GoKawiilKaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
I’ve worn enough smart rings at this point that most new launches tend to blend together. The category is maturing, which is great, but it also means many updates have started to feel incremental. That was until the latest from Oura.
The new Oura Ring 5 is thinner and lighter with upgraded sensors and the same great battery life. The launch also includes features focused on cardiovascular health, nighttime blood pressure trends, and sleep-related breathing insights. As someone who has long considered Oura one of the best sleep trackers available, I’m excited to see those additions as well.
I’m still riding the high of my ceramic Oura Ring 4, with the blue hue I still haven’t gotten sick of, so to already be testing a new, even better ring is a surprise. I’ve only had the ring on hand for a few days, but my early impressions are that this isn’t just an incremental update. The Oura Ring 5 feels like the update I’ve been waiting for, and I’m happy to keep wearing it to find out if it is.
An Oura Ring that really feels like jewelry
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
I’ve long been a fan of Oura’s rings, but I’ve never quite loved wearing them. As someone with pretty small hands, previous generations felt a bit too bulky for certain activities and never fully blended in with the rest of my jewelry. That’s not to say they looked bad; they just always looked like smart rings. On the other hand, they’ve looked completely normal on my husband, so it wasn’t a universal problem with the design, just the size.
The Oura Ring 5 is the slimmed-down design I’ve been hoping for. It’s noticeably thinner, and while I wouldn’t call it dainty, it’s much more in line with the rings I typically wear. For the first time, I don’t feel like I’m wearing a man’s wedding band. I also don’t feel like it screams “tech,” which is great for an introvert who dreaded the inevitable checkout-line conversation every time someone spotted my Oura Ring 4. If I do want to make a statement, I can still rotate older rings into the mix thanks to multi-device support.
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
Because Oura changed its sizing this generation and dropped my usual size 5, I ordered a size 6 and have been wearing it on my pointer finger. The fit is perfect, and I actually like the design even more there. I’m also testing the new gold finish, which is more subtle and muted than the warmer gold of previous generations, and I absolutely love it. I’d happily wear this ring even if it didn’t track my sleep, and that’s about the best I can hope for in a smart ring.
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