Just a few weeks ago, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Ring, the company's new smart ring and the first true competitor to the Oura Ring. But it seems Oura is already planning to fight back with the Oura Ring 4, according to a new leak.
As spotted by Android Authority, Oura has submitted two new smart rings for certification (OA11 and OA12), although we only have details on the OA11 so far. From the documentation, it looks like Oura is testing the ring in sizes 7-13 and in a gold design.
These details come from a regulatory label mock-up, but Android Authority also uncovered a few images of the company's upcoming ring and it looks like...a ring. At this moment, it's hard to tell exactly what (if anything) has changed compared to the Gen-3 model.
However, the leak does confirm that (at this stage) the ring won't take design cues from the Samsung Galaxy Ring, which has a slightly concave exterior. Instead, Oura looks set to retain the circular, flat design of the current Horizon edition.
But it does seem likely that there'll be a another variant, presumably modeled after the flat-topped Heritage edition. As noted by Android Authority, we only have images and labels for the OA11, but there's also an OA12 in testing, which could be the Heritage.
While we can only see one side of the ring in the testing images, it does look like the sensors are flush with the ring's interior, in contrast to the slightly raised ones on the Gen-3. These sensors are reminiscent of the optical heart rate sensors found on most fitness trackers, though we can't say for certain at this point.
However, it'd be interesting if Oura is making improvements or upgrades to the heart rate monitor. The Galaxy Ring has two optical sensors; one for heart rate and one for skin temperature. These shine light into your skin and record the time it takes for light to reflect back.
Generally, these LEDs are green, as that offers the most reliable response in all environments. But, as reported by The Conversation, red is technically the most accurate. This is why Samsung upgraded the BioActive sensor in its new Galaxy watches to include several colored LEDs.
Oura may look to do the same, giving the Ring 4 an accuracy boost compared to the Galaxy Ring. Of course, this is all speculation at this point, as we'll need to wait for further details or for Oura to actually confirm the Ring 4 before we know anything for certain.
But given that the Oura Ring already packs a lot of tech into such a small form factor, it's reasonable to assume that the next-gen ring will lean heavily on performance upgrades rather than entirely new features. For now, the Gen-3 is still comfortably the most versatile ring, especially for tracking your period.
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