr Hart X2 was that I wanted to track my sleep. I am a frequent traveller, and due to the nature of my work, I often arrive in cities across different time zones, which greatly affects how I sleep. I have tried wearing smartwatches, but the problem is that I can’t sleep with one on. They feel irritating, and that’s why I needed a smart ring, something I can wear and completely forget about.
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The Fittr Hart X2 is one of the best sleep trackers I have used. You can navigate through the app to check your sleep stages, including how long you were awake, as well as your sleep and wake times. The Hart X2 reported that I got 7 hours and 38 minutes of sleep, with a sleep efficiency of 98 percent and a sleep score of 92. I haven’t noticed the Hart X2 overestimating step count either, which is a great sign. I remember when I was in Shenzhen, China recently, I had trouble sleeping on the first day and woke up twice during the night. Impressively, the ring captured those moments of wakefulness exactly as they happened.
If you are buying a smart ring expecting advanced activity tracking, the Hart X2 may not be the one for you. There’s no automatic workout detection, though it is very particularly limited to just detecting walking. However, when it does track an activity, it does so quite well. My running tests showed good accuracy when I compared the stats with my Apple Watch.
The Hart X2 app is simple, and it needs to be. Since this is a smart ring and not a watch where you can view information on your wrist, how well the app works becomes even more important. Fortunately, everything is displayed visually and is easy to access. You can view instant data, such as sleep stats, and also see long-term trends presented in graphs. The app also shows your ring’s battery level.
Charging case and battery
Another area where the Hart X2 truly shines is battery life. It boasts up to 8 days on a single charge, and I consistently got about a week between charges. On paper, that means you don’t need to plug in your ring for an entire week, exactly what I was looking for in a health tracker. I have worn the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch before, but their battery life rarely lasts beyond a day.
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The Fittr Hart X2 smart ring does perform well enough for the health tracking metrics. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The ring arrives in an all-white, compact plastic case that easily fits in your pocket. The ring magnetically attaches to a dock in the center, and you are done. You can also close the lid while it’s charging, which means you can juice up the Hart X2 on the go.
Should you buy the Fittr Hart X2 smart ring?
The Fittr Hart X2 may seem niche, as smart rings are still an emerging gadget category. However, I can’t deny how impressive this smart ring is – it genuinely surprised me. At Rs 19,499, it’s not exactly affordable, but considering there’s no subscription required to access its health features, and the fact that it can track key health vitals, including sleep, while offering excellent battery life, the Fittr Hart X2 stands out as the best-value smart ring on the market.
