Is a smart ring waterproof? What every brand actually rates

What each brand rates its ring to

Every ring we cover publishes a water rating, and no two brands say it the same way. Some give a depth, some give an IP code, some give both, and one gives a time limit alongside the depth. The table below is each brand's own wording from its own page, with one exception we flag in the row itself.

Two things stand out. First, the Galaxy Ring is the only ring here whose rating carries a published time limit: Samsung's 10ATM figure is 100 m for up to 10 minutes. Every other brand gives a depth with no duration attached, which is not the same as saying duration doesn't matter — it means the brand hasn't told you. Second, the Circular Ring 2 page gives IP68 and no depth at all, so there is no depth claim to hold Circular to. Our Circular Ring 2 review covers what else that page leaves unsaid.

We also could not find a RingConn page stating the Gen 3's water rating, which is why that row cites The Gadgeteer's review instead. We would rather show you a sourced third-party figure and label it than print a number as though RingConn published it.

IP68 and ATM are different tests, and neither means “waterproof”

These ratings get used interchangeably in marketing copy, and they shouldn't be. In general terms, an IP code describes protection against solids and water under a defined lab test, while an ATM figure is a pressure rating — roughly the static pressure at a given depth. Both are bench tests on a new device in still water. Neither is a promise about a ring that's three years old, has been dropped on tile, or is being dragged through water at speed.

That last point is why the brands separate swimming from diving. Oura's Ring 4 page is the plainest example we found: it calls the ring “suitable for sauna and water sports but not diving” despite rating it to 100 m (Oura Support). A 100 m rating and a “not for diving” line in the same breath tells you the depth figure is a static-pressure test result, not a diving certification.

Showers, pools and the sea

Showering and swimming sit comfortably inside what every brand describes, and the rings are designed to be worn around the clock — a ring you take off for every shower is a ring with gaps in its data. The distinctions worth making are about what's in the water and how fast you're moving through it.

• Shower. Within every rating here. The variable is temperature, not depth — see the heat section below, and note that soap and shampoo residue under a ring is a skin-irritation issue more than a hardware one.
• Pool. Within every rating here. Chlorinated water is not addressed by any brand page we read, so we won't invent a position on it.
• Sea and open water. Depth ratings cover the pressure; salt is a separate question that none of these brands answers on the pages we checked. Rinsing with fresh water afterward is standard practice for anything metal that goes in the sea, and costs you nothing.
• Diving. Oura says no, by name, for Ring 4. No other brand we checked says yes. Treat diving as out of scope for all of them.
• Water sports at speed. Oura groups “water sports” as suitable for Ring 4. Where a brand is silent, the honest answer is that we don't know what it would warrant.

One practical note that has nothing to do with the rating: cold water shrinks fingers, and a ring sized for a warm hand can slide off in a cold lake. That is a sizing problem, not a waterproofing one, and our smart ring sizing guide covers how to size for a finger that changes through the day.

Saunas, hot tubs and heat

Heat is the limit people miss, because they check the depth rating and stop. Oura is the only brand we found that publishes both a sauna position and a temperature warning, and you have to read them together. Its Ring 4 page calls the ring “suitable for sauna,” while its product safety page warns that extended exposure above 140°F may damage the battery (Oura Support).

Those two statements are compatible, and the word carrying the weight is “extended” — which Oura doesn't define. A typical sauna runs hotter than 140°F, so the practical reading is: short sessions are what Oura is describing as suitable, and a long daily sauna habit with the ring on is a bet Oura has not underwritten. If you sauna often, keep sessions short with the ring on or take it off.

The other brands are quieter here. We found no sauna or hot-tub position on the RingConn, Samsung, Ultrahuman or Circular pages we checked. That silence is not permission and it is not a prohibition — it means you have no published commitment to point to if the ring dies after a season of hot tubs.

What to look for if you're in water a lot

1. A rating published by the brand, not a reviewer. Most of these ratings come straight from the maker's own page. Where we had to cite a review instead, we said so, and so should any other site.
2. A stated time limit, or the knowledge that there isn't one. Samsung's “up to 10 minutes” is the most specific claim on this page. Specific is better than generous.
3. A warranty you have read. Water damage is the classic exclusion. The rating is marketing; the warranty is the contract.
4. No subscription, so a water-killed ring doesn't also strand a plan. If a ring floods 14 months in, a monthly membership turns a hardware loss into a subscription you're still paying against nothing.

The Oura Ring 5 needs Oura's membership ($5.99 a month or $69.99 a year), which is why it is not our default recommendation despite publishing the clearest water and heat guidance of any brand here. If you want the data without the fee, start with the best smart rings without a subscription, or read our RingConn Gen 2 review in full.

What to do after water

None of the brands we checked publishes a drying procedure, so treat the following as ordinary care for a sealed metal object with charging contacts, not as brand guidance:

• Rinse after salt water or a chlorinated pool. Fresh water, then dry. Salt left to dry on metal is the avoidable part.
• Dry the ring and your finger before putting it back on. Trapped moisture under a snug band is the most common cause of the skin irritation people blame on the ring itself.
• Dry it fully before charging. Putting a wet ring onto a charger is the one step here with an obvious downside. Our guide to chargers and charging cases covers how each brand's charger works.
• Take it off for the gym if you lift. Not a water issue, but the same “protect the finish” logic — Oura suggests considering removing the ring for friction-heavy activity. See our best smart ring for weightlifting.

Water mistakes that cost rings

• Reading 100 m as a diving rating. Oura rates Ring 4 to 100 m and rules out diving on the same page. Depth ratings are static-pressure tests.
• Assuming a time limit where none is published — or that none means unlimited. Only Samsung gives you minutes. Everyone else leaves duration unstated.
• Treating a hot tub like a swimming pool. The water is the same; the heat is not, and heat is what kills the battery.
• Assuming silence means approval. Four of these brands say nothing about saunas. That is not a yes.
• Buying on the rating alone. Every ring here is rated for showers and swimming. The rating is rarely the thing that should decide your purchase — fees, sizing and battery life usually are. Start at the battery and sizing hub, and see how accurate smart rings actually are for what the published studies found.