Smart rings are the latest trend in consumer tech to attract attention in the last few years. Adoption has quickly increased, most manufacturers are on their second or third refresh, and the market has become more competitive. This means that Oura, one of the oldest and most popular smart ring makers, has a lot to do.
It’s been a decade since the first Oura smart ring, and the category has become more competitive. Alternatives like the Samsung Galaxy Ring, Ultrahuman Rin Air, RingConn Gen 2, and others are cheaper or don’t need a subscription. In this time of heightened competition, here’s what we’d like the Oura Ring 5 to offer.
Read our review
The Oura Ring 4 finally addresses my biggest pain point with smart rings
Improved automatic tracking is a game-changer
5
Cheaper subscription tiers
$60 a year is a lot, especially for an expensive ring
The Oura Ring 4 was announced in October 2024. It features a more refined design, longer battery life, and automatic activity detection, among other things. It will cost between $350 and $500 based on the finish, plus an additional $60 annual subscription.
Oura smart rings are expensive, yet they are the only major player that requires a recurring subscription, which is not cheap. Now that there’s more competition, Oura will likely face the heat and need to be more competitive with its next offering.
Still, running a hardware business is hard, and Oura’s premium features are not bad. Perhaps a cheaper subscription tier with fewer features would make it easier to swallow. It could also offer the option to pay a lump sum amount initially or have a lifelong subscription for ownership with no extra cost for the hardware.
4
A portable charging case
The current charging dock needs to be plugged in
While the Oura Ring 4 was great, its charging experience was subpar. It comes with a basic charging dock that needs to be plugged in to recharge the ring. Other smart rings have their own case in which the ring can be dropped for a couple of hours to reach a full charge. Not having to carry a USB cable or a brick is convenient. Per our understanding, it shouldn’t cost Oura much more to make the switch or offer an option.
3
Prettier and petiter
The Oura Ring 5 needs to shed some
Most smart rings, including Oura’s, are nowhere as thin or good-looking as a conventional ring or band. We get it. A lot of tech needs to be fit in a smart ring while maintaining a generally likable design, but that shouldn’t lead to homogeneity.
The Oura Ring 4 was already thicker, wider, and heavier than the competition without offering better battery life. With advancements in battery densities and the state of technology, we hope its successor will be thinner, lighter, and narrower. This would also make the ring more appealing to women.
2
Longer battery life
We can never have too much
The Oura Ring 4 has five to seven days of battery life, depending on the model size and usage. It’s not bad, but it’s not great either. The RingConn Gen 2 lasts 10 to 12 days on a single charge while being more compact. Whatever RingConn did needs to be copied by Oura.
Automatic workout detection and other higher-end features consume more power, so solving this might not be straightforward. A brute-force bigger battery should do the trick, though.
1
Companion devices
A health and fitness ecosystem
Oura likely has the best tech stack of any smart ring, but that might have pigeonholed it to a niche, power-user audience. As it looks to grow and appeal to other customer segments, adding functionality via partner devices could be worth pursuing.
A few months ago, Oura entered a strategic partnership with Dexcom, the maker of popular glucose monitoring devices. The idea was that their products would work together to assimilate the data and provide richer insights. Such an approach can create experiences that are greater than the sum of their parts.
The Oura Ring 5 could also consider having smartphone partnerships, offering a deep integration that gives wellness-related recommendations throughout the day. Something like Samsung’s Now Brief would be perfect.
What will the future hold for the Oura Ring?
The Oura Ring 5 can not be a simple iterative upgrade due to market dynamics. Improvements must be paired with innovation to ensure it gains (and retains) users. CEO Tom Hale recently talked about using AI for new use cases such as personalized suggestions, patient care, and performance coaching, so that’s something to look forward to.
The next Oura smart ring is likely around two years away, considering the company has historically followed a three-year refresh cycle. However, with more people preferring smart rings, increased competition, and the onslaught of AI, an earlier launch to compete with other smart rings wouldn’t be too surprising.
