CNICK Tesla Smart NFC Ring Review – Contactless payments & Tesla unlocking via a ring

The CNICK Ring is a smart NFC/RFID-enabled ring that can be used to make contactless payments or as a Tesla key.

There are a few competing devices on the market, but this is the only one advertising Tesla key functionality. CNICK also have one of the widest ranges of design compared to other brands, so it is probably the most appealing option on the market.

Features

• CNICK rings are made of biodegradable materials.
• Every ring is handmade to the highest standards, with tons of attention to the details.
• Wide range of designs with wood or ceramic materials
• Waterproof
• NFC-based, so there is no charging
• Contactless payments using Curve
• Works as a Tesla key

Designs and Materials

Smart rings are not a new thing, but one of the appealing features of the CNICK ring is the range of options.

I am extremely active, and I would prefer to avoid any hard metals that are used on rings, such as the titanium on Oura. I am paranoid about snagging a ring on something and getting stuck/injured.

The CNICK rings are available in a range of wood and zirconia ceramic. The model I was sent is the natural ebony. There is also a nice-looking natural redwood model, or if you want something brighter, there is tulipwood which comes in three colours.

For the zirconia options, you have the zirconia as the base material and then a second material inset around the ring for a two-tone design. You can have solid black, or there is an attractive model with opal stone.

Competing options such as Mclear Ringpay are also made out of zirconia ceramic but are limited to just two solid colours.

I have no experience of competing products, but I like the design and build quality of the ring I was sent. It is not too chunky, and there are no flaws in the design or construction.

Ring size and adding your card

If like me, you have no idea about your ring size; there is an option during checkout where CNICK will send out some free plastic ring sizers. They ship from Amazon, so it is a quick delivery.

When you have your ring size, you can complete your order. As you finalise your ring order, you can connect your card so it is pre-set up for you.

I didn’t have mine pre-set up. CNICK doesn’t have their own app. They instead use Fidesmo to manage payments.

Setting up payments for the ring

I have a Pixel 6, and setting up the payments via Fidesmo is only possible on Android. Apple iPhone owners will have to have the card pre-set during checkout.

Fidesmo is a service that allows a variety of wearables with embedded NFC to make payments. CNICK is just one brand, but others include Neos bracelets, Berg watches and some competing NFC ring brands.

Fidesmo is only compatible with Curve, which is not ideal, but Curve allows you to add whatever card you want, so you are not restricted by banks.

I had quite a lot of issues getting my Curve card to work with Fidesmo. It stayed stuck on the hold on, 0 of 5 operations finished page. Eventually, saying it failed.

However, after removing the ring from Fidesmo and then re-adding it, the Curve card showed up, saying that I needed to activate the payment method.

When I selected the card, it gave me the option to do the SMS authentication, and I was finally able to get it to work.

Vivokey APEX for Tesla, OTP Authentication and more

CNICK advertise the ring as being able to unlock your Tesla. This is another feature that is palmed off to another service provider. This time it is Vivokey APEX which runs through Fidesmo.

Vivokey APEX do more than just tesla unlocking. They have a variety of NFC-based applications including:

• Tesla Keycard
• OTP Authenticator
• SmartPGP
• NFC Data Sharing
• HMAC-SHA1
• FIDO U2F / FIDO2
• BIP32 Keycard Wallet

I don’t have a Tesla, so I was unable to test that functionality. When selecting connect a service within Fidesmo, there is a link to VivoKey NFC Share, but it doesn’t do anything.

It looks like this ring may not be compatible with the full range of Vivokey applications yet.

In-use

There is not a great deal to say about the day-to-day use of this ring. I have only tested the payment functions, and it works perfectly well.

You don’t tap the ring on the card reader but make a fist and tap the knuckles on your finger against it.

It saves me a few seconds of digging out my phone from my pocket, and the ring has been scanned reliably through the time I have been trying it.

Price and Alternative Options

The CNICK Tesla Smart Ring is priced from £119, but they have options going up to £150.

The CNICK rings on Amazon are only for Tesla unlocking, not contactless payments.

The Mclear Ringpay is probably the best alternative option if you only want a ring to make payments. It is cheaper at £89.99, and the app and payments seem to be more feature rich. You only have two colour options which is a bit boring.

There are a variety of NFC-equipped rings available on Etsy. There is a reasonably nice carbon fibre and copper band, but I am unsure how I feel about the exposed NFC chip.

There is also Tapster Payment ring (£89) and Pagopace (€99/£88) which both use the same Fidesmo service as the CNICK. Pagopace looks like a good alternative to CNICK as they have a bit more variety in the colours. They also have nice looking wooden rings (though the material is still listed as ceramic) priced about the same as the CNICK.

Vivokey APEX also has its own dedicated NFC ring which is available in the US for a rather steep price of $199.00.

Overall

Overall, I like the CNICK. If I had a Tesla, I would probably love it for the convenience of easily unlocking my car.

For payments, it works well, and if you want a ring for this functionality, I’d say this is the most attractive option on the market, and I think it is priced appropriately.

Originally posted on Mighty Gadget

James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.