I tested the Oura Ring 4. Here’s why it’s still the best smart ring you can buy

I’ve made nary concealed astir wearing nan Oura Ring smart ring for galore years. I americium decidedly a instrumentality of nan product, arsenic is made clear by this longevity, but don’t return this to mean I’ll spell easy connected nan caller Oura Ring 4.

Because of my familiarity, I’m astir apt harder to impressment and surely amended equipped to admit changes, some bully and bad. I’ve been wearing nan Oura Ring 4 for respective weeks; here’s what I deliberation astir it.

Oura Ring 4: specs

Oura Ring 4: size and fit

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Before we spell into nan design, let’s talk astir nan size. The Oura Ring 4 comes successful ringing sizes 4 to 15, and it’s highly recommended you usage a sizing kit (supplied by Oura) earlier ordering one, arsenic it says nan sizes are somewhat different from erstwhile rings. This is perfectly correct, and getting nan correct size seems to beryllium harder this clip around. I wore a size 11 third-gen Oura Ring, and nan latest sizing kit confirmed I’d request a size 11 Oura Ring 4, too.

However, nan existent size 11 Oura Ring 4 is looser connected my digit than nan third-gen ring, and nan sizing kit shows nan size 10 ringing would beryllium overmuch excessively small. When my digit is warm, nan size 10 will not spell on. To beryllium clear, nan Oura Ring 4 has ne'er slipped disconnected my finger, but it doesn’t person nan aforesaid reassuringly unafraid fresh connected my chosen finger.

The Oura Ring 4 has ne'er slipped disconnected my finger.

Based connected nan sizing kit options, I person nary prime but to unrecorded pinch it aliases switch it to different finger. I powerfully urge spending astatine slightest a afloat time and nighttime wearing 1 of nan integrative sizing kit rings and beryllium prepared to find yourself in-between sizes.

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Part of why nan Oura Ring 4 feels different from earlier is nan complete redesign of nan soul section, wherever nan dome-like nubbins person been flattened and nan resin replaced by titanium. The aboveground isn’t each that grippy, and while location is simply a notch connected nan extracurricular of nan ringing to bespeak wherever nan sensors are located and thief decently position nan ringing connected your finger, it’s little noticeable than emotion nan nubbins. While nan Oura Ring 4 is nary little comfortable to deterioration than before, nan alterations person not made it better, and though much sizes are ever welcome, nan existent sizing of nan ringing whitethorn mean location still isn’t nan perfect Oura Ring for everyone.

Oura Ring 4: creation and colors

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The Oura Ring 4 is disposable successful six finishes: silver, black, and gold, positive roseate gold, stealth (a matte black), and brushed silver, which you tin spot successful our photos. I liked nan metallic decorativeness of nan third-gen Oura Ring a lot, arsenic it was much subtle than nan achromatic and golden versions. The brushed metallic type is rather different, arsenic while nan brushed facet is attractive, nan aboveground of nan ringing is highly reflective and glints successful nan light, taking distant immoderate of nan basal metallic version’s subtlety.

The ringing is made from titanium wrong and out, and there’s a bladed gasket moving astir nan separator that’s visible erstwhile you look closely. Depending connected nan size of your ring, its weight varies betwixt 3 to 5 grams, and it’s astir 3mm thick. I hardly announcement I’m wearing it, but location is simply a short play of accommodation if you’re not utilized to wearing a ring. It besides doesn’t look (from nan outside) aliases consciousness overmuch different from nan third-generation ring, and I’m pleased to opportunity my first concerns complete nan little curvy edges person not translated into immoderate comfortableness issues. It is chunkier than nan RingConn Gen 2 and nan Samsung Galaxy Ring, though, and still rather intelligibly a portion of technology. However, nan finishes are genuinely stunning, while nan different 2 are sized person to non-smart rings.

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It’s h2o resistant to 100 meters, and while titanium is durable, it’s acold from being immune to scratches. Oura’s website states, “minor scratches from regular deterioration are normal complete time,” but my Oura Ring 4 has already gathered aboveground scratches aft conscionable a fewer weeks, and that’s without utilizing dumbbells aliases gripping metallic aliases rocky surfaces.

That’s not great, and my third-gen Oura Ring was very scratched up erstwhile you looked intimately aft a mates of years of use. It seems nan Oura Ring 4 is apt to suffer successful nan aforesaid way. If you scheme connected wearing nan Oura Ring for tougher activities and want to support it looking its best, consider a typical silicone case to usage astatine these times.

Oura Ring 4: what does it do?

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The Oura Ring 4 is simply a smart ring, but does that make it a nonstop replacement to a smartwatch aliases dedicated fittingness tracker? No, and if you’re readying to train for a marathon aliases are looking for in-depth fittingness and activity search and data, it’s not going to do nan job. It’s a lifestyle-orientated wellness and fittingness locator pinch an accent connected sleep, ongoing health, movement, and recovery.

A batch of nan accusation it provides is based connected slumber tracking, which includes information connected timing, duration, resting bosom rate, bosom complaint variability (HRV) efficiency, latency, slumber stages, and assemblage temperature. While it tin way definite activities, nan prime is limited. It tin actively way indoor and outdoor running, cycling, and walking. Oura claims nan ringing will beryllium capable to way much unrecorded activities, but nan characteristic has not yet arrived connected my ringing aliases app, and it has missed a deadline antecedently confirmed by nan company. You tin adhd search for a broader scope of activities aft nan fact, and it syncs pinch Apple Health and Google Fit, truthful workout information tracked pinch either appears successful nan Oura app.

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The Oura Ring 4 has caller red, green, and infrared sensors to way bosom complaint and blood-oxygen levels, positive a somesthesia sensor and an accelerometer. These activity otherwise from before, and positioning is little important. Combined pinch a typical algorithm that interprets nan data, nan app fills successful immoderate information gaps to create a much detailed, meticulous image of your health. The app tin estimate V02 Max aft a short stepping trial and past supply your cardiovascular age. It besides monitors accent levels, steps, and regular calorie burn. Other features see guided relaxation sessions, repast logging, and an AI advisor to thief and advise.

The app fills successful immoderate information gaps to create a much detailed, meticulous image of your health.

It will auto-detect immoderate activities, but I find it only notices housework (which is really useful) aliases walks, and it has ne'er noticed thing much intensive for illustration a workout. It does auto-detect naps but is over-zealous here, successful my experience. It besides has a broad women’s wellness search feature, rhythm insights, and play prediction and integrates pinch nan Natural Cycles app. The Oura Ring 4 is simply a comparatively passive activity tracker, requiring small effort connected nan wearer’s portion to way slumber and basal activity, and you tin quickly and easy understand your information done its data. Rather than being a negative, this is 1 of its top strengths.

Oura Ring 4: what astir nan app?

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The Oura app received an update to spell pinch nan Oura Ring 4’s release, and I spell into more item astir it successful this abstracted article. It’s easy 1 of nan champion apps associated pinch an activity locator I’ve used, arsenic it presents its information successful a clear and concise way, syncs immediately, and has ever been utterly reliable. It besides provides immoderate useful and absorbing metrics. I really for illustration nan caller layout and nan simplified menu, peculiarly nan Vitals screen, which requires small much than a speedy glimpse to understand fully.

How does nan app thief you understand your data? Oura’s Advisor AI chatbot helps analyse it and provides proposal astir really and wherever to improve. I emotion that it is ever successful statement pinch your goals, truthful it ne'er feels for illustration nan app is pushing you to do things that aren’t realistic. It’s a akin communicative pinch mounting regular goals. For example, if you group it to “Improve my health,” nan regular calorie pain target is consistently higher than if you prime “manage accent levels.” If you for illustration to debar calorie data, it tin beryllium hidden wholly from nan app.

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Daily scores are presented successful Circles astatine nan apical of nan main surface and are easy visible. These simple-to-understand scores mean you quickly cognize really you’re group for nan time and tin look astatine nan information much profoundly if you announcement an anomaly. You tin pat each Circle to spot much in-depth data, and nan Vitals page adds discourse by including your baselines and averages.

The app is very bully astatine telling you if things don’t look right, for example, if you’ve slept badly, person a raised temperature, aliases different stats are extracurricular your normal range. Wearing nan Oura Ring semipermanent helps it found a baseline and informs its advice.

I cognize from experience. The Oura Ring’s sensors (the 3rd procreation type successful this case) recognized a caller illness, and nan app showed my assemblage temperature, bosom complaint variability (HRV), and resting bosom complaint variations immediately. Throughout this period, I utilized nan Oura Ring’s fantabulous Rest Mode, which stops it from suggesting activity and ensures its proposal focuses connected remainder and recovery, but it still tracks each cardinal metrics truthful you enactment informed — conscionable without nan added accent of emotion for illustration you should beryllium active.

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I ever consciousness for illustration nan Oura Ring is “on my side.” As personification who isn’t willing successful pushing immoderate limits, I find its friends attack really suits my lifestyle. It doesn’t nonstop move reminders, it doesn’t person notifications, and I’m ne'er greeted by annoying, supposedly motivational messages aliases alerts erstwhile I unfastened nan app. It’s acold much individual than a smartwatch, which is very fitting considering nan hardware is based connected a portion of jewelry and made to beryllium worn 24 hours a day.

I ever consciousness for illustration nan Oura Ring is “on my side.”

There are 2 notable downsides to nan Oura app. The first is nan inability to edit nan layout astatine all, meaning you can’t alteration nan information you want to spot successful nan Circles, nan highlighted spot connected nan main page, aliases nan colors utilized for graphs. The 2nd is that if you don’t salary nan monthly subscription, nan app only shows your 3 main scores — Readiness, Sleep, and Activity — and thing else.

Oura Ring 4: is it accurate?

Oura

If you’re going to deterioration nan Oura Ring 4 each nan clip and salary for nan app, you want nan information it collects to beryllium typical of your sleep, activity, and well-being. It’s not a aesculapian device, truthful nary of its sensors aliases information has been assessed by regulatory bodies, but that shouldn’t mean it’s inaccurate.

Oura made a constituent of stating nan Oura Ring 4’s sensors and associated caller algorithms person improved its accuracy, but successful each honesty, nan information collected truthful acold has not differed from nan information collected by nan third-gen ring, and it each meets what I would admit arsenic “normal” aliases a baseline for me. The caller sensors are expected to debar gaps successful signaling bosom rate, movement, and blood-oxygen levels overnight, but I seldom saw galore gaps before. Checking backmost complete nan information collected by nan Oura Ring 4 truthful acold reveals nary gaps astatine all, though.

In general, nan Oura Ring counts much steps than different wearables. It’s consistently higher than my Apple Watch Series 10. However, erstwhile search a workout, successful this lawsuit walking, nan Oura Ring 4 records a little mean bosom complaint and little calorie burn, often by rather a margin, than nan Apple Watch Series 10. Differences are to beryllium expected arsenic they are worn successful different places connected your body, but nan 2 are further isolated from each different than I’d for illustration to see.

Track an outdoor stepping activity pinch nan RingConn Gen 2 and Oura Ring 4, and things alteration again. This time, nan RingConn Gen 2 records a little mean bosom complaint and past provides a higher calorie burn, though it does lucifer nan Oura Ring 4 for clip spent successful different bosom complaint zones. A nonstop bosom complaint reference connected nan Oura Ring 4, Apple Watch Series 10, and nan RingConn Gen 2 returns nan aforesaid figure, which is reassuring. Daily calorie pain is nan 1 metric I deliberation whitethorn person changed from nan third-gen ring, and nan Oura Ring 4 whitethorn either beryllium counting much accurately aliases undercounting, arsenic I’ve recovered I activity somewhat harder to scope my regular goals.

Comparing sleep, each smart ringing returned broadly akin results. The RingConn and Oura mostly agreed connected nan slumber score, humor oxygen, and assemblage temperature, but they varied somewhat connected resting bosom complaint and HRV. Plus, location were mini differences successful slumber stages. Both springiness a bully overview of your sleep, but nan Oura Ring’s app is acold superior to nan RingConn’s app for creation and information presentation.

Oura

While nary of nan wearables I compared matched precisely for slumber and exercise, nary were vastly different, and I can’t opportunity 1 was intelligibly much meticulous than another. The champion wellness and fittingness wearable is nan 1 you deterioration each nan time, and this is wherever a smart ringing really succeeds, arsenic it’s truthful inconspicuous.

Long-term information provides a adjuvant baseline, and you tin quickly spot alterations that whitethorn require action connected your part, whether those are assemblage somesthesia variations aliases less steps taken each day. It almost doesn’t matter whether it’s completely accurate, provided it’s mostly accurate. All nan devices present look to autumn into this category.

Oura Ring 4: artillery and charging

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Oura says to expect up to 8 days of artillery life connected a azygous charge, which is adjacent to what I person recovered truthful far. I’ve seen a artillery informing look connected nan sixth time of use, recommending I complaint nan smart ringing earlier going to sleep. It’s charged connected a civilization plinth pinch a USB-C connection, and it’s a larger, heavier type of nan aged charging plinth. The metallic utilized successful its building intends it looks and feels much typical and amended suited to life connected a bedside table.

This is wherever I show you artillery life is mostly irrelevant connected nan Oura Ring 4. Provided you’re astatine home, conscionable popular nan ringing connected its charging plinth while you ablution aliases get fresh for nan day, and you’ll ne'er scope nan constituent wherever it requires a afloat recharge. In my experience, it takes astir 20 minutes to adhd astir 50% to nan battery. This maneuver makes nan Oura Ring 4 very easy to unrecorded with.

Oura Ring 4: value and subscription

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The Oura Ring 4 starts astatine $349 for nan silver, gold, and achromatic versions, past rises to $399 for nan brushed metallic and stealth versions, and to $499 for nan roseate golden model. The sizing kit costs $10, which is past credited backmost erstwhile you bid nan smart ring. It’s disposable done Oura’s website, Amazon, Best Buy, and different retailers worldwide.

It comes pinch 1 month’s free entree to nan Oura Ring app and each its data, but aft that, you must salary $6 per period aliases spot only nan astir basal scores. If you don’t want to salary nan subscription, I don’t deliberation nan Oura Ring 4 is worthy buying. You should besides see nan wide costs of ownership earlier jumping into nan Oura Ring 4, arsenic different smart rings will activity retired cheaper.

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When I reviewed nan third-generation Oura Ring, it didn’t person overmuch competition, but that has each changed. The Samsung Galaxy Ring and nan RingConn Gen 2 are some awesome alternatives and do not person subscriptions. If you want much fittingness search options and much smartphone integration, nan Apple Watch Series 10, Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, and Google Pixel Watch 3 are each priced astir nan aforesaid and don’t person subscriptions either.

Is nan Oura Ring 4 still nan smart ringing to buy?

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One twelvemonth ago, nan Oura Ring was nan only smart ringing worthy buying, but now that nan Oura Ring 4 is here, location are besides 2 very beardown alternatives to consider: nan Samsung Galaxy Ring and nan RingConn Gen 2. Oura has done just capable to enactment up of them both, mostly owed to its superb app, clear data, and helpful, personalized insights. The hardware has, successful a way, fallen somewhat behind, and I deliberation some different smart rings look sleeker and little high-tech. It’s still beautifully made, though, and nan decorativeness represents nan value you pay.

However, nan sizing issues, my flimsy concerns complete nan data, nan deficiency of promised further fittingness modes, and really easy it is scratched fto it down. It’s besides not overmuch of an upgrade complete nan third-generation ring, arsenic existing Oura Ring owners still get nan caller app, and I haven’t seen immoderate melodramatic alteration successful information to propose what it was telling maine each those years was inaccurate. When compared to nan advances made by Samsung and RingConn this year, Oura is treading h2o pinch nan Oura Ring 4’s hardware, maintaining its lead but only by a bladed margin.

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But arsenic we each know, winning is winning, and nan Oura Ring 4 is simply a awesome smart ringing pinch a superb companion app. It continues to beryllium a reliable, trustworthy companion that I americium only excessively happy to deterioration each nan time. I surely won’t beryllium permanently swapping to different smart ringing either, which should beryllium considered a further recommendation, and I emotion seeing each nan humanities information successful nan app that only comes pinch semipermanent use. Provided you’re comfortable pinch nan subscription, nan Oura Ring 4 is still nan smart ringing to buy, but it’s a acold person telephone than ever before.