M1: Waterproof smart ring costs just $39 and can supposedly monitor a number of vitals and activities

Smart rings are yet to reach the mass market. Nevertheless, they are now available from many different manufacturers and no longer from just a few companies. However, the term manufacturer is somewhat flexible: in fact, the number of actual OEMs is probably quite small, hence the corresponding products are marketed under different names by different companies. Therefore, they are not in-house developments.

A smart ring is now available from Geekbuying at a very affordable price. The wearable, called M1, is offered in various ring sizes, costs just over $38 and is shipped free of charge from China to the US within a maximum of 45 days. Customers should inform themselves about import taxes.

The manufacturer advertises an extensive range of functions. We can only advise a great deal of skepticism in this regard, as wearables, especially from the Far East, do not always deliver what they promise. According to the manufacturer, continuous heart rate measurement is supported. The measurement of blood oxygen saturation is also advertised – the precise measurement of oxygen saturation is more complex than heart rate measurement. Intensity is also measured during sporting activities, and post activity evaluation is apparently possible via a special app. A pedometer is integrated.

Usage of the ring whilst swimming is supposedly also possible thanks to its water resistance up to a test pressure of 5 ATM. A battery life of three to five days is specified and the ring itself weighs 3.5 grams.

Editor of the original article: Silvio Werner – Senior Tech Writer – 8819 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2017

I have been active as a journalist for over 10 years, most of it in the field of technology. I worked for Tom’s Hardware and ComputerBase, among others, and have been working for Notebookcheck since 2017. My current focus is particularly on mini PCs and single-board computers such as the Raspberry Pi – so in other words, compact systems with a lot of potential. In addition, I have a soft spot for all kinds of wearables, especially smartwatches. My main profession is as a laboratory engineer, which is why neither scientific contexts nor the interpretation of complex measurements are foreign to me.

Translator: Jacob Fisher – Translator – 503 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2022

Growing up in regional Australia, I first became acquainted with computers in my early teens after a broken leg from a football (soccer) match temporarily condemned me to a predominately indoor lifestyle. Soon afterwards I was building my own systems. Now I live in Germany, having moved here in 2014, where I study philosophy and anthropology. I am particularly fascinated by how computer technology has fundamentally and dramatically reshaped human culture, and how it continues to do so.