When Oura released the Oura Ring 3 in 2021, its competitors were few and far between. Now, three years later, several brands have entered the smart ring market, with some giants, like Samsung, and a handful of underdogs, like Ultrahuman, RingConn, and more, releasing smart rings of their own.
So, the stakes are high for Oura to release a competitive smart ring that stomps out the competition. Enter the Oura Ring 4, the newest generation of the popular wearable that Oura announced on Thursday. There are plenty of new features — both on the hardware and software side — that I got to test ahead of the launch and are certainly worth discussing, so let’s dive in.
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First, let’s talk about hardware. The new rings expand their sizing from 6-13 to 4-15, the most expansive sizing in a brand I’ve seen, and should better cater to users with smaller and larger-sized fingers. You can expect the same finishes as the Oura Ring 3 in the Oura Ring 4, with the addition of a glossy black finish for the new generation.
The Oura Ring 4 (left) has receded sensors that make it more comfortable to wear compared to Oura Ring 3 (right).
Nina Raemont/ZDNET
Smart rings have sensors that protrude into your finger to gather health data like activity, sleep, and stress. The Oura Ring 3 has three domed sensors that protrude and subtly dig into your finger. This was one of my least favorite aspects of the smart ring since it would leave marks and dry spots around my finger. Oura Ring 4 has removed these sensor domes and created flatter, receded sensors for improved wearability.
These flatter sensors are made possible through one of the most substantial upgrades to the smart ring: smart sensing. The smart sensing feature on the Oura Ring 4 makes it the “most accurate iteration of Oura Ring yet,” according to the press release.
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The smart sensors use an algorithm that collaborates with the sensors in the ring to “respond to each member’s unique finger physiology” and gather data. Oura is doubling the number of signal paths the ring uses to acquire sleep, activity, SpO2 levels, heart rate data, and more from eight to 18, for more accurate and continuous data capture. This optimized process reportedly optimizes battery life as well and makes an eight-day battery life (the longest battery I’ve seen on a smart ring so far) possible with the Oura Ring 4.
With more signal pathways, less data will fall through the cracks, and the user will get a more accurate read on their health metrics. The smart sensors account for ring rotations, differences in finger anatomy, shape, BMI, and skin tone for a more accurate read, no matter the activity or ring wearer, according to the release.
Oura Ring users can expect a new and hopefully improved (I’ll test it out for myself once the software is live) app interface upon the launch of the Oura Ring 4. Gen 3 users will get this upgrade as well. The redesign prioritizes big-picture health trends alongside daily details, like insight into your sleep, activity, and recovery data. There are three core tabs, Today, My Vitals, and Health, that offer up at-a-glance health information like score shortcuts and heart rate data and historic trends like stress resilience and sleep trends.
As if the updates stop there, Oura also made improvements to its automatic workout detection feature — one of my favorites on the smart ring. Oura added 40 more activities to expand the activities it automatically detects. With automatic detection comes automatic heart rate monitoring, a feature users had to manually turn on previously to check their heart rate zones upon exercising.
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Oura’s stress detection and tracking feature was fascinating even before the update. Through using it, I’ve learned about what situations cause my heart rate to rise and the impact exercise has on my stress levels. But a complaint I’ve heard in the past from friends who use Oura is that it’s hard to differentiate between actual stress caused by mental challenges and stress caused by exercise and movement. The new Daytime Stress feature pairs with the tagging function so people can see when they are stressed due to physical activity, movement, or something else.
Lastly, Oura is improving its menstrual cycle feature by providing further insights into a person’s fertility window for those looking to conceive.
The new Oura Ring is available to order today, Thursday, October 3, and will ship on October 15. The new smart ring starts at $350, and prices vary by finish. There’s still a subscription fee (that’s unfortunately not going away any time soon) that will cost members $6 a month to access the breadth and depth of their health data.
