Oura’s new smart ring fixes some of my biggest gripes with the last one
The Oura Ring 4 offers a new design, better app, and improved sensing – fixing some of my biggest gripes with the last model
The newest fitness tracker craze seems to be smart rings. They’ve been around for a while now, but this year things got a bit more mainstream thanks to Samsung launching the Galaxy Ring. Oura was the first to make one, though, and now the brand is back with a brand new device.
Oura Ring 4 is the first new smart ring from Oura in four years. It’s got a refined design, updated sensors, and a redesigned app to go alongside it. On paper, it’s supposed to fix some of my biggest gripes with the last one.
Inside, the ring’s health-tracking sensors have levelled up. Oura claims it now adapts better to your finger’s unique shape, delivering more accurate data, both day and night, and not sacrificing comfort in the process. The most obvious difference is in the design. Oura’s Ring 4 is still made of lightweight titanium, but with a sleeker, thinner profile and recessed sensors
Apparently, this means no more nibs pressing into your skin, making it far less annoying to wear 24/7. It also comes in a rainbow of six colours, from Brushed Silver to a glossy new Black. Even better, they’ve upped the sizes to twelve different options, so if you’ve got a hard-to-fit finger, this should have you covered.
Smart Sensing is the buzzword Oura’s hoping will get your attention. It’s meant to improve how the sensors work with your body, claiming a 30% boost in overnight blood oxygen measurement accuracy and 15% better results with your breathing disturbances. It also cuts down the gaps in heart rate tracking, which is what irked me about the last gen.
Alongside the new ring comes a redesigned Oura App, with the promise of a cleaner, more personalised view of your health. The app lets you dig into things like daily stress levels, heart health, and women’s health metrics. Plus, it still connects the dots between how your habits today will affect you long-term. Oura offers the most well-rounded look at your health, but I hope that Ring 4 lets you dive into the numbers more easily (early screenshots make it look like this is the case).
Oura’s Ring 4 will start shipping on 15 October, and you can pre-order one now. It’ll set you back $349/£349, with one month of membership is included with the ring. After that, it’s £5.99/month or £69.99 annually.
Connor Jewiss
