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TOTAL: 88/100
The first week I started wearing a QALO ring, you’d think I got engaged. I’d never been stopped so often, aside from then, by people inquiring about my new jewelry.
“Is that a smart ring?”
“How do you like it?”
“What does it track?”
I get it; all of the buzz surrounding this more discreet category of wellness trackers is the reason why I was eager to test it. The QALO QRNT Slim promised to offer biometric insights (from the quality of sleep to step tracking, along with heart rate and stress-level monitoring, as well as keep tabs on your menstrual cycle), all in a ring that was 24 percent thinner than others on the market. Less bulk, all the data—and the promise that maybe, just maybe, those insights could translate into me sleeping through the night, rather than staring at my ceiling from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. Or finally getting in those revered 10,000 steps a day, despite my desk job and propensity for couch rotting. And so, testing begun.
For three months, I wore the ring at least three days a week, letting it monitor my every movement. It’s water resistant, so I also wore it in the shower and while washing dishes, as well as during workouts, so I could assess its durability. Throughout this time, I also evaluated it based on battery life and connectivity, the quality of the insights provided, comfort and aesthetics.
QALO warns that due to the sensor inside, the ring runs small, so size up (even though the fit is meant to be snug). I did, and I wish I went two sizes up instead of one. On days when my fingers swell, it’s a bit too tight to wear comfortably.
As soon as I realized that was the case, I should’ve exchanged the ring for a better fit. QALO allows you to return it within 30 days of delivery or exchange it for a different size within 60 days. (Just note that unless you pay the $1.98 return coverage at checkout, your shipping costs are non-refundable.) Otherwise, it’s a pretty comfortable fit. It is bulkier than a plain band but not distractingly so, and when you’re not wearing it, you can store it in the included case, which doubles as its charger. (BTW, a single charge lasts a full week.)
You’ll have to download the QALO app to connect the ring and start gathering insights, but the app is free, and setup is fast and straightforward. Better yet, there are no subscription fees to glean said insights; you pay $200 for the ring and that’s it.
The company also believes that you own your data, and the CTO told me via email that its US-based data center features “multiple layers of protection, including advanced hardware isolation, encrypted private networking, automatic TLS termination and fully encrypted storage volumes.” It’s also monitored 24/7, and “no one will ever have access to your data without your explicit consent.”
The ring’s insights are divided into three key categories—sleep, movement and vitality (aka heart rate data)—which combine to provide you with a Q score, or quality of life rating. It’s designed to provide a holistic, at-a-glance look at how you’re doing, based on a zero to 100-point scale.
Pretty quickly, I found myself trying to optimize it: a 72?! Surely, I can do better than that! And on the flip side, I laughed and shared with friends the moments when I thought I was doing OK, only for my Q score to provide sobering reality check. Yeah, I was up with my toddler a lot the night before, and I was stressed about my washing machine breaking down, spewing gallons of water throughout my garage and prompting a visit from the city utilities department. But a 26?! Really?!
It got me to take a step back and take a moment to myself, since I tend to be the type to push down any negative emotions until I randomly implode. Turns out, a walk around the block lowered my stress levels (by my own assessment, though the app’s stress monitor concurred) and got me closer to my step goal for the day. (The heart rate monitor and step counts were consistent between the ring and my Pixel 2 smartwatch too.)
Soon, I found myself routinely checking the app and budgeting in more breaks throughout the week to exercise in general, even if that simply meant a short walk around the block. My 5,000-steps-a-day average soon creeped to 8,000. This year, my goal is surpassing 10K. (Baby steps!)
Beyond being a source of motivation, I was impressed with the ring's durability; it remains scratch- and scuff-free, and it’s gotten wet repeatedly without issue. (QALO says the ring is water resistant in fresh water, with a maximum depth of 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes.)
Both the Oura Ring 4 and the QALO QRNT Slim are made of titanium, are water resistant and track heart health, stress, sleep and exercise/steps. The QALO is a bit thinner (2.2mm vs 2.8mm), costs $150 to $300 less (depending on the style you choose) and doesn’t require a subscription to access all insights.
As nice as it was to chart my sleep patterns, stress and how close I was getting to my step goals, I often found myself staring at the numbers and wondering what to do with that information. QALO offers some suggestions, like recommending you “pause to take deep breaths” to boost a Q score of 80, but I would’ve loved more pop-up tips—and specific advice—to interpret the data and better optimize my day, particularly when it comes to sleep.
I also found that when I opened the app, I often had to manually sync the ring to update the metrics. This was as simple as clicking a button and waiting 20 to 30 seconds, and I was relieved to see that even if the app didn’t automatically show the latest results, the ring still logged them—even if the battery had died.
The QALO QRNT Slim offers far more biometrics insights than your typical smartwatch, with a longer battery life. The brand also offers a range of covers to customize the ring’s look, and I love that nothing’s hidden behind a paywall or requires a subscription to access. Since testing wrapped, I've found I keep wearing it—the insights have been genuinely useful, and it's a great reminder to get off the couch (or unclench my jaw) during the day.
That said, QALO's data requires some research on your part to determine what to do with its insights, and it’s worth really testing out the ring's fit during the first two months to ensure you’ll want to wear it all day, every day, because that’s when you get the best results.
