Zepp may not be top of mind for everyday smartwatch users. But anyone who has used their Amazfit devices knows they’re phenomenal devices that pack some serious fitness features in attractive packages. And now they’re branching out from just watches to smart rings and hearing aids! Look at the Amazefit Helio Ring and the Zepp Clarity Pixie hearing aids, and tell us what you think!
The Amazfit Helio Ring is a bit different than other smart rings. Instead of being a passive wellness tracker, this ring monitors the user’s physical and mental well-being to maximize their fitness.
It syncs with Zepp’s app to provide a Readiness score that’s compiled from activity, heart rate, and sleep and is designed to be used either alongside an Amazfit watch or even instead of it. But probably not for working out since fingers + rings are generally a very, very unsafe situation in a lot of workouts.
There’s no word yet on pricing, but the Helio Ring should be available this spring.
Meanwhile, expanding away from fitness devices, Zepp is diving into the hearing aid market. The FDA recently loosened the rules on hearing aids and is allowing them to be sold over the counter.
Zepp Clarity Pixie aims to jump into this space with wireless connectivity to various devices ands a 17-hour battery life, all while blending in seamlessly so it’s not obvious you’re wearing an assistance device.
The aim is to make high-quality hearing aids something anyone can access, but these leaps forward in technology still don’t come super cheap. Zepp Clarity Pixie will have a suggested price of $1,999.
OTC hearing aids are a big step in the right direction, but it’ll probably take several years of increased demand due to lower prices leading to increased production and economies of scale and further lowering of prices to bring the prices low enough for most people who could use them.