I’m almost embarrassed how much I dig this gimmicky smart ring

When Casio first announced its smart ring, I almost thought it was an early April Fool’s joke. Never having owned the Casio GMW-B5000 that it’s based on — or any Casio watch — the nostalgia factor never affected me. I never expected Casio to offer to send me one, nor did I expect to like it so much. But here we are!

Sunday Runday

Lloyd, the Android Central mascot, break-dancing

(Image credit: Android Central)

In this weekly column, Android Central Wearables Editor Michael Hicks talks about the world of wearables, apps, and fitness tech related to running and health, in his quest to get faster and more fit.

The “Casio ring watch” isn’t a traditional smart ring, which sets it up for easy ridicule. The stainless steel design is impressive, but all its heavy components are designed to tell the time and start/stop a stopwatch with tiny buttons, on a screen too small to read easily. It’s not breaking new ground.

Compare that to an Oura Ring 4 or Ultrahuman Ring Air that tracks heart rate, stress, workouts, sleep, and a dozen other metrics while weighing significantly less (16g vs. 3-5g). Putting it in the same conversation with a novelty mini-watch isn’t really fair to Casio, especially since both smart rings cost $230 more, but it’s a natural comparison to make as smart rings grow in popularity.

A far away look at the Casio smart ring

(Image credit: Michael Hicks / Android Central)

Now that I’m seeing Casio’s ring in person — instead of looking at press photos that emphasize the display — I have to admit that it’s cute, even without the nostalgia factor. It’s about the size of a high school class ring, only less garish (apologies to everyone I just offended), and the ridged steel look draws the eye.

It only ships in one size, but it comes with a few translucent inserts to shrink it down; thankfully, it fits snugly on my right ring finger with one. It’s on the noticeably heavy side, so I don’t wear it while running. But Casio must have decided it was a necessary trade-off to get the steel, watch-like look and two-year battery life.

A close-up of the Casio CRW001-1 ring watch's default time display

(Image credit: Michael Hicks / Android Central)

The grayscale screen only catches the eye at a direct visual angle; otherwise, it just looks like a flat, glossy layer above the metal, so it’s not distracting. I assumed people would side-eye me for wearing a dorky mini-watch, but you don’t notice that aesthetic unless you’re quite close. Even then, the one or two comments I’ve received are more out of interest and curiosity than open derision.

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