ZDNET's key takeaways The Oura Ring 4 is Oura's latest generation smart ring, with a starting price of $350
The ring emphasizes a comfortable build with flatter and smarter sensors, more sizes, upgraded software, and an alleged eight-day battery life.
The eight-day battery life is actually more like five and a half days. $395.01 at Amazon $399 at Best Buy more buying choices
While Oura was quiet these past few years, in between the release of its Ring 3 in 2021 and the development of its Ring 4 (now available), a groundswell of competitors released smart rings of their own, from big-name brands like Samsung to indie upstarts like Ultrahuman and RingConn.
Also: Oura's CEO wants its smart ring to be the doctor in your pocket
The smart ring space is heating up, and we have officially reached peak health tracker. During the past few years, Oura has been busy developing a smart ring that's smarter and stronger than the rest: the recently unveiled Oura Ring 4. I've tested the device for months now, and it surpasses the competition by a mile. Here's how.
Oura puts comfort at the forefront of its Ring 4 -- both functional comfort, being great to wear, and via extended and inclusive sizing. Oura's Ring 3 offers sizes six through 13, and the Ring 4 offers sizes four through 15. Out of all the smart rings I've tested on the market, this sizing range is the most expansive and will fit finger sizes small and large.
I wore the Gen 3 for most of last year, and I regularly noticed dry spots around my finger where the protruded sensor domes left impressions. This made the device irritating to wear for longer periods. The Ring 4 uses recessed smart sensors to keep the inside of the ring flat and easy to wear, creating the most comfortable and unnoticeable generation of the device yet.
The Oura Ring 4 (left) has receded sensors that make it more comfortable to wear compared to Oura Ring 3 (right). Nina Raemont/ZDNET
As annoying as they were, the Ring 3's protruded sensor domes did tend to grip your finger, which made it easier for the ring to stay secure while you were asleep, and for the position of the dimple to stay set on the inside of your finger, where it collected the most accurate data. Without the domes, the Ring 4 becomes slippery: the second night I wore the ring on my pointer finger to bed, it fell off while I was asleep, something that never happened during my nine months with the Ring 3.
... continue reading