When the Oura Ring launched in 2015, it felt like the type of futuristic tracker only Silicon Valley biohackers and health-obsessed celebrities would ever wear. Elon Musk was spotted wearing one, as was Goop guru Gwyneth Paltrow. However, over 10 years on and smart rings have gone mainstream, with many of us swapping our smartwatches for the tiny wearables, which can track our health and wellbeing around the clock.
Now in its 5th generation, the Oura Ring 5 is slimmer, lighter and packed with even more health-tracking features. It promises to monitor everything from your sleep to menstrual cycles, with an app to help you make sense of these insights.
As someone who’s a big fan of wearables, especially screen-free ones that give you tons of data, I was keen to see if the ring lived up to its claims. Could it beat rivals including the Whoop and the Samsung Galaxy ring? Here’s my review, plus the expert verdict from the Good Housekeeping Institute. (Spoiler: This genuinely might be one ring to rule them all).
Pros
- Thinner and smaller
- Updated sensors
- App has an impressive level of detail
- Longer battery life
- Updated women's health features
Cons
- No GPS
- Extra subscription cost
How I tested the Oura Ring 5
I wore the ring day and night over a month, considering the following key criteria.
- Ease of set-up and use: If something’s really fiddly to use, you’re not going to make it part of your routine, which makes it a waste of money. So, I checked how easy it was to get set up with the app (you do have to get a measuring kit to work out your size first, for example), and how simple it was to get useful, readable data.
- Comfort and design: I considered how it felt day-to-day – including while working, lifting weights, and when I was drifting off to sleep. I compared its comfort, weight and feel against other smart rings and wearables I’ve tested. I also looked at the redesign, comparing it against previous generations of the ring to see if it’s worth upgrading.
- Tracking and the app: I wore the ring while sleeping, exercising and working – to see how accurately it tracked my rest, activity, menstrual cycle and recovery. I also considered how clearly it presented and analysed my data, plus the ring’s battery life.
Here’s how it fared.
Design and quality
When I trialled the second generation of the Oura Ring pre-pandemic (early 2020), it was a hefty thing - knocking against everything, from my keyboard to my coffee mug. It scratched easily too, especially during strength classes, banging against dumbbells and kettlebells. After six months, it was so scratched up that I popped it into a drawer and forgot about it.
The ring has been through a few iterations since then, and thankfully it's not the bulky tracker it once was. It's now 40% thinner (2.28 mm thick) and lighter than its predecessor - sitting in the palm of my hand, it barely weighs anything (from 2g, depending on the size). It’s still not as dainty as some women’s jewellery though – it resembles a wedding band.
Crafted from lightweight, non-allergenic titanium, it’s also said to be more durable and scratch-resistant than previous generations. Plus, it’s available in six colours – I opted for the deep rose – and eight sizes (6-13).
You won’t notice the sensors straight away, but they’ve been updated too, with low-profile sensor domes sitting inside the ring. The tech also includes infrared LEDs that measure blood oxygen levels, heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV) and respiration rate. As these sensors sit closer to the skin, they’re said to deliver more accurate metrics for sleep, activity and stress.
Features
Setting up the ring was straightforward. I paired it with my phone via Bluetooth, downloaded the app, and data started to appear straight away. If you’re a casual observer and just want to check in on your daily step count or how much sleep you’ve had, the home screen gives you an easy-to-read snapshot of your daily activity, sleep and readiness (how you’ve recovered), each scored out of 100.
If, like me, you love to devour your stats, you can easily fall down a rabbit hole of data. From overnight breathing patterns to stress resilience, it offers an impressive level of detail. It even logs housework. To my surprise, last week, after a busy WFH day, which included zero exercise, I couldn’t believe it when it logged some light dusting and hoovering as activity. Of course, it's not just housework it automatically tracks – the sensors log everything from yoga to running, while Oura’s live tracking allows you to see your real-time metrics on your phone’s locked home screen.
Sleep insights are detailed too. By measuring vitals such as heart-rate variability (HRV) - which is the time between each heartbeat, skin temperature and blood oxygen, it gives you data such as sleep stages, sleep debt and efficiency. I also wear a Whoop at night, and while there were occasional differences between the two trackers, when it came to sleep time and quality, they were quite small. Saying this, for some it could be too much data, at times I’ve felt overwhelmed, especially when I’ve thought I’d had a good night's sleep, but the app tells me I haven’t.
Many of the latest updates concentrate on women’s health, including cycle and pregnancy tracking. A new menopause feature also uses changes in body temperature, alongside heart and respiration data, to help identify symptoms and get a clearer picture of your perimenopause or menopause journey.
Battery life
If constantly charging your smartwatch (I’m looking at you Apple Watch fans) or smart ring is the bane of your existence, you'll be happy to hear that you can go away on a week's holiday and not even think about having to take the Oura charger with you. When fully charged, it lasts around eight to nine days, and the app will also alert you when it’s low on battery. Even better, if you buy the charging case (at an extra cost of £99), once at full power, it can charge your ring up to five times.
Price
The price starts from £399 for the silver version, while the other colours are priced at £499. The app also comes with a subscription cost. You’ll get a month free when you sign up, then it’s £5.99 or £69.99 a year to access the app.
What I love and what I don’t
It’s the lightest and thinnest smart ring I’ve worn and, after a few days, I barely noticed it. You can still feel it on your finger, but it's comfortable to wear most of the time. However, even though the ring is designed to be more scratch-resistant and durable, mine has already picked up some small marks on it, so you might want to take care during workouts.
The app is where the tracker really shines. The detailed stats are impressive, and they were spot on most of the time. The only time it struggled was with the odd strength training sessions, which it didn’t always recognise accurately. If you’re a runner, you may also prefer a smartwatch, as the Oura doesn’t provide as in-depth metrics. It’s also waterproof up to 100m - so I never had to think about taking it off when I was swimming, showering or even washing up.
The way the app presents the data is also clever; it feels like having a PT or best friend in your pocket, nudging you to exercise, take a day off or head to bed earlier.
For some people, I can see how tracking your sleep or activity could get overwhelming. With so much data at your fingertips, it could cause more anxiety, negatively impacting your health. However, there is the option to simply check the home screen for your key metrics, without delving into the detail, which offers more of a balance.
There’s no getting over the price either – at £399, going up to £499 for different colours and finishes, it's not cheap, and you have the monthly subscription on top. On the positive side, the monthly fee could spur you on to keep up with your health and fitness goals.
The final verdict on the Oura Ring 5
The ring scored an impressive 94/100 in our GHI testing, earning high marks for its design, performance and app. Our expert found it comfortable to wear day and night, calling out the sleep tracking as a standout feature. The sleep metrics were extremely accurate throughout the four-week testing period, including wake times and disturbance detection. Our expert also found it was good for tracking everyday exercise, including gym work and step count, but with no GPS, you’ll need a dedicated sports watch for more detailed metrics.
The redesign is impressive. The slimmer, lighter band is incredibly comfortable, discreet, and far less bulky than previous designs. Our testing also highlighted the strong battery life; it averaged between seven and nine days, and a full charge took around an hour.
The app gives you detailed data, but it’s easy to read and our expert praised the consistent monitoring, adding that the personalised recommendations felt useful rather than overwhelming.
Oura Ring 5 accessories
The Oura Ring comes with a charger, but if you want a more travel-friendly one, this Oura 5 travel case is priced at £99.
FAQs
Is the Oura Ring 5 worth it?
It's the world’s slimmest and lightest tracker, with some great health insights, which I found incredibly useful. From sleep to menopause tracking, it gives you detailed data that can help you build an overall picture of your health. It's ideal for anyone who doesn’t like to wear a smartwatch and wants something more inconspicuous.
The upfront cost is high (although in line with the bestselling smartwatches), but the extra monthly subscription cost makes it expensive over time – an extra you don’t have to worry about with a fitness tracker.
Can I wear Oura Ring 5 on my ring finger?
Yes, you can wear it on any finger. You’ll be sent a sizing kit before you buy the ring, so make sure to test it on the finger you intend to wear it on for at least 24 hours.
Can the Oura Ring track blood pressure?
No, the Oura Ring 5 can’t measure blood pressure.
Can the Oura Ring detect stress?
The ring’s sensors measure heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), motion, and skin temperature, which gives you an overall stress score. A higher heart rate can indicate increased levels of stress, while a constantly high heart rate can be a sign of chronic stress. HRV is the millisecond-by-millisecond measurement between heartbeats and can also be an indicator of how your nervous system responds to stress.
Of course, this score is just an indicator of stress, and you’ll know yourself if you’re consistently feeling overwhelmed or anxious. Speak to your GP if you’re feeling like this regularly.
Shop the Oura Ring 5 at ouraring.com, Amazon and John Lewis
Sarah is our wellness expert, specialising in expert-tested reviews and roundups on the latest health and fitness products. She can be regularly found on a yoga mat or training for a run, so she knows what to look for when it comes to the best yoga leggings, hydration vests or running trainers. From fitness trackers to the best supplements, she also has extensive experience writing about the latest products and writing detailed honest reviews.
Prior to joining the GHI, Sarah was a freelance journalist for 10 years, specialising in health, fitness and travel for national newspapers and magazine. During her time at Women’s Health, she interviewed celebrities about their fitness routines, for the Telegraph she investigated the health risks of Lime Bikes and visited Thailand to look at the trend of longevity travel - while for the London Standard she wrote about topics including AI powered PTs and smart ice baths.
When she isn’t testing out the latest smart watches, lifting weights at the gym, or hopping on a flight, Sarah can be found running around South London or devouring the latest trending TV show.
