Technology

Amazfit Helio Smart Ring review: bargain bin bust

Published

12 months ago

February 2, 2025

Amazfit Helio Smart Ring review: bargain bin bust

Smart rings are in the middle of a renaissance. That’s great because we finally have way more options than just an Oura Ring. The downside is most of Oura’s would-be rivals are launching their first, maybe second-gen smart rings. Meaning, if you want an Oura Ring alternative, there’s a good chance you’ll have to put up with quirks and a distinct lack of polish. The $199.99 Amazfit Helio smart ring is no exception.

Amazfit isn’t a household name but is well-known among wearable bargain hunters. It’s a compelling brand because its gadgets get you a lot of bang for your buck. That’s the case with the Helio ring, the brand’s first foray into smart rings. It’s primarily a sleep tracker, but it comes with an AI chatbot called Zepp Flow, an AI coaching feature, and it has an electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor for monitoring stress, a blood oxygen sensor, a temperature sensor, and period tracking. It also syncs with popular third-party fitness apps like Adidas Running, Strava, and Komoot, as well as Apple Health and Google Fit. Like the Samsung Galaxy Ring, it works with Amazfit’s other smartwatches so you can double up on data sources — or switch between the two depending on the activity or remaining battery life.

$170

The Good

No subscription
Works with Amazfit smartwatches
Decent sleep and recovery tracking
Comfortable

The Bad

Charging case would be better than a dock
Limited sizes available
Inconvenient sizing method
Battery life is unimpressive

That’s a lot packed into a smart ring, and since launching, Zepp permanently cut the price by $100 and offered free lifetime subscriptions to its Aura and Fitness services. On paper, this has the makings of a stellar deal. In reality, there’s always a catch.

In the Helio ring’s case, it’s battery life and limited sizing.

Right now, the best smart rings get you around 4-7 days on a single charge, depending on the size. (Bigger rings, bigger batteries.) The Helio ring is rated for roughly four days on a single charge, but I never managed that. At best, I got around three. That’s not great, Bob. Especially when this is meant to primarily track sleep. I wore it concurrently with the Oura Ring 4 and had to charge it two to three times as often. I also didn’t notice any discernable battery benefits when worn with two separate Amazfit watches. At least with the Galaxy Ring, using it with the Galaxy Watch meant much better battery life because Samsung optimizes which sensors are being used across both devices.

Adding to my battery woes, I don’t love that the ring relies on a dock. My cats delight in knocking these puck-like chargers around when they get the night-time zoomies. I much prefer charging cases, like the ones used by the Galaxy Ring, RingConn, and the Evie Ring.

Person wearing Amazfit Helio ring with colorful wooden toy in background

The ring only comes in one color and three sizes. This is the size 8.

The other thing about wearables is they have to be, well, wearable. While Oura and Samsung have expanded their size ranges and offer multiple finishes, Amazfit only offers the Helio smart ring in one color and three sizes: 8, 10, and 12. That’s swell if that’s your size — it’s quite lightweight and comfortable, and it hasn’t gotten scratched up like some of my other smart rings. The slim size selection of leaves out many people with smaller hands, particularly women. I happen to fit the size 8, but for some of my friends, this isn’t something they can wear.

Another annoyance: there’s no sizing kit. Getting the right size matters with smart rings, both for accuracy and comfort. Fingers swell and shrink with temperature changes, and while sizing kits can be tedious, they’re useful in the sense you can thoroughly vet which size will work best for 24/7 wear. With the Helio ring, you have to use either a string or a piece of tape to measure the circumference of your finger and then choose based on that measurement. Just, no.

But if you can get past all that, the sleep and health tracking is alright, though it’s best for a big-picture look at your overall trends. For instance, one night during my Christmas holidays, I slept for a glorious 9 hours, 47 minutes per my Oura Ring 4 and 10 hours, 34 minutes per my Eight Sleep bed. The Helio ring logged that as 11 hours and 23 minutes. It’s true I spent around 12 hours that evening doing my best impression of an inert log, but I also spent two hours doomscrolling, consumed by the Blake Lively / Justin Baldoni drama on TikTok. I wouldn’t call that one night accurate, but it correctly logged that I was irregular with my sleep schedule and well-rested that entire week. Other metrics, like blood oxygen, HRV, and stress, were broadly on par with my Oura Ring and Eight Sleep bed.

It’s not a great fitness tracker, though. The activities you can choose from are limited, you’ll need your phone on your for GPS, and it doesn’t automatically track activities either. And, if like me, you occasionally forget to end an exercise, there’s no way to edit the data after the fact. I hope this is something that gets added over time.

Amazfit Helio Ring with the sensor near colorful wooden toys

Two to three days of battery life simply isn’t good enough given the competition.

The Zepp app is also a mixed bag. The app’s been redesigned since I tested the excellent GTR 4, and I like the cleaner look and straightforward interface. My main beef is it’s difficult to view long-term historical data, which was highly annoying when reviewing metrics for this review. Still, Zepp Flow is one of the better implementations for an AI chatbot I’ve seen in a fitness tracking app. You’ll see weekly insights pop up, and a handful of prompts where you can dig in further with the chatbot. The AI insights are, how shall we say, Captain Obvious levels of basic common sense, but at least it’s speedy, straightforward to use, and easily ignored if that’s not your thing. It’s neat you can get sleep sounds and guided breathing for free via the Zepp Aura tab, but I didn’t use it much. I’ve found I fall asleep best to true crime podcasts. Chances are, you’ve also got a decent idea of what works for you and the Aura stuff isn’t going to trump that unless you’re looking for something new.

I don’t dislike the Helio smart ring. But aside from the price, it’s not a particularly compelling option unless you already have an Amazfit watch. At least then, all your data syncs to the same app. And even then, your Amazfit watch will probably outlast the ring and then what are we really doing here? Maybe a second-gen version or future software will address issues like battery life and bring more sizes. But until then, it’s hard to call this a true bargain.

Agree to Continue: Amazfit Helio Smart Ring

Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them, since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate.

To use the Amazfit Helio Smart Ring, you must pair it with an iPhone or Android smartphone. That includes the phone’s Terms of Service, privacy policy, and any other permissions you grant. If you choose to enable Zepp’s Aura or Fitness services, you’re also agreeing to those privacy policies and services. The same goes if you enable third-party integrations.

By setting up the Helio Smart Ring, you’re agreeing to:

Final Tally: Three mandatory agreements, and several optional permissions and agreements.

Related Topics:Fitness Tracker Reviews Reviews Tech Wearable

Click to comment

Technology

Roland’s Go:Mixer Studio turns your phone into a mobile music studio

Published

18 minutes ago

January 20, 2026

Press Room

Roland’s Go:Mixer Studio turns your phone into a mobile music studio

Roland now offers a more capable audio mixer for phones and tablets with the launch of the Go:Mixer Studio. The Go:Mixer audio interface lineup has always been a bit limited, better suited for scrappy live streams and capturing quick demos on their phones than professional recording. The Go:Mixer Studio is an attempt to actually reach that lofty goal, with more inputs and outputs, built-in effects, and up to 24-bit / 192kHz audio. There’s even an iOS app that allows you to capture video and multitrack audio simultaneously.

Streaming and social video are still the major use cases here. The Go:Mixer Studio can even be mounted on a mic stand so you can keep it in easy reach during a live session. The screen and knobs allow you to control all the parameters on the Go:Mixer Studio directly, but there’s also a desktop app for Windows and MacOS that gives you complete control of the mixer remotely.

There’s plenty of connectivity, including two XLR inputs on the back with phantom power, a 1/4-inch instrument input for directly connecting a guitar or bass, stereo 1/4-inch line-in jacks, and an aux input. There’s also 1/8-inch TRS MIDI in and out, two headphone jacks, and stereo line outs for connecting to studio monitors. Each audio input has a dedicated EQ and compressor on the channel. The XLR and instrument ins also have reverb available.

The Go:Mixer Studio is available now for $299.

Technology

Alexa.com brings Alexa+ to your browser

Published

48 minutes ago

January 20, 2026

Press Room

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

For years, Alexa mostly stayed in one place. It lived on kitchen counters, nightstands or living room shelves. That setup worked for music and timers, but it also limited when and how people could actually use the assistant. Now that is changing.

Amazon has rolled out Alexa.com, which brings Alexa+ directly to your web browser for Early Access users. Instead of relying on a speaker or phone, you can now open a laptop and start using Alexa like any other web-based AI tool.

This shift is less about new tricks and more about access. Alexa can now follow you throughout your day instead of waiting for you at home.

Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report
Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide – free when you join my CYBERGUY.COM newsletter.

CHATGPT HEALTH PROMISES PRIVACY FOR HEALTH CONVERSATIONS

Amazon’s Alexa is no longer tied to a smart speaker, with Alexa.com bringing the assistant and Alexa+ directly to the web browser for Early Access users. (Photo Illustration by Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

What Alexa.com actually is

Alexa.com is the browser-based version of Alexa+. You can type questions, explore topics, plan trips, organize tasks, or create content without touching a smart speaker. The biggest difference is continuity. Alexa keeps context across devices, so conversations carry over whether you are on your laptop, phone, Echo, or Fire TV. You do not have to repeat yourself every time you switch screens. That makes Alexa feel less like a command tool and more like an assistant that remembers what you are working on.

Who can use Alexa.com right now

Alexa.com is not open to everyone yet. To use it, you need:

Alexa+ Early Access
An Amazon account linked to a compatible Echo, Fire TV, or Fire tablet
A US-based Amazon account
Device language set to English, United States

Child profiles are not supported on the browser version. Older Echo devices will continue using the original Alexa.

What Alexa.com cannot do yet

Because Alexa.com is still in Early Access, it has limits that matter for everyday users. Right now:

You can only type to Alexa in your browser
Voice interaction is not supported on the web
Music playback is not available
Smart home controls are limited compared to Echo devices

Amazon says features will roll out gradually. Alexa.com is meant to complement your devices, not fully replace them yet.

Meal planning without juggling tabs

One area where Alexa.com feels genuinely useful is meal planning. You can ask Alexa for a full week of meals and set preferences like high protein, low sugar, or kid-friendly lunches. Alexa generates a plan and turns it into a shopping list. From there, items can be added directly to Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods. Instead of bouncing between recipes, notes and carts, everything happens in one place.

Organizing everyday life in one place

Alexa.com also works as a lightweight life organizer. You can upload documents, emails and images so Alexa can pull out key details. That includes appointments, reminders and schedules you would otherwise forget. Instead of searching your inbox, you can ask Alexa when the dog last went to the vet or what time practice starts tonight. The information stays available across devices.

Smart home access, with limits

Alexa.com keeps your smart home controls visible next to your chat window. While full smart home control is still limited in the browser, Alexa.com lets you check status, review activity and continue actions on your Echo or Fire TV devices. It is most useful as a bridge. You can start something in the browser and finish it at home without starting over.

Recipes that follow you into the kitchen

Alexa.com also simplifies cooking. If you find a recipe online, you can paste the link into Alexa and ask it to adjust for dietary needs. Alexa can save it, convert it into ingredients and add everything to your shopping list. When it is time to cook, Alexa can pull the recipe up on your Echo Show, guide you step by step and manage timers so your hands stay free.

5 TECH TERMS THAT SHAPE YOUR ONLINE PRIVACY

Alexa.com lets users type questions, plan trips, organize tasks and create content without relying on an Echo or smartphone. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Finding something to watch faster

Decision fatigue hits hard at night. On Alexa.com, you can explore movie themes, get recommendations and save picks for later. When you sit down, Alexa remembers your choices and sends them to your Fire TV. That cuts down on scrolling and family debates.

What about privacy

Using Alexa on the web raises natural privacy questions. Amazon says Alexa+ includes built-in protections and user controls. Still, it is worth taking a minute to review your settings, especially if you plan to upload documents or personal information. A few smart habits can help:

Check your Alexa privacy settings and review stored activity
Avoid uploading sensitive documents like IDs or medical records
Use strong antivirus software to protect your device. The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.

As with any AI assistant, convenience comes with trade-offs. Staying aware helps you stay in control.

How much Alexa+ will cost

Alexa+ is free during Early Access. When Early Access ends, you will not be automatically charged. After that:

Alexa+ stays free with a Prime membership
Non-Prime users can subscribe for $19.99 per month

This makes Alexa.com more appealing for Prime members and a tougher sell for everyone else.

What this means to you

For most people, Alexa.com is about convenience. If you already use Alexa at home, the web version makes it easier to use during the day. You can plan, organize or look things up from your computer and then pick up later on your phone or Echo. It also puts Alexa in the same category as other browser-based AI tools, but with deeper ties to shopping, smart home features and entertainment. Whether you stick with it will likely come down to how often you want Alexa to help you during your day.

Take my quiz: How safe is your online security?

Think your devices and data are truly protected? Take this quick quiz to see where your digital habits stand. From passwords to Wi-Fi settings, you’ll get a personalized breakdown of what you’re doing right and what needs improvement. Take my Quiz here: Cyberguy.com.

YOU CAN FINALLY CHANGE YOUR GMAIL ADDRESS WITHOUT LOSING DATA

Amazon says Alexa.com allows conversations to carry over across devices, giving users continuity between laptops, phones and smart home screens. (Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Kurt’s key takeaways

Alexa.com does not reinvent Alexa. It simply makes it easier to use where people already spend time. By bringing Alexa+ to the browser, Amazon is betting that continuity matters more than novelty. For some users, that will be enough to make Alexa feel relevant again.

If Alexa followed you from your laptop to your living room, would you actually rely on it more, or would it still feel optional? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

A second US Sphere could come to Maryland

Published

12 hours ago

January 19, 2026

Press Room

A second US Sphere could come to Maryland

The second US sphere would be built in an area known as National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Located along the Potomac River, National Harbor currently features a convention center, multiple hotels, restaurants, and shops. While Abu Dhabi plans to build a sphere as large as the one in Las Vegas, the National Harbor venue would be one of the first mini-Sphere venues announced last March.

Its capacity would be limited to 6,000 seats instead of over 17,000. But the smaller Sphere would still be hard to miss with an exterior LED exosphere for showcasing the “artistic and branded content” that helped make the original sphere a unique part of the Las Vegas skyline.

The inside of the mini-Sphere will feature a high-resolution 16,000 by 16,000 pixel wrap-around screen, the company’s immersive sound technology, haptic seating, and “4D environmental effects.” For the AI-enhanced version of The Wizard of Oz currently playing in Las Vegas, audiences experience effects like wind, fog, smells, and apples falling from the ceiling.

The mini-Sphere will potentially also be cheaper to build than the $2.3 billion original, but its construction is contingent on the “receipt of certain governmental incentives and approvals from Prince George’s County and the State of Maryland.” Sphere Entertainment says the project “would utilize a combination of public and private funding, including approximately $200 million in state, local, and private incentives,” but would potentially generate millions of dollars in revenue for the country and state while supporting over 4,700 jobs once it opens.