Oura has broken from its typical three-year product cycle, announcing the Oura Ring 5, a slimmed down smart ring with better sensors than its predecessor and an 'entirely new battery'.
Launching on 4 June, the Oura Ring 5 will retail for £399 in Silver and Black. For an extra £100, you can pick one up in Gold, Stealth, Brushed Silver and a new, coppery Deep Rose. All finishes are said to be more durable and scratch resistant than previous generations.
Features at a Glance
| Dimensions | 6.09 mm wide, 2.28 mm thick |
|---|---|
| Battery Life | 7 days (up to one month with charging case) |
| Water Resistance | IP68 (up to 100 metres) |
| Connectivity | Android and iPhone |
| Built-in GPS | No |
The sensors in the Oura Ring 5 are now said to be better at continuously capturing data, with 'refined sensor domes, stronger LEDs, optimised positioning and twelve signal pathways to improve data consistency and accuracy'. Oura estimates that this enables it to track over 50 metrics for an average of 23.5 hours a day.
Despite the slimmer profile, the battery life remains at seven days. There’s also a new portable charging pack available for £99, which extends the battery life up to one full month.
As for software, the updates are extensive. There’s new activity tracking functionality, including heart rate broadcasting and connectivity via third-party devices like chest straps and heart-rate-enabled headphones.
Women’s health tracking now includes menopause-related insights, including a personalised dashboard that translates symptoms into an overall impact level. Oura's existing Cycle Insights feature will now also factor in hormonal contraception methods.
With the launch of the Oura Ring 5, all users will benefit from device location services, as well as greater data privacy autonomy, including the freedom to delete historic data by date.
If you’re thinking about picking up the new Oura Ring 5, here are seven new features that you should know about in more detail.
1/ Slimmer Profile
Oura says its customer base has been asking for a slimmer ring and in that respect it has clearly delivered. The Oura Ring 5 is 40% smaller than the Ring 4, measuring just 6.90mm wide and 2.28mm thick. When I got a first look at the new ring at a press briefing a week ago, I was genuinely surprised just how much thinner and less bulky it is in person.
2/ New Battery
According to Oura, the Ring 5 gets 'an entirely new battery'. This is presumably because of its new size and form factor, but also possibly to extend its lifespan, after some Oura Ring 4 users reported issues. Though the battery is listed as seven days, Oura says one weekly charge can provide up to nine days of power.
3/ Charging
With the new Oura Ring comes the option to buy a portable charging case for £99. This effectively extends the battery from seven days up to five full charges, or roughly one full month of use.
Made from recycled aluminium, the new Oura Charging Case is compatible with wireless charging and it's also covered by the new device location features when paired with the Oura App. It's not backwards compatible, however, so it will only work with the Oura Ring 5.
4/ Live Activity Tracking
The Oura Ring 5 now supports live activity tracking, enabling users to view their workout metrics without having to open up the Oura app, making it easier to keep tabs on stats like your pace, distance and time during efforts.
Oura has also said that automatic activity detection has been improved, particularly for 'low-motion' activities. This presumably comes via upgrades to the built-in accelerometer.
5/ Heart Rate Broadcasting
With the Ring 5, Oura will enable heart rate broadcasting via third-party devices, meaning you can connect your ring to a chest strap or hear-rate enabled headphones to collect real-time workout data.
6/ Device Location
This is something I've seen a lot of users asking for on Reddit. If, like them, you have a habit of misplacing your wearables, then Oura's new device location functionality will be a welcome addition. If you're an existing user, it will also work for the Oura Ring 2 and later generations.
7/ Data Privacy
Data deletion also arrives with the Oura Ring 5, allowing users with any generation device to erase their data. Oura members will have the option to delete data from specific timeframes, while preserving the rest of the data they want to keep, which will continue to feed into long-term metrics.
First Impressions
The Oura Ring 5 is launching more than a year earlier than we all expected. But the good news is the majority of new software features – including device location – will trickle down to the previous generations.
There’s no major battery-life increase with the Oura Ring 5. However, the fact that Oura has kept it at a full week, while massively slimming down the device, is impressive. It really is much smaller and less bulky than before, which is a great thing.
Some users have reported their Oura Ring 4 battery showing signs of degradation, so it’ll be interesting to see how this smaller device with 'an entirely new battery' fares over time. Though expensive, at £99, the portable charging case would be a practical accessory to own.
With the Oura Ring 4, there was plenty of room for improvements around activity tracking. Live heart-rate broadcasting via third-party devices sounds like a great addition. Smart rings tend to lack the accuracy of chest monitors when it comes to real-time heart rate data, particularly during more rigorous workout types, like running and high-intensity strength training, so this is something I'm keen to try out.
In my eyes, lifting weights and wearing rings generally shouldn’t mix. This thinner smart ring may prove to be more suitable for strength training, but with the risk of injury to both the wearer and the ring itself, it’s something I'll approach with caution. If the new heart-rate connectivity allows users to take the ring off during weight training and still log workouts, this may be a solution.
I'm also interested to see how straightforward it is to sync workout data to the Oura app from other devices, like Garmin and Apple Watches, and how that data feeds into Oura’s Readiness and Activity metrics in practice.
Overall, the advancements here, both in terms of hardware and software, make the Oura Ring 5 an altogether more appealing proposition. Stay tuned for my full review.
Availability
The Oura Ring 5 is available for pre-order in the UK from 28 May and will begin shipping from 4 June. Prices start at £399 and rise to £499 in certain colourways. The Oura Ring 5 Charging Case will be available for pre-order in the UK starting 28 May. Oura Membership is £5.99 per month, or £69.99 per year.
Luke Chamberlain is the ecommerce editor for Men’s Health UK where he compiles expert-led buying guides and in-depth product reviews across gym wear, fitness tech, supplements, and grooming. Responsible for testing everything from the latest gym headphones to the best beard trimmers, Luke also enlists the help of leading health and wellness experts to help readers make informed choices when shopping online. He also covers major sales events for Men’s Health, including Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day, scouting and verifying hundreds of discounts in order to recommend only the most genuine deals on offer. A magazine journalism graduate from the University of Sheffield in 2018, Luke has also worked as assistant editor for Outdoor Swimmer magazine and as an ecommerce writer for The Recommended. When he’s not testing the latest health and fitness products, he’s busy plotting routes for his next trail run or gravel ride out of London. Follow Luke on Instagram at @lukeochamb
