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It’s been less than two years since I reviewed the Oura 4 Ringso I was surprised to know that the Oura 5 Ring would come so soon. After all, about three years passed between the launch of the Oura Ring Gen 3 and the Oura Ring 4.
But while I expected the Oura Ring 5 to simply be an update, the updated design really proves that it’s something of a generational leap over the Oura Ring 4. In fact, with the smaller profile, long battery life, and other notable improvements, the Oura Ring 5 feels like the smart ring that all other rings should strive to be.
|
Category |
Oura 5 Ring |
|---|---|
|
Materials |
High performance titanium exterior, titanium interior. |
|
Protection |
IP68 Water resistant to a depth of 100m/328ft |
|
Sensors |
Red, green and infrared LEDs (heart rate, blood oxygen) Digital temperature sensor Accelerometer |
|
Battery |
6-9 days, charging time up to 80 minutes |
|
Connectivity |
Bluetooth 5.0 LE |
|
Platform support |
iOS (Apple Health), Android (Health Connect) |
|
Dimensions |
Width: 6.09mm Thickness: 2.28mm |
|
Weight |
2g+ (depending on size) |
|
Sizes |
6-13 |
|
Flag |
Silver, Black, Stealth, Brushed silver, Gold, Deep pink |
At first glance, the Oura Ring 5 seems a little smaller than the Oura Ring 4, but you don’t really get the full effect until you hold it in your hand. At just over 2 grams for my size 11, the Oura Ring 5 is surprisingly light. It honestly feels like a normal ring on your hand, unlike previous generations which had a bit of heft to them.
Not only that, but the ring is surprisingly small, and if you’re coming from the Oura Ring 4 (and especially the Oura 4 Ceramic Ring), then you will definitely notice the difference. The narrower width helps the Oura Ring 5 blend in with the rest of your jewelry, making it look like a regular ring rather than a smart tracker.
I can see this going a long way in popularizing wearable technology, as one of the main issues users had with previous Oura smart rings was their size. I didn’t mind the size of the previous models, but now that I’ve used the Oura Ring 5, I can’t imagine going back to something larger.
The ring is also thinner than previous models, which is great for multiple reasons. First, it makes you less noticeable overall, especially when carrying things or lifting weights. That last part is especially important because the ring doesn’t stick out as much, so there’s less worry about scraping it against objects like dumbbells on your hands.
Secondly, the slimmer profile makes it even better to fit a case without worrying about adding too much thickness. Oura doesn’t make its own cases yet, so I still use third-party cases that I find on Amazon when I work out. I notice that the ring doesn’t seem to scuff or scratch as easily as previous models, but it’s not immune, so a cover helps keep it as pristine as possible.
One thing that surprises me about the Oura Ring 5 is the battery life. Despite being 40% smaller than the Oura Ring 4, the latest model offers better battery life. Oura says it should last six to nine days per charge, which is in line with my usage.
When I started tracking battery life, the Oura Ring 5 was fully charged on Monday morning and I didn’t need to charge it until the following Wednesday. This included several days of manual and automatic training tracking, as well as daily sleep tracking, with 8% battery life to spare.
Speaking of tracking, Oura Ring 5 still provides detailed health tracking, especially sleep. I’ve noticed that heart rate data is much more consistent when tracking things like sleep or activities, while previous models often had many gaps or failed to collect heart rate data completely, particularly during workouts.
That said, workouts are the only area where the Oura Ring 5 falls a little short. When tracking high-intensity exercise, I notice that the Oura Ring 5’s heart rate data tends to be much lower than other wearable devices I’ve used, such as the Garmin Venu 4 and fitbit air. I don’t notice this same deviation when at rest, as the live heart rate data lines up with that of the Garmin Venu 4 and Fitbit Air, but the Oura Ring 5, like its predecessors, shouldn’t be relied on as a training device.
Actually, that doesn’t surprise me too much; Oura Ring is more of a passive health tracker than an active fitness tracker. Fortunately, Oura has added the ability to connect another device to the app as a live heart rate source. You can use a dedicated heart rate monitor or even a smartwatch to see live heart rate data during exercise, along with distance and pace (via your phone’s location data).
Fortunately, step counting seems improved, despite being an area that smart rings struggle with. I followed a 5,000-step walk between the Oura Ring 5, Garmin Venu 4, and Fitbit Air, and while the Ring had the most deviation, it was only 15 steps away, which is pretty good.
|
Device |
step count |
|---|---|
|
Oura 5 Ring |
4,985 |
|
Garmin Venu 4 |
4,996 |
|
fitbit air |
5,004 |
One area where the Oura Ring 5 excels is automatic activity tracking. The ring can determine quite accurately when I’m doing certain activities without having to track them manually. That includes walks, runs, and even more varied activities, like gardening and dancing. I’m still impressed every time I check my phone after a night out and see the ring asking me to confirm that I was dancing.
As for the app experience itself, it’s very visual, with a customizable set of focus metrics at the top. These shortcuts make it easy to analyze your sleep, activities, stress, and more. You can even track your weight by manually recording or syncing with third-party apps like Withings, and the app will show your weekly, monthly, and yearly trends.
Today view changes dynamically and shows the most important metrics at the top, such as your sleep score when you wake up and your steps toward the end of the day. You can also see a timeline of your activities at the bottom, which also shows logged activities or workouts synced from other apps.
The Vitals tab shows daily measurements, while the Health tab gives you a longer-term view of your health trends. From + button, you can access quick actions, where you can start an activity, start an unguided meditation session, or even log meals. The food logging tool is quite interesting, as Oura can fairly accurately analyze what you’re eating from a photo and provide nutritional and meal timing information to help with things like regulating hunger and reducing snacking.
Throughout the app, Oura members also have access to Oura Advisor, an AI chatbot that focuses on health and wellness. You can activate it using the + for general questions, or within each major metric, like sleep and activity, for more specific conversations about recent changes and updates.
Unlike Google’s new AI-focused Google Health appWhile it often feels like information overload, Oura’s insights are light throughout the app, allowing users to tap Advisor to learn more. When chatting with the Advisor, you can ask them about your general health metrics or questions, and they will leverage their health-focused Broad Language Model (LLM), which “draws on a broad base of established medical standards, research, and knowledge sources” to provide relevant and contextual answers.
One of my favorite aspects of the Advisor is how he communicates with me from time to time, based on recent activities and more. You can even change the tone of the Advisor’s responses and how often they communicate, which adds a bit of personalization.
A new feature for Android phones is Locatethat I’ve been asking for for years. With it, Oura Ring 5 owners can know where their ring was the last time it connected to their phone, which can provide a good starting point for searching. If you’re in range, the app will alert you when you’re approaching the ring.
Since the ring does not have built-in GPS, Ultra Wide Band (UWB) or bluetooth 6The app won’t give you accurate tracking, so you’ll have to rely on the app’s proximity clues and do some of the work yourself. Still, it’s much better than nothing and I hope to save you from losing a third Oura Ring model.
Of course, almost all of these features are only available through Oura Membership, a monthly (or annual, if you prefer) subscription that provides access to the ring’s most useful features and information. Many people are still unhappy to learn that the Oura app basically requires a subscription to be truly useful, but I think it’s worth the cost, especially considering how Oura has continually improved its products over the years and consistently produces the best smart ring on the market.
And that’s exactly what the Oura Ring 5 is. The Oura Ring 5 is what other smart rings should strive to be: thin, light, and virtually invisible while keeping your health and well-being in check. Starting at $399, it’s not cheap and membership remains a point of contention for some, but Oura proves that smart wearable technology can really be integrated.
put a ring on it
The Oura Ring 5 is Oura’s latest smart ring, featuring a much smaller and lighter design but with longer battery life and better detection.
