We’re big fans of Ultrahuman at Stuff, ranking it among the best smart rings around, but over the years a common criticism has been that the app is cluttered, it presents too much data and is too focused towards ‘biohackers’. Well, Ultrahuman has listened, and has just launched its biggest update yet, called Emerald.
The headline feature is ‘UltraSphere’, it’s being billed as the world’s first wearable decision engine, and instead of just throwing numbers at you, your ring now tells you what to actually do with them.
UltraSphere serves up more than 60 “Next Best Actions,” essentially prompts like get outside for morning light, or a nudge to dim the lights when your circadian rhythm needs it.
It pulls from sleep, recovery, HRV, skin temperature, stress, and even glucose data if you’re using Ultrahuman’s M1 or M2 Live sensor. It also factors in your location and the weather.
I like this shift – a lot of wearables are brilliant at collecting data and terrible at explaining it. A number on a screen means nothing if you don’t know what to do with it.
There’s a full redesign to go along with the updates – the app now has light and dark mode, and Jade AI, Ultrahuman’s AI layer, gets its own dedicated tab. It looks a lot less Matrix-y (for want of a better word) and more approachable and friendly.
Processing now happens entirely on-device, too, so you’ll still get your data even with no signal, whether you’re on a flight or off-grid somewhere remote.
Tracking accuracy
Workout tracking has been overhauled as well. Ring Pro and Ring Air both get better automatic workout detection, and the heart rate algorithms have been rebuilt and validated against gold-standard devices.
VO₂ Max tracking has had a serious upgrade, with a claimed 21% improvement in accuracy, and it’s tested this against actual lab equipment rather than population averages. Results reportedly landed within 5 mL/kg/min of lab readings, which is a very impressive number for a teeny tiny ring.
Sleep tracking gets folded into something called ‘Sleep Screener’. It bundles AFib detection, respiratory tracking, and a smart alarm into one nightly report.
There’s also a new Longevity tab, pulling together UltraAge, Pulse Age, Blood Age, and Brain Age in one place.
You can also now pair the ring with third-party gear for workout tracking, including Apple Watch, Garmin, Whoop, chest straps, and even AirPods Gen 3.
That’s a lot in one update and I’m looking forward to testing it against the Oura Ring 5.
The Emerald Update is rolling out globally from today (23 July), and, best of all, it’s completely free.
Liked this? I’ve ditched my Apple Watch for a smart ring, and I’m never going back
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