Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Round’s upcoming good ring, the Round Ring 2, will get blood stress monitoring by way of an OTA replace in late 2025.
- The ring can be anticipated to introduce non-invasive blood glucose pattern monitoring in late 2026.
- The Round Ring 2 is accessible for pre-order on Kickstarter for $239, with no extra subscription charges.
The good ring market is quickly evolving, with gamers like Oura setting the usual and tech giants like Samsung coming into the fray with the Galaxy Ring. Now, Round is pushing the class ahead with daring new claims for its newest wearable, the Round Ring 2, which is ready to launch later this yr.
The corporate lately opened pre-orders for the Round Ring 2 on Kickstarter, surpassing the $1 million mark in pledges. Alongside this milestone, Round has introduced two main health-tracking options coming to the machine post-launch: blood stress (BP) and blood glucose (BG) pattern monitoring. These additions, arriving by way of over-the-air (OTA) updates in late 2025 and 2026, respectively, might considerably broaden what good rings are able to.
A sensible ring that tracks blood stress?
Blood stress monitoring in wearables has been a tough problem, with most units counting on photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors, which may present estimates however lack precision. Round claims it has discovered a extra correct method by combining electrocardiogram (ECG) and PPG sensors. The Round Ring 2 will use Pulse Transit Time (PTT) — the time it takes for blood to journey via the arteries — to estimate blood stress developments.
Customers will reportedly be capable to take fast measurements lasting between 30 seconds to 2 minutes, providing insights into how every day habits like weight-reduction plan, train, and stress affect blood stress. This function is anticipated to roll out by way of an OTA replace by the tip of 2025.
Non-invasive blood glucose monitoring
Maybe much more bold is Round’s plan to introduce blood glucose pattern monitoring via a software program replace in late 2026. The corporate states that its method depends on analyzing how mild interacts with blood utilizing PPG sensors mixed with machine studying algorithms. This is able to enable customers to trace glucose fluctuations over time with out finger pricks or steady glucose displays (CGMs).
Nonetheless, Round acknowledges that this function received’t substitute medical-grade glucose monitoring, particularly for folks with diabetes. As an alternative, it goals to supply pattern insights to assist customers perceive how components like weight-reduction plan, sleep, and train affect their glucose ranges. The corporate suggests taking readings at constant instances, comparable to after waking up, to trace long-term patterns.
The promised tomorrow
Whereas these options sound promising on paper, there’s all the time a stage of skepticism in relation to promised future updates. Many corporations have made daring claims up to now, solely to fall brief or delay key options indefinitely. Shoppers must be cautious about shopping for a product based mostly on what it would provide down the road slightly than what it may well do at launch. Even when Round succeeds in implementing BP and BG monitoring on the Round Ring 2, their real-world reliability will must be scrutinized.
That being stated, even the prospect of such options is noteworthy. No mainstream smartwatch — not even the Apple Watch or Pixel Watch — affords blood stress or glucose pattern monitoring, making Round’s claims stand out in an more and more aggressive market.
