I just tried the Dreame Smart Ring — and it beats Oura in 3 key ways

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Your Oura Ring can’t do this

Close-up of the Dreame Smart Ring with health tracking, haptic alerts, and touch controls
(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

The Dreame Smart Ring was one of several intriguing new wearables to debut at CES 2026. I just got my hands on a review unit, and I’m blown away; it beats the Oura Ring 4, the best smart ring in 2026, in three major ways.

It seems like only yesterday I wrote my smart ring predictions for 2026 (okay, it was a month ago), and two of the biggest trends I mentioned include the addition of haptic feedback — via vibrations — and customizable touch controls on the ring surface.

Well, the new Dreame Smart Ring offers both of these features, and then some. Here’s everything you need to know about what could be the most advanced smart ring that’s graced my finger to date.

1. Haptic alerts

Close-up of the Dreame Smart Ring with health tracking, haptic alerts, and touch controls

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

This is the first smart ring I’ve tested with an onboard micro-vibration motor to deliver haptic feedback. However, other brands, including RingConn, have announced similar features in forthcoming releases.

Users can set the Dreame Ring to gently vibrate for alarms, incoming calls, messages, and other notifications. I tested the feature (by setting an alarm) and found the haptics pleasant yet powerful enough to likely (eventually) wake me up from sleep.

Presently, haptic alerts for messages only work with the WeChat and QQ apps, not Apple’s native Messages app. I’ve inquired with Dreame about future support for native iOS messaging.

2. Custom touch controls

Close-up of the Dreame Smart Ring with health tracking, haptic alerts, and touch controls

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

The Dreame Ring features a tiny touchpad located on the side of the device, designed to be controlled by your thumb (Dreame recommends wearing the ring on your index finger). This little touchpad supports three gesture controls: swipe up/down, double-tap, and long-press.

Pairing the Dreame Ring with my iPhone 16 Plus and getting the touch controls up and running was surprisingly easy. Within ten minutes of popping between the companion app and my phone’s accessibility settings, I was able to control Spotify on my phone, using the ring, including starting and stopping songs, proceeding to the next track, and adjusting the volume.

Dreame's touch controls are similar to those found on the forthcoming Aivela Ring; however, Dreame's actually work. When I saw the Aivela Ring at CES 2026, the touch functionality was experiencing hiccups.

3. Similar health tracking in a slimmer package

Close-up of the Dreame Smart Ring next to the Oura Ring 4 Ceramic on a wood table

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

The Dreame Smart Ring promises similar health monitoring features to the Oura Ring 4, including continuous heart rate tracking, blood oxygen saturation monitoring, heart rate variability insights, sleep analysis, fitness/movement monitoring, and women’s health tracking.

However, it boasts these holistic tools in addition to haptic alerts and custom touch controls, in a slimmer package than the latest Oura Ring. The space-grade ceramic Dreame Smart Ring is 2.5mm thick compared to a thickness of 2.88mm for the Oura Ring 4 and a thickness of 3.51mm for the Oura Ring 4 Ceramic.

The size 11 review unit I’m testing weighs 5.38 g, which is a little heavier than the standard Oura Ring 4 (3.5-5.2 g), but lighter than the Oura Ring 4 Ceramic (5.1-8.1 g).

Close-up of the Dreame Smart Ring with health tracking, haptic alerts, and touch controls

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

Of course, until I’ve had a chance to thoroughly assess the accuracy and usefulness of Dreame’s holistic tools, there’s no knowing whether they perform as well as Oura’s comprehensive suite of wellness features, which also happen to be the best in class.

Ultimately, if the Dreame Smart Ring proves to be both a capable wellness tracker that also offers reliable haptic and touch features, it will make all other health-tracking-only smart rings — not just the Oura Ring 4 — feel technologically behind by comparison.

Stay tuned for a full review.

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Dan Bracaglia
Dan Bracaglia
Senior Writer, Fitness & Wearables

Dan Bracaglia is the Tom’s Guide editorial lead for all things smartwatches, fitness trackers and outdoor gear. With 15 years of experience as a consumer technology journalist testing everything from Oura Rings to instant cameras, Dan is deeply passionate about helping readers save money and make informed purchasing decisions. In the past year alone, Dan has assessed major product releases from the likes of Apple, Garmin, Google, Samsung, Polar and many others. 

An avid outdoor adventurer, Dan is based in the U.S. Pacific Northwest where he takes advantage of the beautiful surroundings every chance he gets. A lover of kayaking, hiking, swimming, biking, snowboarding and exploring, he also makes every effort to combine his day job with his passions. When not assessing the sleep tracking and heart rate accuracy of the latest tach gadgets, you can find him photographing Seattle’s vibrant underground music community.

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