Amazfit Helio smart ring is designed to track your athletic performance

Amazfit has unveiled the Helio smart ring - and we've got our hands on the wearable designed to track athletic performance. 

The Helio is a pretty different proposition from the wellness-focused rings we've seen from the likes of Oura, Ultrahuman, and Movano, instead acting like more of a fitness tracker or Whoop 4.0 on the finger.

Just as with Whoop, measuring recovery is at the core of the Amazfit Helio, and, though we weren't shown the companion app or features during our quick hands-on time, the company notes this will be paired with training insights and sleep analysis.

Wareable

By wearing the Helio, you're able to gain access to VO2 Max estimates, race time predictions, training effect, and load measurements, and it can even be fused with an Amazfit smartwatch, if you choose, for a broader analysis of your training. 

At this stage, it's not exactly clear which bits of data would be taken from the watch, though we suspect it could relate to heart rate tracking during workouts, which is traditionally an area where smart rings struggle to maintain accuracy.

The Helio also features an electrodermal activity sensor - the same kind that's present on smartwatches like the Google Pixel Watch 2 - that looks out for stress responses during the day.

Wareable

In terms of design, we found it fairly typical when on the finger - and it isn't too different from the Oura Ring Gen 3 or Ultrahuman Ring Air, weighing around 4g (US ring size 12).

The finish we saw in the flesh was gold-ish, and it does look pretty solid - and we also don't mind the mini perforations around the exterior.

The titanium alloy, Amazfit says, is also skin-friendly and able to handle intense activity, though we suspect this relates to sweat resistance (the Helio has a 10ATM rating) and not an encouragement to perform workouts with gym equipment.

At this stage, Amazfit is yet to reveal the pricing for the Helio - you can only register interest with Amazfit - but it is expected to begin shipping in March.

We're very intrigued - the Helio isn't just the first smart ring we've seen emerge from a major player in the wider world of wearables, but it could also be the first truly budget option. 

Stay tuned for more on this one over the coming weeks and months; the price should be revealed closer the launch date.