Oura Ring 4 First Take: More titanium, better accuracy and longer battery life

Oura just announced its Ring 4, the latest version of its popular health and sleep tracker. The new model features an updated sensor system that allows measurements to be tailored to specific fingers, a titanium design and slightly longer battery life, as well as a redesigned version of the Oura app.

The Oura Ring 4 starts at $349 and ships starting October 15th. Orders begin October 3rd. That makes it about $50 more expensive than the base Heritage Oura Ring Gen 3, which has a flatter edge compared to the completely round design of the Ring 4 and $349 Horizon Ring Gen 3.

Oura made headlines in the early days of the pandemic for being used by the NBA to monitor players' health, and it has also been spotted on the fingers of celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow. But there are a growing number of wearables makers looking to challenge Oura. The biggest of them is Samsung, which launched its first Galaxy Ring with health monitoring earlier this year. Aside from the smart rings, companies like Samsung and Google's Fitbit are taking a page from Oura with scores for metrics like readiness and sleep, adding to Oura's competition.

With the Ring 4, Oura is betting that improving core features like design, battery life, accuracy and comfort can help it stand out from new and existing competitors.

“So we asked ourselves these questions,” said Jason Russell, the company’s vice president of consumer software products, regarding the Ring 4. “How can we give you a more complete picture of your health? How can we make this more convenient?” How can we make this more convenient for more people? ”

The Oura Ring 4 tracks the same health, sleep and wellness metrics as the Ring Gen 3, with most health monitoring features requiring a $6 monthly subscription. But Russell told CNET that the new, more accurate sensor platform could “unlock future innovations,” and hinted that new features could be available at some point.

Read more: Why Oura's CEO isn't worried about Samsung's Galaxy Ring

The new titanium design and sizes of the Oura ring

While many of the Oura Ring 4's most significant improvements come behind the scenes through algorithms and LEDs, the health tracker is also undergoing an aesthetic change. The Oura Ring 4 is available in additional sizes including sizes 4 and 5 on the smaller side and sizes 14 and 15 on the larger side. In comparison, the Gen 3 comes in sizes 6 to 13, while the Galaxy Ring comes in sizes 5 to 13.

The Oura Ring 4 will be available in brushed silver, black, gold, rose gold, silver and stealth, similar to the Horizon version of the Oura Ring Gen 3. However, the black edition has a new shiny appearance that has an eye-catching look that suits nice next to my jewelry when I wear it.

While the Gen 3 features a titanium exterior, Oura presents the Ring 4 as its first ring to use titanium on both the exterior and interior. It is also lighter than the Gen 3 at 3.3 to 5.2 grams compared to the previous generation ring, which is between 4 and 6 grams depending on size.

Based on my experience wearing the Ring 4, it certainly feels lighter compared to the Gen 3, although the band is slightly wider than the Galaxy Ring. However, the changes to the inner surface of the ring are more noticeable. Oura has removed the domes on the inner lining of the ring, giving it a much sleeker and more seamless shape compared to Gen 3.

Oura Ring 4 should be more accurate with longer battery life

The Oura Ring 4's standout attribute isn't so much a new feature as it is a refinement of the ring's existing health monitoring features. Oura claims its fourth-generation ring has big accuracy improvements thanks to its new “Smart Sensing” system, which uses an algorithm to adjust readings based on a person's finger.

“Not all fingers are the same,” Russell said. “We have different skin tones. Our arteries and veins are in different positions, and this can cause fluctuations in signal quality.”

Additionally, the ring has more than twice as many signaling pathways compared to Gen 3, meaning it can process more data. The smart sensing algorithm selects the best signal path depending on which one gets the strongest reading. This may vary depending on the positioning of the ring and other factors.

According to Russell, the combination of this new algorithm, Ring 4's additional LEDs and photodetectors, and titanium design should produce more accurate results. For example, the Ring 4 has two triple LEDs, each with red, green and infrared light, while the Gen 3 only has a red, green and infrared LED system. According to Russell, the titanium interior also better blocks stray light that could affect signal quality. These changes should also ensure that there are fewer gaps in your data in the Oura app, although it's impossible to know whether Oura delivers on these promises without testing the ring extensively.

But Oura conducted an external research study in which participants wore the Oura Ring Gen 3 and Ring 4 overnight in a sleep clinic and found that blood oxygen measurement signal quality improved by 120% and a user's breathing was 15% more accurate Disturbance index, 7% fewer gaps in daytime heart rate and 31% fewer gaps in nighttime heart rate.

This breathing index statistic is particularly interesting given the recent focus on sleep apnea detection in wearables. Apple brought the ability to detect potential signs of sleep apnea to the Apple Watch Series 9, Ultra 2 and Series 10 with WatchOS 11, while Samsung introduced similar features on the Galaxy Watch 7 earlier this year.

No Oura Ring model, including the Ring 4, can detect possible sleep apnea signals, nor does Oura claim they can. But Russell said the data collected by the Oura ring on breathing disorders could be useful to show your doctor if you suspect it might be a problem.

“This will help make it an even more powerful tool because we can easily detect more breathing disorders than with the third generation,” Russell said.

Battery life is also increased, with Oura citing a runtime of up to eight days instead of the maximum runtime of seven days on the Gen 3. That should make it a little easier to track sleep regularly without having to turn the ring on, and it beats Samsung's claimed battery life for the Galaxy Ring by a day for the larger sizes and by two days for the smaller sizes.

Read more: The Apple Watch Series 10 proves that the iPhone needs this feature

The new Oura app

Oura is reorganizing its app to make individual health metrics easier to find. The new version of the app will be divided into three tabs: Today, Vitals and My Health, compared to the existing version, which includes separate sections for Readiness, Sleep, Activity and Resilience in addition to the home screen.

The Today tab, as the name suggests, displays contextually relevant and important information, such as: B. Health metrics that you prioritized during the Oura setup process or current metrics based on the time of day. The Vitals app, meanwhile, includes individual health metrics and values ​​that you can access to view more details. And the My Health tab is designed to monitor long-term health trends that may change slowly over time, such as: B. Cardiovascular age and heart health. The app redesign will be available generally to all Oura Ring users, not just those who purchase the Ring 4.

This is an important change because the way information is presented – especially on a device like the Oura Ring, which doesn't have a screen – has a big impact on how useful health and fitness trackers are. There's also a delicate balance between improving the app and the way it presents data while maintaining all the metrics and tools that users love, as Google's Fitbit found out the hard way earlier this year Users criticized the app's redesign.

I'll have more to say about the Oura Ring 4 once I've had a chance to test it. But if it lives up to Oura's claims, the more accurate sensing system could set the Oura Ring up for a future in which we can learn even more about our health from our fingers.