Mr. Oura did not invent the smart ring category. However, everything that existed before is now effectively obsolete. This category dates back more than a decade. TechCrunch wrote an article about NFC rings in 2013.
Motiv Ring is much newer, but ultimately struggled to find a suitable use case and was sold to a digital security company just as the pandemic was at its peak in the US.
Oura’s origins as a company date back to 2013, and two years later they launched their first ring through Kickstarter. But it was COVID-19 that really put the company on the map through high-profile partnerships with sports leagues. The NBA garnered the most headlines as it employed the ring to detect early signs of illness while teams played in a bubble.
The company ultimately found success through its passive fitness tracker model. Rather than thinking that a small form factor or lack of a display would detract from the product’s effectiveness, the company leaned into a model where such passivity is more of a feature than a bug.
Oura CEO Tom Hale recently told me that nearly two-thirds of the company’s user base owns another wearable device. This is a very important data point when considering the role of smart rings in the broader wearable fitness space. Specifically, it refers to products that work well with devices like the Apple Watch, rather than trying to compete outright with them.
Like other smartwatches, Apple devices repeatedly beep, buzz, or flash to alert you. Sure, there’s a sense that it can free the wearer from constantly staring at their phone, but it’s always there, vying for immediate attention. Sometimes that’s a good thing. For example, if you’re actively working out, or if you’re the type of person who needs a little tactile motivation to increase your daily step count.
Although they look great, Oura rings are designed to be forgotten. It’s an easy task for Ring. The same is true for Oura Ring 4. There are almost no changes to the appearance of the ring. We continue to be a minimalist metal band. The interior, on the other hand, is flatter thanks to the recessed sensor. It’s certainly a small change, but it dramatically increases the comfort level of the ring.
I’m one of those who never adopted the Oura or similar devices because I don’t like the feel of the ring (sorry ladies). Previous models’ unevenly structured sensors only exacerbated that discomfort. After wearing the Oura 4 last week, I can confirm that the new ring is much more comfortable.
This is likely due to the number of sizes increasing from 4 to 15. Even though I tested the last two rings, Oura insisted I receive another sizing kit because things have changed overall. Now, the ring is so comfortable that it’s almost unnoticeable.
The whole game is about blending into the background. This is a big part of why sleep was fundamental in the early days. You might be able to sleep better. Most people reading this will probably say the same thing. However, there is no doubt that wearing a smartwatch at bedtime will prevent many people from falling asleep or staying asleep. Rings, on the other hand, are completely manageable.
Even more important to sleep issues are battery issues, which continue to be the Apple Watch’s biggest issue. The company continues to fine-tune the software, but as it stands, those who want to wear the device for both activity and sleep tracking will need to set aside time to charge the device before bed.
This is another strength of passive tracking. Admittedly, the ring gives you much less space to install the battery, but since there’s no power-hungry element like a display, it goes a long way toward extending your battery life by days instead of hours.
Oura rates the Ring 4 to last up to eight days on a charge compared to the Ring 3’s seven days. After getting through the first round for four days, my phone sent me an alert that I should consider charging it before bed. It didn’t reach the maximum numbers suggested by Oura, but again, this is a completely different number from the Apple Watch.
In the world of smart rings, activity tracking is harder than sleep. While this product’s lack of visibility is definitely a highlight when it comes to sleep hygiene, it’s a whole different story when it comes to daytime fitness.
Oura has several features designed to attract users, which are sent as notifications through your phone. For example, if you sit for 50 minutes, it will encourage you to stretch your legs. You’ll also be notified when you reach the halfway point of your activity goal. These types of nudges aside, SmartRing doesn’t employ the same gamification strategy that has attracted so many people to wrist-worn devices.
It’s easy to see why so many Oura users choose to wear these devices together. After using the Apple Watch Series 10 and Ring 4 together last week, it’s clear that both products complement each other well. Rather than presenting actionable items right away, Oura Ring is designed to monitor more gradual health trends over time.
Because of this, developing a baseline to provide more complex insights usually requires a little work. Oura strives to go beyond heart rate monitoring and exercise time to provide a more complete picture of your health. This includes factors such as readiness and stress that cannot be quantified by a single sensor metric.
Oura made it clear that Ring is at the foundation of a broader health ecosystem. That’s the motivation behind the company’s recent acquisition of Veri, which will allow Oura to plant its flag in the world of blood sugar monitoring. Smart ring makers have proven that a lot can be done around your finger.
The company’s future is to extend the metrics it collects and leverage new tools, such as underlying models, to provide more tailored insights. For things like glucose monitoring that aren’t possible with the form factor, Oura leverages third-party devices.
While using the new Ring, it works really well with your Apple Watch, including building your workouts into your own stats and sending progress notifications to your wrist-worn device. got it. Overall, the Oura Ring 4 is a minor upgrade compared to its predecessor. If you bought a Ring 3 within the past year, FOMO shouldn’t be keeping you up at night. The biggest improvement is comfort with its flush interior.
After all, Oura is a software play. This was evident during the company’s early move to a subscription service and as it rolls out new features through its Oura Labs testing platform. Oura Ring is a few sensors wrapped around your finger. The real value is how that information is used.
