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Rumors of an Apple smart ring have been circulating for as long as I can remember. With numerous patents filed over the past decade, each hinting at a potential finger-based wearable from the Cupertino King, there’s still no hard evidence that such a device will ever see the light of day.
But what if the Apple Ring wasn’t launched by Apple at all, but rather by former Apple product designers? That’s where the Aivela Ring Pro enters the chat. With former Apple industrial designer Hartmut Esslinger leading the charge, the Aivela Ring could be the next best thing to an actual Apple Ring.
Combining health and fitness tracking features with gestures that can be used to control just about any piece of Bluetooth-enabled tech in your life, I just got my hands on an early version of the Aivela Ring Pro, and I’m impressed. Here’s everything you need to know.
Aivela Ring Pro: Price and availability
The Aivela smart ring launched on Kickstarter in September 2025 and quickly reached fully-funded status. However, you can still secure an Aivela Ring Pro for $179 via early-backer pricing if you move quickly.
Compatible with Android and iOS devices, the Aivela Ring Pro is subscription-free.
The ring has already begun shipping to early backers, with units continuously released in batches. Check the Aivela Ring Pro Kickstarter for more details on availability.
Aivela Ring Pro: Design
I tried on the Aivela Ring Pro, and it’s impressively lightweight and fairly sleek-looking. The exterior is titanium, while the interior is resin to maximize on-skin comfort. Users can choose from sizes seven through 14.
Depending on your size selection, the Aivela Ring Pro weighs between 2.4 and 3.6 g, which is definitely on the lighter side compared to the best smart rings I’ve tested. Water resistance is 100 meters, which is par for the course and more than enough protection for bathing and swimming.
Finishes include matte black, rose gold, silver, and gold.
Aivela Ring Pro: Health tracking
When it comes to health and fitness tracking, the Aivela Ring Pro has the basics covered and then some. The ring monitors your heart rate, blood oxygen saturation levels (SpO2), body temperature, movement, sleep quality, and ovulation cycles (for women).
Like the best fitness trackers, including the Oura Ring 4, the Aivela Ring Pro provides a daily sleep score out of 100, along with a "vitality" score similar to Oura’s readiness score.
Users can also view a breakdown of their sleep cycles and nightly movement, while keeping tabs on daily calorie intake, workouts, step count and more.
The companion app even includes an AI coach you can chat with via text for personalized insights, tips, and wellness plans. It also generates custom two-minute "podcasts" aimed at breaking down your health data.
Aivela Ring Pro: Programmable gesture controls
The coolest feature of the Aivela Ring Pro is support for gesture controls. A small "optical finger navigation" sensor on the exterior of the device is what makes the magic happen.
In total, the Aivela Ring Pro supports eight standard gesture controls — like tap, swipe, double-tap, double-tap-and-hold, etc. — along with six "air" based controls, like making a heart pattern with your ring-worn finger.
In theory, these gesture controls can be programmed to do just about anything, from scrolling through your phone’s TikTok feed by swiping the side of the ring to starting a workout tracking session in Strava with a double-tap.
Other examples include controlling music or podcasts, flipping through slide decks, or snapping photo/videos. Better yet, with support for both Android and iOS devices and the ability to control everything from earbuds, smartphones, TVs, and more, the customization possibilities are nearly endless.
Aivela Ring Pro: Battery
The Aivela Ring Pro battery is rated at seven days per charge, which is fairly competitive. By comparison, the latest Oura Ring 4 offers an eight-day battery life rating.
Meanwhile, the battery recharge time for the Aivela Ring Pro is an impressive 30 minutes or so.
Aivela Ring Pro: Outlook
To put it bluntly, the Aivela Ring Pro promises a lot, from competitive holistic tools and battery life to a comfortable and lightweight design to supporting loads of gesture controls for all your favorite tech gadgets.
The question is, can it deliver on the user experience side? When I demoed the Aivela Ring, it was admittedly a little buggy in terms of gesture control support. While I did observe a brand rep showing off the ability to browse TikTok by swiping the OFN sensor, it took several tries. (To be fair, shoddy internet could be to blame, as we were in the dark depths of the Venetian Convention Center in Las Vegas during CES 2026.)
Ultimately, I love the idea of nonchalantly tapping my smart ring with my thumb to skip to the next track on Spotify or turn on my smart TV. Combine that with reliable holistic tracking, and you’ve got a winner in my book. Stay tuned for a full review of the Aivela Ring Pro.
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