Ultrahuman's Ring Air has something the Galaxy Ring and Oura Ring doesn't

Today, Ultrahuman announced a few key features headed to its flagship smart ring, the Ultrahuman Ring Air. Most notably, the ring now boasts AFib detection, an advanced health feature not currently found on any other smart ring. Utilizing the device’s PPG sensor to monitor users’ heart rates overnight for signs of irregularity, Ultrahuman gained FDA approval for AFib detection ahead of both the Samsung Galaxy Ring and the Oura Ring 3.

AFib detection has become a popular tool on many leading smartwatches. On wrist-based wearables, the feature is typically housed within an ECG app that also offers on-demand recordings. The Ultrahuman Ring Air does not have an ECG app, but users can leverage the ring’s nonintrusive tracking to monitor their heart health for signs of AFib.

Ultrahuman introduced the new tool as part of a new app service called PowerPlugs. The service is essentially an app store intended to expose users to more elective features that enhance the smart ring experience. These apps and plugins include everything from AFib detection and Menstrual Cycle Tracking to Jet Lag and Caffeine Window, and include free and paid services just like established app stores such as Google Play.

This is a different approach to ecosystem growth than we’ve seen on the Oura Ring 3, the market’s current leader. It will be interesting to see how successfully Ultrahuman is able to build out its app store going forward. The company has opened its APIs to developers to create more PowerPlugs and has granted them access to raw data recorded by the device’s PPG, accelerometer, and temperature sensor. This should open the door for third-party apps, which could make the ring a powerful device if popular names get on board.