Everybody love fitness trackers…right? I don’t. Let me rephrase that: I love the idea of a fitness tracker, but I don’t love the commitment to wearing something 24/7. I actually have an Apple Watch, but because this is not comfortable for me to wear while working out or sleeping, it is not a great option for me to use as reliable tracker.
When I first saw an ad for the Motiv ring it was love at first sight – a small, non-intrusive device that I could wear 24/7 that would track my steps, heart-rate and sleep. Sign me up!
To get a Motiv ring, you first have to plunk down $199. Then Motiv sends you their 7 sizes of rings, which are different than standard ring sizers, these are not functional, just plastic samples. They recommend you try the rings on and find one that fits you and that you should wear it for a few days to make sure it is the right size for you. Take your time, don’t rush this. You will be much happier if you wear it for several days and make 100% sure you choose the right size for you.
Once you have chosen your size, you go to the Motiv website, enter a code that is in the sizing box, choose your size and color (black, silver or rose gold) and they ship you your ring. I chose the black ring so it looks black all over; the other two options have a black band running across the ring. This black line is where the one status LED is.
When your ring arrives you get the ring and a small USB charger.
The first thing you notice when you take it out is how solid it feels. This is not a gimmicky device, but a well-engineered tool in a very compact package. Pop the USB charger into a USB port and launch the app on your phone and the setup is pretty painless. Once it is synced to your phone and changed slip it on and you are ready to go.
On the inside of the ring is the heart rate sensor, flanked by two metal contacts. The heart rate sensor is one of the little green light sensors similar to the ones on the back of the Apple Watch or FitBit Charge 2. This same bulge is on the test rings. Pay attention to it, as it can make taking the ring on and off tricky, depending on your finger type. This sensor is supposed to sit against the underside of your finger.
It seems to sync every hour or two automatically. If you want to initiate a manual sync you can always hold your hand flat and spin the ring once or twice around your finger and the LED will blink blue as it syncs with your phone.
The charger, in my opinion, is awesome. It is tiny, almost too small, but it is perfect for what it is. Almost half of it gets inserted into the USB port and the rest sticks out. The inside of the ring snaps against it magnetically and starts charging. Charge time is about 90 minutes for a full charge and you have to charge it about every 3 days. I would complain about this, but honestly I don’t see how they even get 3 days out of these, especially in the smaller size rings. For me, I charge it in the morning on days I don’t workout, or in the evening on days I do workout so I can have it on during my workouts.
The heart rate and sleep tracking seem to work great. I don’t have anything to compare them to, unfortunately, but assuming they are reasonably accurate it is nice to be able to track and view my sleep habits, see what my heart rate was during a workout and keep an eye on my resting heart rate so I can try and push it down over time as I keep going on my fitness journey.
I could see the desire to pack more features into this device like haptic feedback that taps you when you have a text message, but personally I would rather see them work on making it less expensive rather than adding features that try and turn it into a “Smart Ring”.
At $200 it is not an impulse buy for most people, but for those who want a device for tracking heart rate, sleep and steps it is a great device. Overall I have been very happy with it.
Pros:
Small, unobtrusive and easy to wear 24/7
Stylish
Easy setup
Waterproof
Cons:
Price
NOTE: If you give the size kit to someone else they can order their own ring and save $20
