The Oura Ring 4 is here. For those just tuning in, Oura is to smart rings what Fitbit is to fitness trackers — well, at least before Google started killing off the Fitbit brand.
While tech behemoths like Samsung are just jumping into the nascent smart ring space, Oura has been refining its finger-based wearable and companion app for almost a decade. As a result, Oura consistently comes out on top in our best smart rings buying guide.
Despite owning numerous fitness-tracking devices over the years, my first experience with a smart ring didn't come until this summer when I tested and wrote our review of the Amazfit Helio Ring, a budget-friendly alternative to Oura with no monthly subscription cost.
I found a lot to like about the Helio Ring. As someone who hates wearing a smartwatch to bed but appreciates the sleep insights that can only come from an intimate evening spent with such a piece of wearable tech, the Helio Ring proved much more tolerable than wrist-based alternatives. Roughly four to five days of battery life also meant I didn't need to worry about nightly recharges.
While I largely gave the Helio Ring a positive review, I didn't quite fall in love with it enough to warrant purchasing one. This was for several reasons.
Compared to other health tracking devices I've tested, like the latest Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and Google Pixel Watch 3, Amazfit's sleep and workout recovery insights aren't as deep, and there are far fewer metrics on offer. The Helio Ring is also pretty limited when it comes to activity tracking, with only four profiles to choose from.
Speaking of lack of choice, that smart ring only comes in one finish, titanium, which isn't really my cup of tea. Still, the Helio Ring got me hooked on the idea that there is a better (comfier) way to monitor my rest and recovery than what I'd previously been used to. Naturally, the Oura Ring 3 piqued my interest.
Now, the Oura Ring 4 has caught my eye and I'm seriously considering pulling the trigger on my very first smart ring. Here are the five biggest reasons why.
1. Expanded activity tracking
Unlike the Helio Ring, the Oura Ring has activity profiles for a fairly wide range of sports and exercises beyond the most basic, including ones I enjoy most like hiking, swimming, golf and even yard work. (Yes, I enjoy it, but I also have a very small yard.) That said, I'm still waiting on a snowboarding/skiing profile.
The Oura Ring 4 also has automatic activity detection, something not found on the Helio Ring. Better yet, the latest Oura Ring's auto activity tracking kicks in any time it registers an elevated heart rate, whether you're participating in trackable activity or not. So, if I'm pulling weeds in the garden or building a piece of Ikea furniture, my Oura Ring 4 will capture heart rate and other data for that endeavor on its own. That's pretty cool.
While the Oura Ring 4 doesn't have any new types of health sensors compared to the Oura Ring 3, the sensors it does have are larger, more plentiful and now recessed within the ring itself to provide better comfort and more precise tracking data, regardless of how the ring is worn.
Oura's new "smart sensing" tech also promises improved heart rate accuracy even during activities with a lot of movement. The increase in sensor real estate is designed to counteract inaccuracies resulting from the ring sliding around on one's finger. Oura relies on AI-backed algorithms to parse the accurate sensor data from the noise.
Best of all, the increased tracking accuracy doesn't negatively impact battery life. In fact...
2. Eight days of battery life
The Oura Ring 4 now gets up to eight days of battery life per charge, up from seven on the Oura Ring 3. For what it's worth, the Samsung Galaxy Ring also manages a week of battery.
While this increase in longevity between the latest Oura Ring and its predecessor isn't earth-shattering, when you compare the battery rating of the Oura Ring 4 to that of the latest Apple Watch Series 10 — another new wearable I'm testing — the difference is much more significant. That's because the Apple Watch 10 still boasts the same 18-hour battery life rating as the original Apple Watch model that launched a decade ago.
Not only should the Oura Ring 4 be able to comfortably cruise through a week of use before needing charge-up, but that task should only take about two hours.
3. A sleeker design
I've never worn the Oura Ring 3, so I can't comment on how comfortable it is. But, based on feedback from friends, family and colleagues, most individuals don't seem to mind wearing it, even if the protruding sensors on the inside of the ring tend to leave a semi-permanent indentation on some folks' fingers.
If the Oura Ring 3 is comfortable enough, then the Oura Ring 4 should be a downright pleasure to wear thanks to completely recessed sensors that now sit flush within the interior of the device.
I'm all for sleek, streamlined designs. And the Oura Ring 4 isn't the only Oura product that got a makeover.
4. A streamlined Oura app
Oura gave its namesake app a major overhaul to coincide with the launch of the Oura Ring 4. Don't worry, Oura Ring 3 users also benefit from the redesign and new features.
Like the Oura Ring 3, the newer model records tons of data, generating holistic scores for things like readiness, sleep quality, stress, heart health and much more. The new app makes it easy to get a sense of these key metrics both at a glance and in-depth. There's also a separate tab for digging into your long-term health trends, something other brands aren't great at providing.
Oura additionally added a new feature to show how users' stress levels and exercise levels impact one another, which I find intriguing and would love to dig into more. Moreover, I can't think of any other wearables manufacturer that shows the correlation between those two metrics.
5. The new tungsten black finish looks mighty nice
Last but not least, the new glossy black Oura Ring finish has me geeking. Boasting a tungsten carbide PVD coating, it's a bit flashier than the Stealth option in a cool yet classy way. It's the kind of smart ring I could see James Bond wearing. Better yet, it's also the same price as the standard silver model. $349.
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