ʕ☞ᴥ ☜ʔ Kix's blog
I've been wearing an Apple Watch daily for the last 7-ish years now. It's kinda become part of my personality -- like, something feels off when I'm not wearing it. But lately, I thought I wanted a change. Maybe it’d be nice to wear a proper watch every now and then, or even go bare-wristed for a bit. So, a couple of months ago, I started hunting for an alternative device that could keep track of my health and stats -- which I figured was the main reason I wore my watch.
After tons of research, I settled on the Ultrahuman Air. Some reviews mentioned that the Oura Ring seems generally more accurate, but the Ultrahuman does not require a subscription to fully utilize -- a total dealbreaker for me with the Oura Ring. I was stoked to try something new.
What Makes the Ultrahuman Air Good
- Its app is fantastic. I love the design language they chose and how the stats are presented. Honestly, I didn’t know much about Heart Rate Variability (HRV) or VO2max until I wore the Ultrahuman Air, and now those are two stats I keep a close eye on.
- Handy features like Stress Rhythm and Caffeine Window feel a bit gimmicky, but they’ve got a ton of utility when you actually use them.
- The ring itself is super lightweight -- even lighter than a couple of carbide rings I like to wear. I barely notice it’s on, and its texturing makes it really scratch- and grime-resistant.
- Its reported stats are pretty close to what my Apple Watch shows, so without proper scientific gear to test it, I’m inclined to think they’re accurate enough.
- Its battery life is killer. I get about 4 and a half days on average -- compared to my Apple Watch, which I routinely charge before bed at night (thanks, low-battery anxiety issues).
It’s a fantastic device, no question. I was impressed. But as the weeks went on, I started to notice what it couldn’t do -- and that’s when I realized it's not replacing my watch.
Why It’s Solving the Wrong Problem
So I’ve come to realize that health tracking isn’t even the main thing I use my Apple Watch for -- it’s the alarms and notifications that keep my life together.
- I wear my watch to bed so I can wake up at 5 AM without risking disturbing my wife and kid (who co-sleep with us). A phone alarm is a no-go since they’re both fairly light sleepers.
- I rely on reminders and message notifications to function. Seriously. With the amount of stuff I forget unless I write it down and set a reminder, the entire system I’ve built to manage my ADHD just breaks down without them.
- I use random Apple Watch features more than I realized: the handy flashlight that helps me navigate to the bathroom at midnight, the camera app that lets me take better group pics, and even the walkie-talkie that lets my wife and me ping each other quickly and directly.
This all means that while the Ultrahuman Air can definitely handle the health-tracking side of things, it can’t touch everything else I rely on the Apple Watch for. And now that both devices do a solid job at tracking stats, wearing two smart gadgets -- both needing charging and occasionally shining bright green lights at night -- feels redundant.
I really love the Ultrahuman Air. It’s sleek, it’s smart, and it taught me a lot about my body. But it’s not the change I needed. So, it’ll probably be up on Facebook Marketplace soon. Maybe I’ll stick with my Apple Watch for now -- or who knows, maybe I’ll finally try going watch-free for a bit. We’ll see.