Less is more with Oura Ring 5

If you are reading our Oura Ring 5 review on Edgeyou’ll likely fall into one of two camps: newcomers looking for a smartwatch alternative, or Oura users thinking about upgrading. In the former case, this is a great health tracker and the best smart ring on the market – but it’s not your best choice if you’re really interested in the details of fitness. If you fall into the latter option, you won’t need to upgrade.

I say this because Oura ring 4 He came out less than two years ago. the Ceramic versionI’m a huge fan of it, and it was released less than a year ago. These were major updates to the Oura Ring Gen 3, both in terms of software and in terms of sensors. Meanwhile, the Ring 5 is mostly an aesthetic update. You can think of this as a smaller and lighter Oura Ring 4. The sensors are the same, the battery life is about the same, and none of the software features are retained on the Ring 5. The smaller design He is An engineering feat, but from a consumer perspective? It’s not such a marked improvement that I’m in favor of shelling out the extra $399 minimum If your current Oura ring is working fine. (This is in addition to the $6 monthly subscription you already pay.)

Still not convinced? Here are more reasons why you don’t need to upgrade. Unless the larger ring is uncomfortable to wear because your fingers are too small, the difference is not Which Note. If the finish on your ring is particularly poor, I actually recommend the Oura 4 Ceramic Ring. While my Oura 5 ring is more durable than the non-ceramic Ring 4, it still has some scratches in about a month and a half of wear. (Note: I rough On rings, so if you’re paying more attention, this may not apply to you.) However, if you have the money in your FSA/HSA, or are lucky enough to not afford the price, do what makes you happy. Now that the Oura app supports multiple ring pairing, I can confirm that you can easily switch between multiple rings, so the older Oura doesn’t do that He owns To become electronic waste.

My main issue with the Oura Ring 5 is the size. In my country Initial practical trainingOura told me that the Ring 5 will have a narrower size range than its predecessor. Sizes 4, 5, 14 and 15 are not available. I’m told this is because Oura is still evaluating demand, since the extended range of the Oura Ring 4 is still relatively new. This is disappointing for accessibility reasons. However, in my opinion, this is also further evidence that functionally, there is not much difference between No. 4 and No. 5 for consumers. (Either that, or Oura found the smaller sizes particularly difficult to fit all the components.) Likewise, I’m disappointed to see that there’s no ceramic option for the No. 5.

I’ll admit, sizing is difficult with smart rings. The fingers swell, and if you lose or gain weight, this may affect the size as well. For this reason, you should still try on the latest size range. For example, I’ve lost a significant amount of weight, and while a size 9 fits me perfectly in ring 5, my size 9 ring 4 fits me loosely.

My other issue is Oura’s decision to make the charging case a $99 accessory instead of the default charger. Crates are better than docks, especially if you have a naughty cat that likes to move the base off your counter. Also, it stinks if you actually If you bought a charging case for the Ring 4, you’ll have to buy another one for the Ring 5 because it’s not front or back compatible due to size differences between generations.

But enough about the hardware. Oura tends to combine new episodes with a host of new software updates, and there’s no exception here. This time, Oura launched:

This is not a portal to Episode 5, most of which are optional. And while I don’t mind the individual features, they have the overall effect of making the Oura app feel more cluttered.

I first started testing the Oura Ring long-term in 2019. It was a relatively simple app experience where I could log in and check three main results: Activity, Readiness, and Sleep. Several apps have been redesigned and features released later, and Oura is about to go live also Lots of data. For example, one new measure is nighttime breathing. Although Oura has long measured nighttime breathing disturbances, it now offers insight into your 30-day “dominant pattern” and associated factors such as demographics, weight, activity levels, sleep regularity, and average sleep duration. It will tell you which of these factors have room for improvement, and which ones are working well. This sounds good in a vacuum, but finding this metric is confusing and buried in several other screens.

Health Radar runs mostly in the background and only shows insights for your Today tab — which I appreciate. However, I haven’t had any major changes in my health in the past six weeks, so I can’t really say if I’ve discovered anything accurately yet.

The most useful update for me personally is GLP-1 Insights, although it will be more useful if you’re new to the drug. I get a dose reminder every week, and can mark where I decide to inject (for example, which arm, which leg, which part of the abdomen). I can also tag symptoms and the AI ​​summary will provide context on whether what I’m experiencing is normal. My main issue is that to get the best experience, you should track and label your symptoms daily. This is not helpful seven months into my trip. It is also less useful if you have some unusual side effects from the medication. (For example, Oura’s AI insights had no advice about my ear popping, which is not a direct side effect of GLP-1 but Which many users face.)

I’ve spilled a lot of ink on my feelings about AI-powered chatbots in fitness tracking apps. My doubts and less than admirable feelings haven’t changed. However, I appreciate that connecting to an actual doctor is a little easier on the Oura app. (Note: The AI-powered medical chatbot is included in your subscription, but any resulting consultations or prescriptions will cost you more.) However, I’ve found that this is mostly suitable for quick questions that don’t warrant a visit to the doctor but need better reliability than Dr. Google. For more serious care, I still recommend finding a primary care doctor you really like.

In the end, I still think “less is more” with the Oura. This was truly the best smart ring, and it still is. Especially regarding hardware. But the main reason people are turning to smart rings instead of smart watches is that they offer a simpler experience. Lack of notifications, basic metrics, and a simpler approach to tracking health. Many of the new features are optional, but clutter is not. I can appreciate that Oura is probably trying to offer more value to its subscribers by loading the ring with health tracking features. I’m simply wondering if that’s necessary. People flocked to Aura because of it It wasn’t device max. But as it is now? I’m starting to feel the wearable data fatigue I used to feel less laden.