Here are a few things you might want to consider before buying a smart ring or smartwatch:

• Battery life: Smart rings tend to have longer battery life than most smartwatches. The average smart ring can run for four to five days without a charge, while a smartwatch like a Pixel Watch, Apple Watch, or Galaxy Watch battery can last a day or two at most.

• Comfort: I hate sleeping with my Apple Watch and its chunky screen. But I've never had a problem sleeping with smart rings around my finger. They're far more discreet for everyday activities and don't take up as much real estate on your hands. The only time smartwatches would be more comfortable is during weight training activities, given how the weight could pinch at your finger with a ring on it.

• Sleep tracking: Because of its longer battery life and more comfortable build, a smart ring is an amazing sleep tracker compared to a smartwatch. I've found that the most useful sleep trackers deliver a sleep score alongside each night of sleep, to give people a visualization of the night's rest. It's worth noting that the Apple Watch, one of the most popular smartwatches on the market, doesn't provide owners with this functionality. Most notable smart rings, however, include a sleep score and comprehensive sleep data in their product.

• Activity tracking: Smartwatches take the cake when it comes to activity tracking. Unlike a screenless smart ring, smartwatches display key activity metrics like pace, distance, heart rate, and more as someone is running, cycling, walking, and more. This at-a-glance functionality makes smartwatches the true winner for activity tracking. While you can record workouts through a smart ring app, that health data is only available on your phone and oftentimes presented in full once the workout is complete.

• Style: Style is subjective, yes. But to me, a smart ring has far more potential to look stylish against your other jewelry or outfit than a smartwatch. You can get your smart ring in gold, silver, or black to complement the jewelry tones you tend to wear most. Smart rings dissolve into your wardrobe, while a smartwatch demands more attention and can be an eyesore on a wrist.

All in all, depending on what you want from a health wearable, you might choose a smart ring over a smartwatch or vice versa. It's all a matter of which suits the data you'd like to track best and your preferences for comfort, style, and battery life.