Price: The Oura Ring 4 Remains the Better Value
The Oura Ring 5 starts at $399, a $50 increase over the previous generation. For that price, you can get the Oura Ring 5 in black or silver. It also comes in brushed silver, deep rose (rose gold), gold, or stealth (matte dark gray) for $499.
The Oura Ring 4 is still available in select finishes, starting at $349 for the silver and stealth models (the latter previously cost $399). The premium gold finish of the base Oura Ring 4 is now $399, down from $499 at launch. The extra-durable Our Ring 4 Ceramic is still available in midnight (dark blue) and cloud (white) for $399, a $100 discount from its launch price.
With both the Oura Ring 5 and the Oura Ring 4, you’ll need to pay a $69.99 annual membership fee for access to most features in the Oura app.
Winner: Oura Ring 4
Design: A Slimmer Take on a Proven Formula
The biggest difference between the old and new models comes down to millimeters. The Oura Ring 4 already has a sleek design, with minimal sensor bumps. The Oura Ring 5 is 40% thinner. Specifically, it measures 0.24 inches wide by 0.09 inches thick, while the Oura Ring 4 measures 0.31 by 0.11 inches.
Both the Oura Ring 5 and the Oura Ring 4 are made of titanium, though the older model is also available with a zirconia ceramic exterior. Both are water-resistant to 328 feet.
At a glance, both look similarly stylish, with well-hidden smarts under the surface. I found the Oura Ring 4 quite comfortable to wear on an everyday basis, but it occasionally bothered me when I was lifting weights. The Oura Ring 5 could gain an advantage here based on its extra-thin frame.
The Oura Ring 4 has the advantage of options. I mentioned the ceramic finish, but it also comes in more sizes. The previous-gen model is available in sizes 4 through 15, while the Oura Ring 5 is only offered in sizes 6 through 13. Because of the redesign, the company encourages ordering a new sizing kit if you’re getting the Oura Ring 5, even if you have an existing model, so the thin frame may still accommodate most people with extra-large or extra-small fingers.
Winner: To be determined
Battery Life: Chasing an Already Strong Benchmark
The Oura Ring 5 features a redesigned battery tailored to its thin frame, and according to the company, it should deliver even more life than its predecessor. Specifically, the company estimates that the Oura Ring 5 should last between six and nine days on a charge. Oura’s official battery estimate range for the Oura Ring 4 is five to eight days.
In my testing, the Oura Ring 4 lasted just over a week between charges, so the Oura Ring 5 will need to hit the upper end of its range to win the category.
Like the Oura Ring 4, the Oura Ring 5 comes with a size-specific charging base, but the company now offers an aluminum charging case as an extra $99 accessory. The case holds a month of battery life, charges wirelessly, and you can order it for either the Oura Ring 4 or the Oura Ring 5.
Winner: To be determined
Features: Similar Capabilities, Higher Accuracy Claims
For health and fitness tracking, both models feature red and green infrared LEDs to measure blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), heart rate, heart rate variability (an indicator of stress), and respiratory rate, plus skin temperature sensors and an accelerometer. Both track movement throughout the day, a range of different exercises, sleep duration and stages, and stress levels.
While similarly specced, the Oura Ring 5 has redesigned internals to fit its smaller frame. The sensors in the newer model trace up to 12 pathways through your finger when collecting data, whereas the Oura Ring 4 tracks 18 signal pathways. However, the company says the data collected by the Oura Ring 5 is more precise.
The Oura Ring 4 proved accurate when tracking activity, sleep, and stress in testing. As a limitation compared with many fitness trackers, it doesn't capture exact heart rate readings during workouts; instead, it only provides generalized zone information. The Oura Ring 5 will follow suit, but both now let you live-track your workout data via the Oura app, and sync a third-party heart rate monitor for real-time pulse data.
Beyond workouts, the Oura Ring 4 is already a highly capable holistic health tracker. Each day, it calculates Activity and Sleep scores, as well as a Readiness score that encapsulates the rest of your data on a scale of 1 to 100, letting you know whether you're prepared for activity or in need of rest. Over time, Oura also measures your cardio capacity, cardiovascular age, and sleep regularity.
Alongside the launch of the Oura Ring 5, the company is adding a number of new features to the Oura app, but the Oura Ring 4 will benefit from these updates as well. Both generations will monitor blood pressure at night, long-term breathing patterns, and can even track the effects of GLP-1 weight-loss medication. You can also import your medical records and chat with a doctor, and sign up for a Brain Health study to track changes in your cognition.
Given their similar feature sets, the Oura Ring 5 will need to be extra accurate in testing to win the category.
Winner: To be determined
The Verdict: Should You Upgrade?
The Oura Ring 5 could certainly prove itself to be a superior smart ring compared with its predecessor, but doing so will be no easy task. If it is indeed more comfortable, longer-lasting, and more accurate than its predecessor, it will pull ahead of the Oura Ring 4, even at a higher price. If the Oura Ring 5 falters in any of those categories, the more affordable Oura Ring 4 will be that much more appealing.
I'm testing the Oura Ring 5 now, so stay tuned for my full review and an update to this story with definitive buying advice in the near future.