48 hours with Oura 5 ring: the new gold standard

I’ve only had the Oura Ring 5 on my finger for about 48 hours, but I can already tell that this ring is going to be a trendsetter.

I posted a short video on my social media of me unboxing and showing it next to my stream Oura ring 4 It was filled with questions about referral links, size combinations, and color options.

As a wearables reviewer, my feed is full of gadgets, and I’m used to the occasional “I want one” comment. But I’ve rarely seen the kind of immediate purchasing interest that the Oura Ring 5 generated, mostly from women asking for referral links, sizing advice and color recommendations.

The moment I took it out of the box and placed it on my ring finger next to my Oura Ring 4, I was sold too. There’s still a lot to be tested beyond aesthetics, but this ring proves that we’re all craving wearable technology that doesn’t look like technology at all.

When the original Oura ring Debuting in 2015, it was a chunky band with a large number of rings awarded to World Series winners that pretty much swallowed the entire base of your finger. It has been greatly reduced in size since then, to the point where most men can consider it a wedding band. For women, on the other hand, this is still a very obvious conversation starter.

With the $400 Oura Ring 5, the company is practically realizing the fantasy of invisible technology hidden inside jewelry. That alone could be worth an extra $50 over the price of the Oura Ring 4.

Easy on eyes and fingers

At 6mm wide and 2mm thick, the Oura Ring 5 is still larger than my actual wedding band, but it feels significantly smaller on the finger. Oura says it’s 40% smaller than its predecessor, and next to the Ring 4 and the Ultrahuman Ring Pro I’m currently testing, the difference is starkly obvious.

It’s also a more subtle and more realistic shade of gold now: less jewellery, a more dazzling night in symphony gold. Oura has also added Deep Rose to its collection, a rich copper finish that joins the existing silver, black, brushed and hidden silver options in sizes 6 to 13.

Since I already owned an Oura ring, I took a gamble and ordered a size smaller than my previous model (size 8). My ring 4 was a size 9 and I mostly wore it on my middle finger. This time, I wanted something that would fit comfortably on my ring finger for side-by-side testing.

The size was just right for me, but I still recommend using the measuring kit, as Oura suggests, just to be sure.

In terms of comfort, the improvement I noticed came first while washing my face. The slimmer profile of the Ring 5 lays naturally under the creases of my fingers and doesn’t drag on my cheeks and forehead during washing. I haven’t taken it to the gym yet, but I suspect the same improvement will carry over to weightlifting, where previous smart rings often had to be squeezed by my finger.

Weight-based training is also the main reason my 4th generation looks like it’s lost the battle. Scratch resistance is one of the Ring 5’s main promises, although it’s too early to talk about it. What I can say is that after 48 hours – including the Pilates reformer experience – the body is still clean. And I’ve definitely scratched technology on day one before, so that’s a good sign.

Nighttime dressing was also easy, and I didn’t notice it throughout the night, although that was actually one of the Oura’s strengths. I’ll put a smart ring over a smartwatch or fitness band to track sleep any day of the week.

Sensors and accuracy up to date

Since I was already in the Oura ecosystem and paying for the $6 monthly membership, it was a smooth start, and I picked up where I left off.

Pairing took minutes, and Oura even gave me the option to keep my old ring connected. I chose not to do this so that I could isolate the Ring 5 sensors during testing.

Oura says it has reduced the number of sensor paths in the new ring from 18 to 12 (likely due to size limitations), but says the LEDs are more powerful, which in theory results in a stronger signal and more accurate readings. The company also claims that performance is better while in motion and across different skin tones, both known weaknesses of previous generations.

Automatic exercise detection is also getting an upgrade over older models as well, which is especially interesting since it was one of my biggest frustrations with previous Oura rings. Low-impact exercises like Pilates are often completely missed. So far, my tests have yielded mixed results.

The Oura Ring 5 still completely shrugged off a 30-minute late-night Pilates session, though my heart rate rose well above resting levels, peaking at 138 beats per minute according to my Apple Watch. Considering that I already took credit for two separate “chores” sessions that were nowhere near challenging, I was frustrated to say the least. However, I’m willing to give it a few more shots. Oura says detection improves the more you tag consistently, so this will be something to revisit in the full review.

For a test run, I left my phone behind and headed out on a 4-mile loop around my usual route. Ring 5 detects your workout and records up to the minute start and end times. The lack of onboard GPS meant it couldn’t track distance, but the heart rate data was impressive. Compared to my Apple Watch, which tracked almost identically with the chest strap during testing, the Ring 5’s maximum heart rate was only two beats lower (171 bpm versus 173 bpm) with an identical average heart rate. This is no mean feat for a device of this size.

Sleep tracking was spot on too. Both nights matched my actual bedtime window almost perfectly, recording nearly 6 1/2 hours of sleep and accurately recording interruptions during the night. However, my degree of preparedness seems a bit optimistic. Oura gave me an “A-” this morning, despite my fuzzy brain insisting otherwise.

Temperature changes are also tracked as expected and remain one of the most useful features of the Oura app. Seeing how these fluctuations can be linked to menstrual cycle data to pinpoint the exact moment of ovulation and thus accurately track hormonal changes is, for me, one of the strongest selling points.

The Ring also monitors changes in breathing, blood oxygen, heart rate, and heart rate, and now includes alerts for possible atrial fibrillation and sleep disturbances that indicate sleep apnea, though I need at least a week of data before unlocking these new features.

Battery improvements are still TBD

After 48 hours of wearing the ring, I’m surviving with about 80% battery with outdoor runs and two nights of sleep tracking. This lines up well with Oura’s promise of six to nine days, depending on the size of the ring. The extra day compared to 4G is a welcome improvement (especially given the slimmer range), even if competitors like Ultrahuman and Whoop now stretch around two weeks of battery life between charges.

So far, so good

I was already a fan of the Oura app and the way it interprets health data, and the Oura Ring 5 builds on that foundation with a design that’s even more comfortable and stylish to wear.

The fact that my strongest reaction after 48 hours had nothing to do with sensors or health metrics probably says it all. Oura has finally created a smart ring that feels like jewelry first and technology second.

A full review will determine if the performance lives up to the promise, but so far, the Ring 5 makes a very strong first impression.