Oura Ring 5 Is Mostly an Aesthetic Update
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- Oura Ring 5 is mostly an aesthetic upgrade — it uses the same sensors and roughly the same battery life as the Ring 4, and no new software features are gated to the new hardware, making the Ring 4 a less-than-two-year-old device functionally comparable.
- The Ring 5 starts at $399 on top of the existing $6/month subscription, and the reviewer's metal-finish unit picked up nicks after about six weeks of wear; the ceramic finish the reviewer praised on the Ring 4 is not offered on the Ring 5.
- Oura narrowed the Ring 5's size range, omitting sizes 4, 5, 14, and 15 that exist for the Ring 4; the company told The Verge it is still assessing demand for the expanded range.
- The Ring 5's $99 charging case is sold separately rather than as the default charger, and cases are neither forward- nor backward-compatible with the Ring 4 due to sizing differences between generations.
- Oura launched several new software features alongside the Ring 5 — GLP-1 Insights, Health Radar, medical lab imports, the ability to delete health data from a specific time period, improved live activity tracking, and a medical AI chatbot that connects to Counsel Health for actual doctor consultations.
- The Verge found that while most new features are optional, collectively they have made the Oura app feel cluttered, producing "data fatigue" in a reviewer who originally turned to the ring for a simpler, less overwhelming experience.
- Oura's app now supports pairing multiple rings at once, meaning existing users can swap between their old and new rings without rendering older hardware e-waste.
Why it matters: For current Oura Ring 4 owners, a $399+ outlay buys a thinner ring with identical sensors and battery, while new buyers still get the best smart ring on the market — but Oura's rush to bundle features like GLP-1 tracking and AI health chats risks undermining the minimalist, "fewer notifications" appeal that originally drew consumers away from smartwatches.
