Oura Ring 4 review: Still the best smart ring, but only just

“The Oura Ring 4, paired with its glorious companion app, is the perfect good ring bundle out there as we speak.”

Execs

• Stunning finishes
• Complete sensor array and knowledge
• Dependable syncing and app
• Clear knowledge presentation
• Useful normal recommendation

Cons

• Finicky sizing
• Subscription required

I’ve made no secret about carrying the Oura Ring smart ring for a few years. I’m undoubtedly a fan of the product, as is made clear by this longevity, however don’t take this to imply I’ll go straightforward on the brand new Oura Ring 4.

Due to my familiarity, I’m most likely more durable to impress and positively higher outfitted to acknowledge adjustments, each good and unhealthy. I’ve been carrying the Oura Ring 4 for a number of weeks; right here’s what I give it some thought.

Oura Ring 4: specs

Oura Ring 4: dimension and match

Earlier than we go into the design, let’s discuss concerning the dimension. The Oura Ring 4 is available in ring sizes 4 to fifteen, and it’s extremely beneficial you utilize a sizing equipment (equipped by Oura) earlier than ordering one, because it says the sizes are barely completely different from earlier rings. That is completely appropriate, and getting the right size appears to be more durable this time round. I wore a dimension 11 third-gen Oura Ring, and the most recent sizing equipment confirmed I’d want a dimension 11 Oura Ring 4, too.

Nonetheless, the precise dimension 11 Oura Ring 4 is looser on my finger than the third-gen ring, and the sizing equipment reveals the scale 10 ring can be a lot too small. When my finger is heat, the scale 10 won’t go on. To be clear, the Oura Ring 4 has by no means slipped off my finger, nevertheless it doesn’t have the identical reassuringly safe match on my chosen finger.

Primarily based on the sizing equipment choices, I’ve no selection however to dwell with it or swap it to a different finger. I strongly suggest spending a minimum of a full day and evening carrying one of many plastic sizing equipment rings and be ready to seek out your self in between sizes.

A part of why the Oura Ring 4 feels completely different from earlier than is the whole redesign of the inside part, the place the dome-like nubbins have been flattened and the resin changed by titanium. The floor isn’t all that grippy, and whereas there’s a notch on the surface of the ring to point the place the sensors are positioned and assist correctly place the ring in your finger, it’s much less noticeable than feeling the nubbins. Whereas the Oura Ring 4 is not any much less comfy to put on than earlier than, the alterations haven’t made it higher, and though extra sizes are at all times welcome, the precise sizing of the ring could imply there nonetheless isn’t the perfect Oura Ring for everybody.

Oura Ring 4: design and colours

The Oura Ring 4 is out there in six finishes: silver, black, and gold, plus rose gold, stealth (a matte black), and brushed silver, which you’ll see in our pictures. I preferred the silver end of the third-gen Oura Ring lots, because it was extra delicate than the black and gold variations. The brushed silver model is sort of completely different, as whereas the brushed facet is engaging, the floor of the ring is very reflective and glints within the mild, taking away a number of the primary silver model’s subtlety.

The ring is produced from titanium in and out, and there’s a skinny gasket operating across the edge that’s seen once you look intently. Relying on the scale of your ring, its weight varies between 3 to five grams, and it’s about 3mm thick. I barely discover I’m carrying it, however there’s a quick interval of adjustment should you’re not used to carrying a hoop. It additionally doesn’t look (from the surface) or really feel a lot completely different from the third-generation ring, and I’m happy to say my preliminary considerations over the much less curvy edges haven’t translated into any consolation points. It’s chunkier than the RingConn Gen 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Ring, although, and nonetheless fairly clearly a chunk of expertise. Nonetheless, the finishes are genuinely gorgeous, whereas the opposite two are sized nearer to non-smart rings.

It’s water-resistant to 100 meters, and whereas titanium is sturdy, it’s removed from being proof against scratches. Oura’s web site states, “minor scratches from common put on are regular over time,” however my Oura Ring 4 has already gathered floor scratches after only a few weeks, and that’s with out utilizing dumbbells or gripping steel or rocky surfaces.

That’s not nice, and my third-gen Oura Ring was very scratched up once you seemed intently after a few years of use. It appears the Oura Ring 4 is more likely to endure in the identical method. Should you plan on carrying the Oura Ring for harder actions and wish to hold it wanting its finest, consider a special silicone case to make use of at these instances.

Oura Ring 4: what does it do?

The Oura Ring 4 is a great ring, however does that make it a direct various to a smartwatch or devoted health tracker? No, and should you’re planning to coach for a marathon or are in search of in-depth health and exercise monitoring and knowledge, it’s not going to do the job. It’s a lifestyle-orientated well being and health tracker with an emphasis on sleep, ongoing well being, motion, and restoration.

On the underside of the ring are new crimson, inexperienced, and infrared sensors to trace coronary heart charge and blood oxygen ranges, plus a temperature sensor and an accelerometer. These work otherwise from earlier than, and positioning in your finger is much less necessary. Mixed with a particular algorithm that interprets the information, the app fills in any knowledge gaps to create a extra detailed, correct image of your well being.

Lots of the knowledge it offers is predicated on sleep monitoring, which incorporates knowledge on timing, period, resting coronary heart charge, coronary heart charge variability (HRV) effectivity, latency, sleep levels, and physique temperature. Whereas it might probably observe sure actions along with your coronary heart charge as you’re doing them, the selection is restricted. It might probably actively observe indoor and outside operating, biking, and strolling. It’s unlucky that Oura has not added extra to this part, nevertheless it has added extra actions the Ring can mechanically acknowledge after which observe. There are 40 in total, together with energy coaching, yoga, horseback driving, and boxing.

Thus far, the Oura Ring 4 has solely seen home tasks (which is really useful) or walks for me, however it is usually superb at not doubling up on exercises, so should you observe exercise utilizing an Apple Watch (as I’ve been doing), it doesn’t then recommend its personal monitoring too. It does auto-detect naps, too, however it may be overzealous right here, in my expertise. Lastly, you may add monitoring for a broader vary of actions after the very fact, and as talked about, it syncs with Apple Well being and Google Match, so exercise knowledge tracked with both seems within the Oura app.

After a brief strolling take a look at, the app can estimate V02 Max after which present your cardiovascular age. It additionally screens stress ranges, steps, and each day calorie burn. Different options embody guided leisure periods, meal logging, and an AI adviser, plus a complete ladies’s well being monitoring function with cycle insights, interval prediction, and integration with the Pure Cycles app.

On paper, the Oura Ring 4 has an extended record of well being, exercise, and health monitoring out there. Nonetheless, it’s necessary to grasp that it’s a comparatively passive exercise tracker, requiring little effort on the wearer’s half to watch or report this stuff. Moderately than being a unfavourable, that is one in all its biggest strengths. It means you may focus extra in the course of the day, after which once you do open the app, you see actions prepared to substantiate, plus you may shortly and simply perceive your situation via its knowledge.

Oura Ring 4: what concerning the app?

The Oura app acquired an replace to go along with the Oura Ring 4’s launch, and I’m going into more detail about it in this separate article. It’s simply top-of-the-line apps related to an exercise tracker I’ve used, because it presents its knowledge in a transparent and concise method, syncs instantly, and has at all times been completely dependable. It additionally offers some helpful and fascinating metrics. I actually like the brand new structure and the simplified menu, notably the Vitals display screen, which requires little greater than a fast look to grasp totally.

How does the app assist you to perceive your knowledge? Oura’s Advisor AI chatbot helps analyze it and offers recommendation about how and the place to enhance. I like that it’s at all times in step with your targets, so it by no means feels just like the app is pushing you to do issues that aren’t reasonable. It’s an identical story with setting each day targets. For instance, should you set it to “Enhance my well being,” the each day calorie burn goal is persistently increased than if you choose “handle stress ranges.” Should you choose to keep away from calorie knowledge, it may be hidden completely from the app.

Each day scores are offered in Circles on the prime of the primary display screen and are simply seen. These simple-to-understand scores imply you shortly understand how you’re set for the day and may take a look at the information extra deeply should you discover an anomaly. You possibly can faucet every Circle to see extra in-depth knowledge, and the Vitals web page provides context by together with your baselines and averages.

The app is superb at telling you if issues don’t look proper, for instance, should you’ve slept badly, have a raised temperature, or different stats are exterior your regular vary. Carrying the Oura Ring long-term helps it set up a baseline and informs its recommendation.

I do know from expertise. The Oura Ring’s sensors (the third technology model on this case) acknowledged a latest sickness, and the app confirmed my physique temperature, HRV, and resting coronary heart charge variations instantly. All through this era, I used the Oura Ring’s glorious Relaxation Mode, which stops it from suggesting exercise and ensures its recommendation focuses on relaxation and restoration, nevertheless it nonetheless tracks all key metrics so that you keep knowledgeable — simply with out the added stress of feeling like you have to be energetic.

I at all times really feel just like the Oura Ring is “on my facet.” As somebody who isn’t interested by pushing any limits, I discover its pleasant strategy actually fits my way of life. It doesn’t ship transfer reminders, it doesn’t have notifications, and I’m by no means greeted by annoying, supposedly motivational messages or alerts after I open the app. It’s much more private than a smartwatch, which could be very becoming contemplating the {hardware} is predicated on a chunk of jewellery and made to be worn 24 hours a day.

There are two notable downsides to the Oura app. The primary is the lack to edit the structure in any respect, which means you may’t change the information you wish to see within the Circles, the highlighted spot on the primary web page, or the colours used for graphs. The second is that should you don’t pay the month-to-month subscription, the app solely reveals your three essential scores — Readiness, Sleep, and Exercise — and nothing else.

Oura Ring 4: is it correct?

Should you’re going to put on the Oura Ring 4 on a regular basis and pay for the app, you need the information it collects to be consultant of your sleep, exercise, and well-being. It’s not a medical system, so none of its sensors or knowledge has been assessed by regulatory our bodies, however that shouldn’t imply it’s inaccurate.

Oura made a degree of stating the Oura Ring 4’s sensors and related new algorithms have improved its accuracy, however in all honesty, the information collected to date has not differed from the information collected by the third-gen ring, and all of it meets what I’d acknowledge as “regular” or a baseline for me. The brand new sensors are imagined to keep away from gaps in recording coronary heart charge, motion, and blood-oxygen ranges in a single day, however I hardly ever noticed many gaps earlier than. Checking again over the information collected by the Oura Ring 4 to date reveals no gaps in any respect, although.

Typically, the Oura Ring counts extra steps than different wearables. It’s persistently increased than my Apple Watch Series 10. Nonetheless, when monitoring a exercise, on this case strolling, the Oura Ring 4 information a decrease common coronary heart charge and fewer calorie burn, usually by fairly a margin, than the Apple Watch Collection 10. Variations are to be anticipated as they’re worn elsewhere in your physique, however the two are additional other than one another than I’d wish to see.

Observe an outside strolling exercise with the RingConn Gen 2 and Oura Ring 4, and issues change once more. This time, the RingConn Gen 2 information a decrease common coronary heart charge after which offers the next calorie burn, though it does match the Oura Ring 4 for time spent in several coronary heart charge zones. A direct coronary heart charge studying on the Oura Ring 4, Apple Watch Collection 10, and the RingConn Gen 2 returns the identical determine, which is reassuring. Each day calorie burn is the one metric I feel could have modified from the third-gen ring, and the Oura Ring 4 could both be counting extra precisely or undercounting, as I’ve discovered I work barely more durable to achieve my each day targets.

Evaluating sleep, every good ring returned broadly comparable outcomes. The RingConn and Oura principally agreed on the sleep rating, blood oxygen, and physique temperature, however they different barely on resting coronary heart charge and HRV. Plus, there have been small variations in sleep levels. Each give a superb overview of your sleep, however the Oura Ring’s app is way superior to the RingConn’s app for design and knowledge presentation.

Whereas not one of the wearables I in contrast matched precisely for sleep and train, none have been vastly completely different, and I can’t say one was clearly extra correct than one other. The most effective well being and health wearable is the one you put on on a regular basis, and that is the place a sensible ring actually succeeds, because it’s so inconspicuous.

Lengthy-term knowledge offers a useful baseline, and you’ll shortly see alterations which will require motion in your half, whether or not these are physique temperature variations or fewer steps taken every day. It nearly doesn’t matter whether or not it’s fully correct, offered it’s principally correct. All of the gadgets right here appear to fall into this class.

Oura Ring 4: battery and charging

Oura says to count on as much as eight days of battery life on a single cost, which is near what I’ve discovered to date. I’ve seen a battery warning seem on the sixth day of use, recommending I cost the good ring earlier than going to sleep. It’s charged on a customized plinth with a USB-C connection, and it’s a bigger, heavier model of the outdated charging plinth. The steel utilized in its development means it appears and feels extra particular and higher suited to life on a bedside desk.

That is the place I inform you battery life is usually irrelevant on the Oura Ring 4. Offered you’re at dwelling, simply pop the ring on its charging plinth when you bathe or prepare for the day, and also you’ll by no means attain the purpose the place it requires a full recharge. In my expertise, it takes about 20 minutes so as to add about 50% to the battery. This tactic makes the Oura Ring 4 very straightforward to dwell with.

Oura Ring 4: value and subscription

The Oura Ring 4 begins at $349 for the silver, gold, and black variations, then rises to $399 for the brushed silver and stealth variations, and to $499 for the rose gold mannequin. The sizing equipment prices $10, which is then credited again once you order the good ring. It’s out there via Oura’s web site, Amazon, Greatest Purchase, and different retailers worldwide.

It comes with one month’s free entry to the Oura Ring app and all its knowledge, however after that, you could pay $6 monthly or see solely essentially the most primary scores. Should you don’t wish to pay the subscription, I don’t suppose the Oura Ring 4 is price shopping for. You also needs to think about the general price of possession earlier than leaping into the Oura Ring 4, as different good rings will work out cheaper.

Once I reviewed the third-generation Oura Ring, it didn’t have a lot competitors, however that has all modified. The Samsung Galaxy Ring and the RingConn Gen 2 are each nice alternate options and do not have subscriptions. In order for you extra health monitoring choices and extra smartphone integration, the Apple Watch Series 10, Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, and Google Pixel Watch 3 are all priced about the identical and don’t have subscriptions both.

Is the Oura Ring 4 nonetheless the good ring to purchase?

One yr in the past, the Oura Ring was the one good ring price shopping for, however now that the Oura Ring 4 is right here, there are additionally two very sturdy alternate options to think about: the Samsung Galaxy Ring and the RingConn Gen 2. Oura has performed simply sufficient to remain forward of them each, principally on account of its very good app, clear knowledge, and useful, personalised insights. The {hardware} has, in a method, fallen barely behind, and I feel each different good rings look sleeker and fewer high-tech. It’s nonetheless fantastically made, although, and the end represents the value you pay.

Nonetheless, the sizing points, my slight considerations over the information, the shortage of promised further health modes, and the way simply it’s scratched let it down. It’s additionally not a lot of an improve over the third-generation ring, as current Oura Ring house owners nonetheless get the brand new app, and I haven’t seen any dramatic change in knowledge to recommend what it was telling me all these years was inaccurate. When in comparison with the advances made by Samsung and RingConn this yr, Oura is treading water with the Oura Ring 4’s {hardware}, sustaining its lead however solely by a skinny margin.

However as everyone knows, winning is winning, and the Oura Ring 4 is a implausible good ring with an outstanding companion app. It continues to be a dependable, reliable companion that I’m solely too pleased to put on on a regular basis. I definitely gained’t be completely swapping to a different good ring both, which must be thought of an additional suggestion, and I like seeing all of the historic knowledge within the app that solely comes with long-term use. Offered you’re comfy with the subscription, the Oura Ring 4 remains to be the good ring to purchase, nevertheless it’s a far nearer name than ever earlier than.