I’ve been wearing the Oura Ring 5 for six weeks, and it is, by far, the most comfortable smart ring I’ve ever worn. Yet is it worth the upgrade if you’ve recently purchased the Oura Ring 4? Hopefully, my six-week update will help you decide.
Below, I’ve rounded up three things I love and two things I wish I could change. I’m a fitness editor who reviews tech for a living; I’ve been wearing the Oura Ring 5 solidly since it launched six weeks ago, but have had an Oura Ring on my finger since the Oura Ring Generation 3 launched in November 2021.
Oura Ring 5: 3 things I love
It really is comfortable
The Oura Ring 5 is 40% smaller than the Oura Ring 4, and you can feel this difference immediately. Not only is it more comfortable to wear, but it also disappears on your finger in a way the Oura Ring 4 didn’t. If you’re looking for a fitness tracker that nobody will notice, this is worth investing in.
That said, I’ve learnt from experience that you really need to get the size right. Wear the sizing kit for 24 hours, as your fingers naturally swell at night and shrink when they are cold.
The ring needs to be snug enough that you can’t spin it round your finger, but not so tight that it restricts circulation. When I asked Oura about sizing, they told me that, as a general rule, if you need to run your finger under water to remove the ring, it probably fits right.
The battery life is great
I’m someone who lives life in low power mode. As a fitness editor who writes about tech, keeping all my devices charged is a full-time job in itself. I appreciate the improved battery life on the Oura Ring 5, which easily lasts around a week between charges. The Oura Ring 5 also charges faster than the older iteration, meaning I can give it a quick charge before bed if I need to, rather than lose a night’s worth of data.
The ring seems more scratch-resistant
Cat Stevens was right: the first cut is the deepest, but so far, so good with the Oura Ring 5, which is yet to get a scratch. Oura says the Oura Ring 5 is more scratch-resistant than previous iterations due to its coating, aiming to minimize damage from daily wear and holding weights in the gym.
So far, so good.
2 things I don’t love
Software-wise, there’s no reason to upgrade
Ok, this isn’t actually a negative. If you’ve just bought an Oura Ring 4, you’re still getting all of the same benefits as the newer ring, as Oura has done a great job of rolling out the software upgrades to its older products. The Oura Ring 4 and Oura Ring Generation 3 will still get the new Live Activity Tracking and new women’s health features.
Oura needs a trade-in scheme
The only real reason to upgrade to an Oura Ring 5 from an Oura Ring 4 is that you want a smaller ring, but as yet, Oura doesn’t have a trade-in scheme. You can send your older ring back to Oura for recycling, but you won’t get anything for it, and I really think this needs to change, especially for dedicated users who have diligently paid a monthly subscription for years.
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