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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Pros: The brand’s slimmest smart ring yet, 40% smaller than the last gen. Extra day of battery life. Useful app add-ons and GLP-1 insights.
- Cons: Besides the slimmer physical form, it’s largely the same as the Oura Ring 4. However, it is around $50 more expensive with the same annual subscription.
After a few weeks of wearing Oura’s skinniest Oura Ring 5 around my finger, I was riding the subway when I spotted a girl’s hand donning the not-so-slim Oura Ring 4. The ring’s chunkiness caught my attention, and I spent several seconds focused on that thick piece of wearable technology. It looked huge on her finger and instantly noticeable — ugly, even.
Also: I dug deeper into my Oura Ring data using this free app – here’s what I found
Maybe I wouldn’t have noticed that prior to the Oura Ring 5, but as soon as Oura’s latest smart ring launched with a substantially slimmer design, every other smart ring in my view became obsolete.
It’s funny how quickly we become accustomed to the newest thing, and how fast technology from a year or two ago becomes outdated in the advent of a worthy upgrade. Nowhere is that more evident than in Oura’s latest (and smallest) smart ring.
As I’ve worn the Oura Ring 5 over the past few weeks, I’ve thought a lot about this idea. Like Apple unveiling the iPhone Air, the biggest upgrade to this smart ring is simply the size and slimness of the device itself; not too much else has changed.
Sure, the Oura Ring 5 arrives with a few software updates that hint at Oura’s greater mission as a health technology company, but you’re really buying it for its discreet build — the software is a lovely add-on.
Also: Oura Ring 5 vs. Oura Ring 4: I compared both smart rings for health tracking – you should buy this one
I’ve worn the Oura Ring 5 everywhere these past few weeks, and the latest generation is a worthy upgrade for a few reasons. Here’s what I found.
Two big upgrades
Oura Ring 4 on left and Oura Ring 5 on right.
Nina Raemont/ZDNET
40% is the big number with the Oura Ring 5. It’s 40% smaller than its predecessor, and, as someone who has worn the Oura Ring 4 since it came out, I can confirm it’s noticeable. It seems like other users notice the difference as well: one Reddit user said they thought they forgot about the ring around their finger, only to notice that it was there — just less bulky than the previous generation.
Also: Google’s Fitbit Air is a $99 screenless wearable that I can actually take seriously
Oura also says it added an additional day of battery life to the new ring, even despite the smaller size. This is thanks to optimized signal pathways, a new battery, and improved AI, the company says. That upgraded battery claim might be true, but it’s heavily dependent on the size of smart ring you’re wearing. I wear a size 6 ring, for example, and I haven’t experienced that much of a change between my first few weeks using the Oura Ring 4 and Oura Ring 5.
I tested the battery life of the Oura Ring 5 by wearing it and recording its percentages each day to see just how quickly the smart ring’s battery depletes. Because battery capacity is dependent on ring size, and I have one of Oura’s smaller rings, I was expecting a shorter battery life already. Here’s how the battery fared over a six-day period.
On June 9, Oura notified me that I had around seven hours of battery left before it would run out. If I had let it fully die, it would have gone to 0% at 1 a.m. on June 10, making the total battery life of this smart ring, on its first-ever battery run, around six days and a few hours.
During my first test run with the Oura Ring 4 around a year ago, I wrote that the Oura Ring 4 gave me about five and a half days of battery life. With the 5, I got around one day more of battery life during my first week. Not too bad.
About that software…
When Oura launched the Oura Ring 5, it announced a few new software add-ons that make the smart ring a little bit more useful and relevant for modern-day health tracking. In the last few software updates, Oura added a live activity tracker widget for your smartphone and a location feature for when you’ve misplaced your ring or its charging case.
There also were some special features for women: Oura members could log their symptoms along their pregnancy or perimenopausal track to contextualize their condition, providing deeper insights into a user’s health during a pivotal moment. Oura continues this ethos with its latest feature, available now on the Oura app.
Also: I tracked 3,000 steps on my Apple Watch, Google Pixel, and Oura Ring – this one was most accurate
Something that will resonate with a new demographic is the GLP-1 insights feature, which aggregates your health data as you begin taking weight loss medication. Dosing, weight, and side effects are connected to biomarkers Oura already measures, such as sleep, stress, key vitals, and readiness. I didn’t test out this feature, since I’m not on a GLP-1, but I can imagine it being useful for someone starting the drug and wondering whether their symptoms are normal or concerning.
Another feature in development is Health Radar, Oura’s extension of Symptom Radar, the near-magical feature that successfully predicted an illness days before I fell ill. Health Radar will track cardiovascular strain and overall blood pressure health, along with nighttime breathing over a 30-day period. This will arrive in the Oura app by July 8, 2026, and it’s opt-in only.
ZDNET’s buying advice
If you’re planning to upgrade from an earlier-gen ring to the Oura Ring 5you’ll do so for the thinner design, first and foremost. That’s the greatest draw of this update, and one that has made wearing the ring more enjoyable, more discreet, and more like actual jewelry.
Also: Why your Oura Ring battery is dying quicker (and what Oura is doing about it)
You’ll probably get another day of battery life with this update as well, though we’ll see just how long that battery decides to last, as the Oura Ring 4 had a few battery issues of its own that caused diminishing returns on battery over a year of use. Oura has replaced that battery with a new one for the fifth generation ring, so I hope the Oura Ring 5 will have a longer-lasting battery than its predecessor.
As far as the usual stuff goes, the Oura Ring still excels at sleep, stress, and symptom tracking. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for the best health or sleep tracker on the market, especially if they want a smart ring over a fitness band or watch.
Why the Oura Ring 5 earns an Editors’ Choice Award
The best health trackers can still be a hassle to wear, and even smart rings still feel like technology disguised as jewelry. The Oura Ring 5 is the first smart ring I’ve tested that feels like jewelry first and technology second.
Its smaller design makes a big difference for everyday wear, and it’s the most comfortable smart ring I’ve tested. Oura matches its improved physical design with its signature, insights-driven software with the Oura Ring 5.