Smart rings may blend invisibly into our lives, but they’re not always good at blending invisibly into our hands. Unless you’re a fan of chunky statement jewelry, a smart ring can make every other ring you wear look tiny by comparison. That’s the issue Oura is looking to solve with the new Ring 5, which is 40 percent smaller than its predecessor.
Shrinking such a small piece of gear down by that much has required significant engineering. Oura’s VP of Product, Jason Russell, explained that the company heard plenty of users asking for smaller rings, and that to achieve the reduction, every component has been redesigned to be both smaller and more power-efficient.
Those with a keen eye on the spec list may notice the number of signal pathways has dropped from 18 on the Ring 4 to 12 on the Ring 5. Russell explained that the Ring 4 had four low-power photodetectors working in tandem with low-power LEDs. The Ring 5’s LEDs are four times as powerful, paired with three larger photodetectors which, Oura says, delivers better and more accurate readings across a wider range of skin tones.
Oura is also adjusting its size range. Whereas the Ring 4 comes in sizes 4 through 15, the Ring 5 covers sizes 6 through 13. The Ring 4 will remain on sale to serve buyers outside that range.
On the design front, the Ring 5 launches in Silver, Black, Stealth, Brushed Silver, Gold, and Deep Rose (Rose Gold). The finishes are also said to be more scratch-resistant, thanks to a new vapor deposition application method. Notably, no ceramic colorways were announced at launch.
Oura promises a week of battery life on a single charge regardless of ring size. For longer trips, a new optional charging case is available — its built-in battery is large enough to sustain a month of charges on one fill-up. The case includes a single button for both pairing the ring and checking the charge level. Each case is custom-designed for a specific ring size, so resizing your ring would require a new case as well.
Alongside the hardware, Oura is introducing new software features. Health Radar builds on the existing Symptom Radar feature to monitor key health signals over time. If trends move in an unfavorable direction, users will receive an alert with guidance on next steps. The feature pays particular attention to blood pressure and nighttime breathing.
Source: Oura Ring 5 Goes 40% Thinner With Redesigned Sensors and a New Charging Case