Oura Ring 5 gets slimmer, but the upgrade case is not so simple
NBC Selected’s monthlong test found a smaller, comfier smart ring with strong sleep tracking, though athletes and current Oura Ring 4 owners may pause.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
3 min read
The Oura Ring 5 is dramatically smaller than its predecessor, and that size cut is the headline feature for anyone who has found smart rings bulky.
In a review for NBC Selected, tech reporter Harry Rabinowitz said the new ring is 40% smaller than the Oura Ring 4, a difference he found easy to notice after years of testing Oura devices. He and NBC Selected associate social media editor Caitlin Cusack wore early samples supplied by Oura for more than a month.
Rabinowitz called the Oura Ring 5 the strongest smart ring the company has made, citing its design, app experience and health data. He also cautioned that it is not automatically the best fitness tracker for every buyer, especially with rival smart rings and screen-free trackers on the market.
What the new ring does
The Oura Ring 5 tracks health signals including heart rate, body temperature, respiratory rate and blood oxygen, according to NBC Selected. It can automatically log some workouts, especially walks and runs, and users can start and stop exercise sessions in the Oura app.
The device has no display, weighs between 2 grams and 2.69 grams, and is listed with up to nine days of battery life. NBC Selected reported that the prior Oura Ring 4 offered five to eight days, while the new model is rated for six to nine days.
The ring is compatible with iPhone and Android, has water resistance up to 100 meters and does not include built-in GPS or ECG. It comes in six finishes and sizes six through 13, compared with sizes four through 15 for the Oura Ring 4.
The price listed by NBC Selected was $399 at Amazon, Oura and Best Buy. The review also noted that the device effectively needs an Oura membership, priced at $5.99 a month or $69.99 a year, because non-subscribers are limited to current-day tracking.
Where it shines
Comfort was the big win. Rabinowitz wrote that the slimmer build made the Ring 5 easier to wear day to day, with less rubbing against nearby fingers and less interference during hand washing or strength training.
Sleep tracking was another bright spot in NBC Selected’s test. Rabinowitz said the Ring 5 logged his sleep more accurately than other wearables he compared it with, including an Apple Watch Series 11 and Google Fitbit Air. During nights when he woke to care for his toddler, he said the ring usually recorded those interruptions.
The ring’s Symptom Radar feature also flagged illness for both Rabinowitz and Cusack during the test period, according to the review. Their rings showed “Major signs of strain” alongside elevated resting heart rate, body temperature and respiratory rates. Cusack found the warning useful but somewhat stressful, particularly with the red visual cue.
Where it falls short
NBC Selected’s review said the Oura Ring 5 still is not the top pick for athletes or people who regularly train outdoors. Rabinowitz found automatic workout tracking weaker than manual tracking, especially for outdoor cycling, where automatic tracking mishandled GPS-related data such as distance, speed and mapping.
Rabinowitz also said the Oura app now contains a growing pile of features, including sleep debt, heart health, metabolic health, glucose tracking and GLP-1 insights. He said Oura organizes the information better than many competitors, but the amount of data can start to feel crowded.
His buying advice was split: new Oura shoppers should choose the Ring 5 over the Ring 4 because of the slimmer design, while current Oura Ring 4 owners do not need to rush. NBC Selected’s verdict was that the experience and data are largely similar, making the new model easier to justify if an older ring is failing, lost or discounted during a major sale.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.