The Oura Ring 4 launches with improved accuracy, still requires subscription

Oura has officially announced the Oura Ring 4 in a market that has become slightly more saturated than when the Gen 3 was released. The Oura Ring Gen 4 improves accuracy with Smart Sensing, adapting to the users’ fingers to find the best and most reliable signal for more tracking accuracy.

Since Oura’s last model has been on the market, big names like Samsung have entered the scene and delivered products that are incredibly similar to what Oura offers. The Galaxy Ring is a good product, but it still lacks in a lot of ways, which means it can’t be an obviously better choice.

Oura plans on widening that gap with the Oura Ring 4. The company has reportedly made the ring more comfortable to wear and a little smarter, as it can now detect patterns in your finger in order to more reliably track vitals.

The tech is named Smart Sensing and is powered by an algorithm that works with the actual sensors in the Oura Ring 4. Those sensors are now recessed and don’t protrude as much into the skin. The Ring 4 responds to each person’s individual physiology, which includes features of the wearer’s finger, like skin tone, BMI, and age.

The ring brings familiar-looking sensors, at least on the outside. The red and infrared LEDs measure blood and oxygen levels during sleep, while the green and infrared LEDs alternate to measure heart rate and heart rate variability all day and night. The Ring 4 also brings a temperature sensor and an accelerometer for movement tracking.

What has made Oura such an impressive tool in the past is how much it actually tracks, and the Ring 4 is no different. Here’s an incomplete list since Oura notes that there’s more to be tracked in-app:

Oura states that Ring 4 brings up to eight days of battery life, though that’ll be proven in daily testing. According to the company, the new Smart Sensing algorithm and sensor combo is able to utilize variable LED brightness instead of one constant bright output. This is said to increase battery life since less energy is being drained daily.

The charger itself also takes on a new design. Instead of a round base, the charger is now square and made from aluminum. It can charge the ring in around 120 minutes, which is significantly more than it takes the Galaxy Ring to fully charge.

Oura doesn’t plan on dropping the subscription model for the Ring 4, and it’s hard to blame them. The app is constantly being updated and new features roll out on a highly regular basis. Of course, the new app will determine whether or not the subscription is justified on top of the actual ring price. The subscription comes in at $5.99/month, which isn’t terrible.

The new Oura app brings updates to stress and activity features, which is something we’ve been looking for in comparison to Samsung’s options. The app combines all of the ring’s readings into smaller tabs for an easier experience. For instance, automatic activity tracking, stress tracking, and fertility insights all get an easy-to-find spot in the app.

The Oura Ring 4 is currently available for pre-order before releasing on October 15. The ring will come in several color options, including gold, rose gold, silver, and stealth. Of course, those start at $349 but increase with more durable colorways.

Buy the Oura Ring 4

• Amazon
• Best Buy