RingConn (Gen 2 / Gen 3) vs Stelo in 2026

RingConn (Gen 2 / Gen 3)

RingConn (the Gen 2 at about $279, plus the Gen 2 Air and a Gen 3 arriving late May 2026; from RingConn, Shenzhen) is the subscription-free archetype of the biometric ring sub-cohort: all standard features are free for life, the core positioning against Oura's required membership and Whoop's subscription-only model. Its sensors (PPG, skin temperature, SpO2, accelerometer) drive sleep, heart rate and HRV, and a deep-learning sleep-apnea / AHI screening feature, with 10-to-12-day battery (the charging case extends to about 150 days).

The verified-vs-claimed throughline: the sleep-apnea / AHI feature is a company-claimed screening capability (RingConn cites about 90.7% accuracy) that is NOT FDA-cleared. RingConn's own materials say it is 'actively pursuing clearance' and 'not intended to diagnose'; DEPLOY records the AHI claim as claimed, not cleared, the direct counterpoint to the genuinely-cleared Happy Ring in the same form factor.

On the patent front, RingConn settled and licensed cleanly in the smart-ring ITC litigation; it was not import-banned, unlike Ultrahuman. Price is $279, subscription-free.

Stelo

Dexcom's Stelo is the first-ever FDA-cleared over-the-counter (no-prescription) glucose biosensor (De Novo, March 5, 2024; US launch August 26, 2024): a 15-day continuous glucose monitor for adults 18+ not on insulin (type 2 not on insulin, plus non-diabetic users tracking how diet and exercise affect glucose). It is the generative-AI end of the glucose cell: Weekly Insights run on Google Cloud's Vertex AI and Gemini, with AI photo meal-logging and personalized daily recommendations, the AI substance that carries it across the biometric boundary.

Pricing is about $89 for a 2-week sensor on a biweekly subscription model (around $99/month). From DexCom (NASDAQ: DXCM), Stelo is the OTC product line, separate from the prescription G7. Cap-flag: the cleared indication is an OTC CGM for adults 18+ not on insulin; it is explicitly NOT cleared for problematic hypoglycemia and has no low-glucose alerts, so it should not be read as a diabetes-management device.