GoKawiilIf you’re reading an Oura Ring 5 review at The Verge, you likely fall into one of two camps: newcomers looking for a smartwatch alternative, or Oura users pondering an upgrade. In the case of the former, this is a great casual health tracker and the best smart ring on the market — but not your best choice if you really sweat the fitness details. If you fall into the latter, you don’t need to upgrade.
I say this because the Oura Ring 4 came out less than two years ago. The ceramic version, of which I am a big fan, came out less than a year ago. These were major updates over the Oura Ring Gen 3, both in terms of software and in terms of sensors. Meanwhile, the Ring 5 is mostly an aesthetic update. You can think of this as a smaller and lighter Oura Ring 4. The sensors are the same, the battery life is roughly the same, and none of the software features are gatekept to the Ring 5. The smaller design is an engineering feat, but from a consumer perspective? It isn’t such a noticeable improvement that I’d advocate shelling out an extra $399 minimum if your current Oura Ring is working just fine. (And that’s on top of the $6 monthly subscription you’re already paying.)
Still not convinced? Here are more reasons why you don’t need to upgrade. Unless the bigger ring is uncomfortable to wear because your fingers are particularly petite, the difference isn’t that noticeable. If the finish on your ring is blasted to hell, I’d actually recommend the ceramic Oura Ring 4. While my Oura Ring 5 is much more durable than the non-ceramic Ring 4, it still got a few nicks in about a month and a half of wear. (Note: I’m rough on rings, so if you take greater care, this might not apply to you.) That said, should you have the funds in your FSA/HSA, or are blessed enough to not sweat the price, do what makes you happy. Now that the Oura app supports pairing multiple rings, I can confirm that you can easily swap between multiple rings, so your older Oura doesn’t have to become e-waste.
The Oura Ring 4 in ceramic (top), Oura Ring 5 (center) and the regular Oura Ring 4.
My main hardware gripe with the Oura Ring 5 is sizing. At my initial hands-on, Oura told me that the Ring 5 will have a narrower size range than its predecessor. Sizes 4, 5, 14, and 15 aren’t available. I was told this is because Oura is still assessing the demand, given the Oura Ring 4’s expanded range is still relatively new. That’s disappointing for accessibility reasons. However, in my mind, this is also further proof that functionally, there’s not much difference between the 4 and 5 for consumers. (Either that, or Oura found it particularly difficult on the smaller sizes to fit in all the components.) Likewise, I’m disappointed to see that there’s no ceramic option for the 5.
I’ll acknowledge that sizing is tough with smart rings. Fingers swell, and if you lose or gain weight, that can affect sizing as well. For that reason, you should still try out the latest sizing kit. Case in point, I’ve lost a good chunk of weight and while a size 9 fits me perfectly in the Ring 5, my size 9 Ring 4 fits more loosely.
My other quibble is Oura’s decision to make the charging case a $99 accessory instead of the default charger. Cases are just better than docks, especially if you have a naughty cat that likes to knock the dock off your nightstand. Also, it stinks that if you already bought a charging case for the Ring 4, you’ll have to buy another one for the Ring 5 because they’re not forward- or backward-compatible due to the sizing differences between generations.
But enough about hardware. Oura tends to bundle new rings with a bunch of new software updates, and there’s no exception here. This time around, Oura’s launched:
GLP-1 Insights
Health Radar, which bundles Symptom Radar with nighttime breathing patterns and blood pressure signals for a more holistic way to flag significant health changes
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