Amazfit’s Helio Smart Ring Is Woefully Behind Its Competitors

Smart rings have arrived. They’re no longer the preserve of Finnish pioneer Oura; we have tested rings from Ultrahuman, Ringconn, and Movano in recent months, and our Samsung Galaxy Ring review is in the works. These finger-based trackers are easy to wear and provide potentially valuable insights about our health and fitness. As perhaps the dominant Chinese player in the fitness tracking space, Amazfit should be well-placed to jump aboard the trend, but the Helio smart ring feels like a work in progress.

Amazfit grew from Huami, founded more than a decade ago. The company has lots of experience turning out affordable gadgets, and Amazfit is a sub-brand that released its first smartwatch in 2016. Huami rebranded to Zepp Health in 2021, and the Amazfit app became the Zepp app, even though the Amazfit brand was retained for the devices. (Please just pick one name.)

We have tested a few of Amazfit’s fitness trackers, including the Amazfit GTR Pro (5/10, WIRED Review) and the Amazfit Balance (5/10, WIRED Review). Amazfit was bullish about the ring and watch combination, with the Zepp app aggregating data from both, so it sent me the Cheetah Pro alongside the Helio. (Amazfit also sells the ring bundled with other models.) The duo works well, but testing the Helio ring alone quickly revealed its shortcomings.

Rushed Ring

The Amazfit Helio comes in only one color and two sizes. Amazfit calls the color titanium. It is titanium alloy, but the finish looks bronze with a subtle, classy-looking dot pattern on the top and a tiny indentation on the other side to help you align the sensors correctly. The Helio weighs just shy of 4 grams, is 2.6 mm thick, and is comfy to wear. It is bulkier than a regular ring but not terribly so.

The Amazfit Helio is rated at 10 ATM for water resistance. You can swim or shower with it on. It comes with a wee, wireless charging plinth, just like Oura’s, and a USB-C cable, but you must supply a power adapter. Amazfit offers size 10 or 12. (Luckily, I am size 12.) Eventually, it will offer sizes 7 through 13. The limited options boost my impression that Amazfit has rushed the ring to market.

The ring seems durable. Mine is mostly blemish-free after a couple of weeks, and I tend to be tough on smart rings, though I did manage to gouge my porcelain bathroom sink. (You must remember to remove your ring before cleaning, lifting weights, or any activity where it is likely to touch a hard surface.) Like most smart rings, the Helio works best on your index finger, but this makes it more likely to come into contact with … well, everything.

Mighty Metrics

The Helio has the usual sensor suspects, including a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, temperature sensor, and electro-dermal (EDA) sensor. It can track your heart rate and heart rate variability, active minutes, total steps, calories burned, and a few other bits. You must install and link the Zepp app (iOS, Android) to review your data.

Photograph: Simon Hill via Zepp app