Oura Ring 4 review: best smart ring gets comfort and battery upgrade
Share:
Sleek, celeb-favoured gadget tracks sleep, activity and heart health without a smartwatch, but comes at high cost. The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. Oura’s stylish smart ring worn by celebrities and athletes alike has slimmed down for its fourth iteration, making it easier to put on, more comfortable to wear and last longer between charges.
![[Samuel Gibbs]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2022/10/03/Samuel_Gibbs.png?width=75&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The Ring 4 swaps the clear plastic insides of its predecessor for shiny titanium to look even less like a cutting-edge piece of tech on your finger. It still weighs practically nothing – 3.3g to 5.2g depending on size – and comes in an expanded choice of 12 sizes and six finishes, including black, silver, gold and rose gold.
![[The inside ring and sensors of the Oura Ring 4.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ce559324fc5b42cf932beb546a554556330b9883/1506_845_2438_1463/master/2438.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
But this level of sophistication doesn’t come cheap, costing from £349 (€399/$349/A$569) and requiring a £5.99 (€5.99/$5.99/A$9.99) a month subscription to access anything but basic daily metrics. Inside of the new ring the three small sensor domes under your finger in the Gen 3 have been removed leaving two imperceptible bumps and array of dark windows flush to the surface. That makes it more comfortable to wear and much easier to get it on and off over knuckles.
![[The metal charging puck of the Oura Ring 4.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/1eef24995c5c17f035aaf92c1419d51894a55f4f/202_443_4998_2999/master/4998.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
At 3mm thick the ring is still about twice the depth of a standard wedding band. But Oura says its improvements mean many of its users can go down a size compared with the Gen 3, which will help reduce its impact on adjacent fingers. Upgraded sensors allow the Oura to better adjust to your finger’s shape, skin tone and orientation as the ring spins around it, increasing tracking accuracy and reducing gaps where it couldn’t correctly detect a pulse or other metric.
![[The new Oura app showing data from the Ring 4.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6a5b193b130ef954f0ec167035e0d4909aba934d/0_0_6030_2622/master/6030.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
