Oura has just introduced the Ring 4, the latest version of its popular health and sleep tracker. The new model has an updated sensor system that allows it to adapt readings to specific fingers, a titanium design and slightly longer battery life, accompanied by a redesigned version of the Oura app.
The Oura Ring 4 starts at $349 and starts shipping on October 15th, with orders opening on October 3rd. That makes it about $50 more expensive than the base Heritage Oura Gen 3 Ring, which has a flatter edge compared to the Ring 4’s fully round design, and the $349 Horizon Ring Gen 3.
Oura made headlines in the early days of the pandemic for its use by the NBA to monitor players’ health, and has also been spotted on the fingers of celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow. But there are a growing number of wearable device makers looking to challenge Oura, the biggest of which is Samsung, which launched the first Galaxy Ring health tracker earlier this year. Smart rings aside, companies like Samsung and Google’s Fitbit are taking a page from Oura with results for metrics like alertness and sleep, adding to Oura’s competitiveness.
With the Ring 4, Oura is betting that improving core functionality like design, battery life, accuracy and comfort can help it stand out from new and existing rivals.
“So we asked ourselves these questions,” said Jason Russell, the company’s vice president of consumer software product, about Ring 4. “How can we give you a more complete picture of your health? How can we make this more comfortable?” How can we make this more accessible to more people?’ ”
The Oura Ring 4 tracks the same health, sleep, and wellness metrics as the Ring Gen 3, with most health-tracking features requiring a $6 monthly subscription. But Russell told CNET that the new, more accurate sensing platform could “unlock future innovation,” hinting that new features could come eventually.
Read more: Why Oura’s CEO isn’t worried about Samsung’s Galaxy Ring
Oura Ring’s new titanium design and size
Oura ring 4
While many of the most important improvements to Oura Ring 4 happen behind the scenes through algorithms and LEDs, the health tracker is also getting an aesthetic makeover. The Oura 4 ring is available in additional sizes, including sizes 4 and 5 on the smaller side and sizes 14 and 15 on the larger end. The Gen 3, by comparison, comes in sizes 6 to 13, while the Galaxy Ring ranges from sizes 5 to 13.
The Oura Ring 4 will come in brushed silver, black, gold, rose gold, silver and stealth, similar to the Horizon version of the Oura Ring Gen 3. But the black edition has a shiny new look, which has a great look that goes well with my jewelry when I wear it.
Oura Ring Gen 4 ends.
While the Gen 3 includes a titanium exterior, Oura is introducing the Ring 4 as the first ring to use titanium on both the exterior and interior. It’s also lighter than the Gen 3 at 3.3 to 5.2 grams compared to the previous generation ring, which ranges from 4 to 6 grams depending on size.
Oura Ring Gen 3 (left) and Oura Ring 4.
Based on my experience wearing the Ring 4, it certainly feels lighter compared to the Gen 3, although the band is slightly wider than the Galaxy Ring. However, the changes on the inner surface of the ring are more noticeable. Oura has eliminated the domes located on the inner lining of the ring, which gives it a much more sleek and smooth shape compared to the Gen 3.
Oura Ring 4 should be more accurate with longer battery life
Oura Ring 4 has the same health and wellness features as Gen 3, but with a new sensor system that should be more accurate.
Oura Ring 4’s title attribute isn’t a new feature so much as it’s a refinement of the ring’s existing health-tracking capabilities. Oura claims its fourth-generation ring comes with major improvements in accuracy thanks to its new “smart sensing” system, which uses an algorithm to adjust readings based on an individual’s finger.
“Not all fingers are the same,” Russell said. “We have different skin tones. Our arteries and veins are in different positions and this can result in differences in signal quality.”
What’s more, the ring has more than twice as many signal paths compared to Gen 3, meaning there’s more data to work with. The smart sensor algorithm chooses the best signal path depending on which one is getting the strongest reading, which can vary depending on ring positioning and other factors.
According to Russell, it’s the combination of this new algorithm, Ring 4’s additional LEDs and photo detectors, and the titanium design that should lead to more accurate results. The Ring 4 has two triple LEDs, each equipped with red, green, and infrared light, for example, while the Gen 3 only has a single red, green, and infrared LED system. The titanium interior is also better at blocking stray light that can interfere with signal quality, Russell says. These changes should also make it so that there are fewer gaps in your data in the Oura app, though it’s impossible to know if Oura lives up to these promises without extensively testing the ring.
Oura ring 4
But Oura conducted an external research study involving participants wearing the Oura Ring Gen 3 and Ring 4 overnight in a sleep clinic and found there was a 120% improvement in signal quality for blood oxygen sensing, 15% more accuracy in determining the user’s breathing. restlessness index, 7% fewer heart rate gaps during the day and 31% fewer heart rate gaps at night.
This respiratory index statistic is particularly interesting given the recent emphasis on sleep apnea detection in wearables. Apple brought the ability to detect potential signs of sleep apnea to the Apple Watch Series 9, Ultra 2 and Series 10 with WatchOS 11, while Samsung introduced similar functionality to the Galaxy Watch 7 earlier this year.
No Oura Ring model, including the Ring 4, can detect potential sleep apnea signals, nor does Oura claim that they can. But Russell said data on breathing problems collected by the Oura Ring could be useful in telling your doctor if you suspect there might be a problem.
“It’s going to help it be an even more robust tool because we’re just able to detect more respiratory disturbances than we would have with Gen 3,” Russell said.
Battery life is getting a boost too, with the Oura claiming up to eight days instead of the Gen 3’s maximum seven-day life. That should make it a little easier to track sleep regularly without having to turn on the ring, and exceeds Samsung’s claims for battery life for the Galaxy Ring with one day for the larger sizes and two days for the smaller sizes.
Read more: The Apple Watch Series 10 proves that the iPhone needs this feature
The new Oura app
The Oura app is getting a redesign.
Oura is reorganizing its app in a way that should make it easier to find individual health metrics. The new version of the app will be divided into three tabs: Today, Vitals and My Health, compared to the existing version which has separate sections for alertness, sleep, activity and stamina in addition to the home screen.
The Today tab, as the name implies, shows important and relevant information in context, such as health metrics you prioritized during the Oura setup process, or time-based ones based on the time of day. Meanwhile, the Vitals app features individual health metrics and results, which you can tap to see more details. And the My Health tab will be for monitoring long-term health trends that can change slowly over time, like cardiovascular age and heart health. The app redesign will extend broadly to all Oura Ring users, not just those who purchase Ring 4.
It’s an important difference, because the way information is presented — especially for a device like the Oura Ring, which doesn’t have a screen — goes a long way in determining how useful health and fitness trackers are. There’s also a delicate balance in improving the app and how data is presented while keeping all the metrics and tools users have come to love, as Google’s Fitbit found out the hard way earlier this year when users criticized the app’s redesign.
I’ll have more to say about the Oura Ring 4 once I get a chance to test it. But if it lives up to Oura’s claims, the more precise sensor system could set the Oura Ring up for a future in which we can learn even more about our health from our fingers.