Following the release of various other new smart rings this year, Oura has announced the Oura Ring 4, the latest generation of probably the best-known smart ring. It comes with a wide range of changes and new features, plus a brand new design.
Prior to the launch, Jason Russell, vice president of consumer software product at Oura, talked to Digital Trends about the ring, giving us some interesting insights into what makes it special.
The Oura Ring 4’s new design
“We have improved the comfort for 24/7 wear, we’ve expanded the size range, improved battery life, and we have this incredible new sensing platform,” Russell told Digital Trends, setting the scene for the critical updates.
The Oura Ring 4 is made of titanium, and this time, the metal extends to the underside of the ring, replacing the epoxy resin used for the previous-0generation models. The dome-like 1.3mm-high nubbins have been removed, and the sensors are practically flat at 0.3mm high, increasing overall comfort. The Oura Ring 4 weighs between 3.3 and 5.2 grams, is 7.9mm wide, and is 2.88mm thick. It’s now available in more sizes, ranging between size 4 and size 15.
It’s available in six different finishes: silver, black, Stealth, gold, rose gold, and brushed silver. The Stealth version has a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating, while all the others have a physical vapor disposition (PVD) coating for toughness and scratch resistance. However, the underside of the ring isn’t coated, and titanium is hypoallergenic and skin-friendly. The ring has 100 meters of water resistance and is suitable for swimming. Oura claims the battery will last for eight days, up from seven days for the third-generation Oura Ring, and it comes with its own charging plinth, which should recharge a flat battery fully in 80 minutes.
Upgraded sensors with better accuracy
You may be wondering how the recessed sensors have affected accuracy. Russell explained how accuracy has actually been increased with the new design.
“We designed [the dome sensors] five years ago because of their usefulness for accuracy, and we’ve seen many smart ring makers leverage that same design. You also see some that don’t utilize those domes, which really comes at the expense of accuracy. We’re not willing to sacrifice accuracy, and that’s what’s really remarkable about [the Oura Ring 4] as we’ve lowered the domes, not just while maintaining accuracy, but actually making a huge leap forward using a revolutionary new sensing platform called Smart Sensing.”
The Smart Sensing algorithm works with the sensors to gather information across 18 different pathways, up from the eight pathways on the Oura Ring Gen 3. The algorithm dynamically adjusts to find the optimal path for increased accuracy. Oura’s own studies indicate the Smart Sensing platform will return a 120% improvement in blood oxygen sensing, a 15% improvement in breathing disturbance accuracy, and fewer gaps in heart rate recording during the day and night. Russell told Digital Trends that the Oura Ring 4 has new LEDs to go with the new algorithm.
“We really want [the Oura Ring 4] to adapt to you,” Russell continued. “The ring can rotate 30 degrees in either direction, and we can still get a good signal. We address all varieties of finger shape and size and get a good signal on them. The titanium interior is helpful for comfort, but it’s also helping for accuracy as it channels light in a more precise way, as it doesn’t create light diffusion or absorb reflected stray light that could happen with the epoxy material and dome configuration.”
A redesigned Oura app
To go with the new ring design, Oura has also redesigned its companion app.
“We have introduced 24 new features over the last 18 months,” Russell reminded us. “We’re packing a lot in, and it can be overwhelming. We have reorganized the app with that in mind, putting the focus on holistic health and connecting it with short-term metrics used for Readiness and sleep activity and longer-term metrics like cardiovascular age.”
There are three tabs along the bottom of the app: Today, Vitals, and My Health. Notably, shortcut tabs along the top of the Today screen show familiar Readiness, Sleep, Activity, Heart Rate, Stress, and Menstrual Cycle scores, while the main section below shows current biometrics and progress toward your goals. The Vitals screen provides more in-depth data, while the My Health screen has long-term health metrics such as Stress Resilience, Cardio Age, and ongoing trends.
All features will be available for all Oura Ring members
There are some changes to existing features, too. The Activity feature has gained automatic heart rate monitoring for 40 activities, up from just five before, complete with heart rate zone tracking and V02 Max monitoring. The stress monitoring feature now includes daily movement and activities, plus manually added tags, for a more informative overview of your daily condition. Tags can be added to a timeline, along with photos of meals, which the app will categorize automatically for meal tracking.
Russell also mentioned that a fertility window feature will launch soon, and that all features will be available for all Oura Ring members. The new app will be made available to current Oura Ring owners over the coming weeks, and the previously iOS-only Oura Labs feature is now available for Android owners too. Digital Trends also confirmed there is no change to the subscription cost, which remains at $6 per month or $70 per year. The Oura Ring 4 comes with one month’s free access to the app.
Oura Ring 4 price and availability
The Oura Ring 4 starts at $349 and is available for preorder through Oura’s online store today abd will be ready for release on October 15. It’ll also be available through Amazon and in stores including Best Buy, Target, and John Lewis in the U.K. Oura notes that the Oura Ring 3 will continue to be available to purchase until stock runs out, but we’d recommend buying the latest version unless you find it for a considerably lower price. Oura also has a new sizing kit and recommends you use it even if you already own an Oura Ring, as it says Oura Ring 4 sizes may be slightly different.
Its arrival comes after Samsung released the Galaxy Ring, RingConn launched its updated RingConn Gen 2, and Circular made some changes to its Circular Ring Slim. Oura has long been the benchmark for smart rings, and from what we can see at this stage, it has made significant advancements in all areas, from design to accuracy, to help maintain its position with the Oura Ring 4.
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