Fittr Hart X2 smart ring review

Since rings need to be purchased according to size, you do have to go through a sizing process or know your correct ring size to start with. As is the case with other smart ring makers, Fittr will send you a ring sizing kit once you’ve completed the purchase, and once you’ve picked the right size, the actual smart ring will be shipped to you. 

I recommend to pick a size that is just a bit loose, rather than on the tighter side. The sensors should ideally be facing the underside of your finger, and there are slight notches to keep these sensors and the charging contacts just out of touch with your skin.

 

 

 

 

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The Fittr Hart X2 is available in sizes ranging from 6 to 13, and in three colours - black, gold, and silver. The finish is glossy, and I’d suggest going for the black option; it looks the most subtle and understated. The ring itself has a titanium shell with a scratch resistant coating, and comes with a charging case which itself has a battery, so you can charge the ring without being plugged into a power outlet.

You can wear the Fittr Hart X2 smart ring on any finger, and I chose the size according to my preference of wearing it on my index finger - typically the best place to wear a smart ring. With 5ATM water resistance, you can wear the ring just about anywhere and all day long, including while swimming, so you don’t have to worry about taking it off to keep it safe. 

You should ideally take it off when washing your hands so it doesn’t accidentally slip off or soap particles don’t gather inside the ring. Try to give it a wash with plain water once in a day as well; this will avoid dirt and grime getting stuck inside.

The Fittr Hart X2 smart ring comes with a decent set of sensors to provide all kinds of health and fitness tracking. The ring can track sleep, stress, steps and activities, heart rate, heart rate variation, blood oxygen level, VO2 Max, energy expenditure, and skin temperature. Understandably, it does all of this quietly and without disturbing you, which is the key advantage of a smart ring over a smart watch or wrist-based fitness tracker.

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For connectivity with your smartphone, the Fittr Hart X2 smart ring uses the Fittr Hart app (available on iOS and Android), with Bluetooth 5.0 to connect with the smartphone and synchronise data. Synchronisation was quick and effortless during my time with the ring, which also gave me a quick look at the remaining battery and all synchronised data. The ring is said to be able to store up to 15 days of data offline, in case you haven’t remembered to sync in a few days.

Smart rings don’t typically come with displays, and the Fittr Hart X2 sticks to this distraction-free design. When worn, it’ll feel like just about any ring on your finger, although it’s definitely lighter and easier to handle than rings you’d wear as jewellery. The flashing lights from the sensors are a giveaway that this one is smart, though.

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There are affordable options, but Fittr is priced at a premium in the smart ring space - at Rs. 19,499, it’s among the more expensive options. However, it promises dedicated and specialised tracking for the price, including metrics and readings that are meant to give you useful insights into your health rather than plain vanilla data which may not even be accurate.

The metric I found most useful and accurate was sleep tracking, with the Fittr Hart X2 presenting a fairly detailed daily chart on my sleep. This included a split between different types of sleep (light, REM, deep), along with sleep and wake times. This is accompanied by a useful score and nudge of how to improve sleep - in my case, it was often to complete seven hours of sleep, even if the quality of the sleep itself was good.

As with other fitness tracking gadgets, you can set daily goals for sleep, steps, and calorie expenditure, and the Fittr Hart X2 will give you an idea of how you’re doing with it. Steps and activity tracking also comes with measuring distance covered and strain, which can provide an idea on whether you’re over-exerting yourself in activities. There’s a long list of sports and activities which can be tracked, but you’ll find the best data from the Fittr Hart X2 coming from core aerobic activities such as walking and running.

Calorie intake tracking doesn’t use the ring of course, but needs user inputs from the app. If you can remember to keep this up to date, it’ll help with calculating a ratio between intake and expenditure as measured by the X2. Heart rate, SpO2, and heart rate variance work as expected, and the Hart X2 also provides decent insights on resting heart rate as measured when you sleep.

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The metrics that I found somewhat inaccurate were skin temperature and stress. The former frequently gave me very low readings - along with warnings that it might be unhealthy or unsafe. This really wasn’t the case, so the Fittr Hart X2 seemed to be a bit off the mark on this. The stress readings were also often on the higher side; these use HRV as a base for measurement, but there’s no real explanation as to how it comes to this conclusion. Again, I found it off the mark.

Finally, there’s a useful ‘quality of life’ score along with a recovery measurement, which is designed to give you insights into whether you’re pushing yourself too little or too hard when it comes to exercise and physical strain. On the whole, the Fitt Hart app worked well with the ring to deliver useful insights, and it’s possible to access specific daily data as needed.

Battery life on the Fittr Hart X2 smart ring is pretty good, with the ring capable of running for about a week between charges. The case has a built-in battery that is said to recharge the ring twice without being plugged in, but I realistically just got one full charge from it. When plugged in, the case charges the ring pretty quickly.

A smart ring isn’t meant to be a replacement for a smart watch, given the very different form factors. However, its methodology and way of working makes it better suited to purist fitness and health tracking, and Fittr uses this rather well with the Hart X2. It’s decent wearable device which uses the app well to deliver useful insights with the core data it gathers, suggesting that Fittr’s expertise in the field is put to good use.

The Fittr Hart X2 is on the expensive side, but it’s worth a look for those who are serious about health tracking and don’t want to spend Apple Watch type of money.