David Bridges
Oura announced the fourth iteration of its smart ring, the Oura Ring 4, today. It’s undergone quite a few design, comfort, and companion app changes, but the biggest breakthrough is the new Smart Sensing technology.
Smart Sensing works by utilizing a new algorithm on top of the sensors on the ring to cater to everyone’s finger physiology separately. It also uses increased sensors on the ring’s body for more precise tracking. The sensors have increased from eight to 18, which should translate to significantly improved accuracy. Oura claims the battery life has not been compromised to achieve better results. On a full charge, the ring should last eight days.
The new Smart Sensing tech should also affect comfort. The company claims that the sensors that were previously embedded in raised domes on the Gen 3 Oura Ring are now “recessed” to achieve a thinner profile and better wearability.
Owing to all these factors, the Oura Ring 4 is supposed to be the company’s most accurate iteration yet. Oura compared the third and fourth-gen models side by side and found the latter offered a considerable increase in blood oxygen sensoring, breathing disturbance, and heart rate monitoring.
Along with a new ring and app redesign, Oura also worked on a few new features for its monthly $5.99 (or $69.99 yearly) membership. It went from being able to track your heart rate for five different activity types to including 40 activities. There’s a brand new stress feature that allows members to look at their daily activities with respect to the stress associated with them so they can better manage their routines. This is the feature I’m most looking forward to. The reproductive health feature set on the membership is also getting much more nuanced. Cycle Insights will now include estimated fertile days, the chance of conception on those days, and estimated ovulation days.
Finally, Android users are getting access to Oura Labs, which was previously iOS-only. Oura Labs lets users test out tentative features and provide feedback to the company. It also includes a generative AI-powered Oura Advisor feature, which allows for conversations with consumers to advise them on their health plans or help them better understand their insights.
The Oura Ring 4 has expanded its size range to 12 sizes (from four to 15). It’s available for pre-order today in six colors and will start shipping on October 15. The ring is priced at $349, and both the ring and the membership are HSA and FSA-eligible.
Ethan Carter
