Oura unveils its Ring 5 with a slim, lightweight design starting at $399

Oura on Thursday introduced the fifth generation of its popular smart ring, which starts at $399. The Ring 5, which Oura describes as the world’s smallest smart ring, comes a year and a half after the company launched the Ring 4 and seven months after the Ring 4 Ceramic. The Ring 5 is 40% smaller than its predecessor and comes with more accurate sensing and improved battery life.

The Ring 5 launches in conjunction with new software updates including blood pressure indicators, active activity tracking, on-demand care, and other features that will roll out in Oura Ring Gen3 and beyond.

The new smart ring is available for pre-order starting today and will begin shipping on June 4. It’s available in sizes 6 to 13 and comes in six finishes, including a redesigned solid gold-tone Gold, an updated copper-like Deep Rose, and Silver, Mixed Silver, Black, and Stealth. The Black and Silver retail for $399, while the other costs $499. In comparison, the Ring 4 started at $349.

Maz Brumand, VP of Product at Oura, told TechCrunch that the company reduced the ring’s width by two millimeters and its thickness by about 30%. Brumand noted that members of Oura had been asking the company to make a ring that was smaller and thinner, prompting it to switch to a thinner design. Oura achieved a new dimension by redesigning the mechanical, electrical, optical, battery, and sensor designs, Brumand explained.

The new ring is designed to appeal to a wider audience, especially people who have gotten bigger smart rings in the past. Oura says the latest model is designed to look and feel like any other ring.

While Oura was previously overlooked for great design as a dominant player in the smart ring market, new products from free-standing rivals such as RingConn and Ultrahuman have increased the pressure for innovation. Increased competition may also explain why Oura is launching a new ring just a year and a half after Ring 4, compared to the nearly three-year gap between Ring 3 and Ring 4. It’s also worth noting that the Ring 5 announcement comes a day before RingConn’s Gen 3 starts shipping.

In terms of improved battery life, the Ring 5 can last between six to nine days, compared to five to eight days for the Ring 4.

Oura also claims to have redesigned its sensors for better skin contact and added powerful LEDs in an effort to increase accuracy across a wider range of finger sizes and skin tones.

Software updates

As for software updates, Oura is introducing a “Health Radar,” designed to monitor important biometric signals behind surface patterns that members should pay attention to. Health Radar is launched with two basic capabilities: Blood Pressure Symptoms and Night Breathing.

Oura says it will continue to see shifts and patterns that may indicate cardiovascular stress, alerting members when their biometrics suggest signs of increased blood pressure. With Blood Pressure Indicators, Oura tracks blood pressure patterns during sleep when the body’s cardiovascular patterns are stable, as blood pressure naturally should dip overnight. If it doesn’t, it could indicate a potential cardiovascular risk that may be missed in daytime readings, notes Oura.

Members will also be able to log real blood pressure readings from the cuffs directly into the Oura app.

With Nighttime Breathing, Oura wants to give users a better understanding of how sleep and breathing patterns can affect their health. Members will receive a 30-day moving view of sleep-related breathing patterns and disturbances, adding to the nocturnal breathing data they’ve already received.

Oura also goes beyond the details to provide real care. The company is partnering with Counsel Health, an on-demand platform that combines AI with licensed physicians to deliver care directly to the Oura app. Members will be able to ask health questions, get personalized medical advice, and connect with licensed doctors in the US To access this, members will have to pay an additional fee on top of the monthly subscription of $5.99, although Oura did not say how much the additional service will cost.

US members will also be able to import diagnosed conditions, medications, lab results, and allergies into the app to get a complete picture of their health. While some may be wary of uploading their health data to the app, the company promises it’s taking a record-first privacy approach.

Additionally, Oura is adding a new live activity tracking experience that allows members to start a workout and view key metrics in real time on their phone, such as pace and distance during activities like running and cycling. The company has also updated “Automatic Activity Detection” to be more accurate in slow activities, such as pilates. Members can also connect third-party heart rate monitors to see their heart rate in real time.

Oura is also adding GLP-1 data that will give members an overview of the length of their medication journey and track weight and body changes in one place.

First, Oura is also trying to study the health of the brain. Eligible members will be able to enroll in a Mental Health Study that seeks to match short-term in-program activities with long-term trends in physical activity. Oura believes it will eventually be able to map how daily choices and recovery affect cognitive acuity and long-term brain health.