Oura Upgrades its Health Tracker To Become Lord of the Ring

Once you try an Oura Ring, it’s hard to go back to another wearable.The Apple Watch is better than it’s ever been, and some features — like having map directions on your wrist and exercise apps like Gentler Streak — are really pleasant and unbeatable for some situations. But it puts another screen in your life, with all the distractions that come with it; its battery life isn’t that long, requiring near-daily charging; its health-tracking data aren’t as strong as they could be, in either accuracy or presentation; and if you’re wearing an Apple Watch, you can’t have a proper watch on your wrist. Unless you wear one watch per wrist, which looks daft.An Oura Ring, by contrast, has most of the same benefits and none of those flaws. The battery lasts for days, it’s extremely unobtrusive and nondistracting to wear, and once you open the app, you find that the health information is not only more accurately tracked but also better displayed. And with the fifth-generation ring, released ahead of the company’s impending IPO, it’s better than ever.Oura Ring 5. Courtesy of OuraAs I noted in our piece on the announcement, Oura really didn’t need to upgrade the Oura Ring 4, which was already the best ring on the market and relatively new. But with the fifth generation, they’ve made three notable upgrades: to its size, its battery life, and its software.The size and battery live up to the advertised improvements. The 40 percent size reduction is all the more impressive in person — not much larger on the finger than a classic wedding band — and though previous generations were never chunky or intrusive, the lighter, slimmer profile makes it more comfortable. You can easily forget it’s on your hand. With the thinner size, the inside of the ring has sensor indentations, which were removed in the Oura Ring 4, which has a completely smooth inside. But these bumps are lower and flatter than those on the Oura Ring 3, so — unlike the 3 — won’t dig into your fingers while strength training.Ultrahuman Air Smart Ring (Left) compared with Oura Ring 5 (Right). Courtesy of Ross AndersonThe battery life may be the most shocking improvement. Oura Ring 4 life was always impressive, but with the 5, I have been able to use it for a week on a charge. On more active weeks, I have put it on the puck on the sixth day, but it wasn’t out of charge — and if you’re less active and don’t use the live heart-rate tracking function for exercise, it could hit the advertised nine-day maximum battery life. It’s extremely impressive, and not having to think about charging your wearable is a pleasure.The software improvements have been the one slight letdown. Namely, the upgraded exercise-tracking mode — which shows activity progress, heart rate, and so on in a Live Activity pop-up — is too simple, ugly, and space-inefficient, particularly compared to those of other comparable apps like Gentler Streak. It’s OK for walks or runs, but it could still use more information density; for other activities — such as strength training — it’s just a timer, label, and logo.Screenshot by Ross AndersonThis is particularly daft, as when starting an exercise mode, you activate live heart-rate tracking, and a chart of the changes appears once you finish. So why not show the current and average heart rates in the Live Activity, and a chart of the ongoing exercise in the app? It’s competitor, Ultrahuman, and there’s no hardware limitation preventing Oura from having a more comprehensive, performance-focused mode for users who want it.Not all Oura owners want the athletic detail offered by competing products like Fort, but Oura should do more to cater to that crowd. And if live charts and more data are too dense for the average lifestyle user, then why not offer it as a toggleable “Advanced” or “Detailed” mode?I should also note that other software features are rolling out gradually, so I’ve been unable to test the new “Health Radar” feature.Other new software changes. Courtesy of OuraBut even setting those gripes aside, and the steep $399 price — plus the necessary $5.99 per month, or $70 a year, subscription — the Oura Ring 5 is still unquestionably the best wearable on the market. It’s extremely accurate, long-lasting on a charge, and comfortable on the finger. If you want to track your sleep, steps, exercise, and overall health without having to think about it, there’s nothing better.

Oura Upgrades its Health Tracker To Become Lord of the Ring

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