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Was I tempted to sneak in as many “Lord of the Rings” references into this Oura Ring review as possible? Absolutely, but I know your time is precious, so in the spirit of fellowship, I’ve decided to keep them to a minimum.
In all seriousness, I’ll be taking a close look at this ring to let you know whether it’s a worthy fitness tracker and how it compares to the many others on the market today. We asked Garage Gym Reviews founder and fitness fanatic Cooper Mitchell to try it out for a few weeks, and now you’ll get to read his unfiltered and honest thoughts on it.
You’ll Like Our Fitness Tracker Reviews So Much You’ll Put a Ring On It
Writing fitness equipment reviews might be our job, but it’s also our passion. Our team of CrossFit Level 1 Trainers, certified personal trainers, and competitive endurance athletes have personally tested a wide range of fitness trackers, such as the Whoop, the FitBit Charge 4, Apple Watch, and several of the best Garmin fitness trackers.
RELATED: Garmin Forerunner 965 Review
That is why we’re able to provide an in-depth look at these products and give you the pros and cons of each before you decide to purchase them.
Oura Ring
Oura Ring
Product Highlights
- Measures your heart rate, oxygen saturation levels, and skin temperature
- Over time, it can track your sleep patterns and suggest improvements
- Battery lasts 7 days and can fully charge in 20 minutes
- Can help you find your balance between activity and recovery
- Water resistant up to 100 m
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Long battery life
- Fast charging
- No membership required
Cons
- May develop scratches with daily wear
- Limited statistics without membership
- Comparably expensive
Bottom Line
If you are looking for a fitness tracker that is more subtle and sleek than a traditional wrist tracker, the Oura Ring is a great alternative option.
A Quick Look at the Oura Ring
The Oura Ring Generation 3 is a wearable fitness tracker that—and this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise—is worn on your ring finger rather than on your wrist like most other trackers. And for the record, it can be your index finger, middle finger, or ring finger—whichever you prefer.
Design aside, the Oura Ring fitness tracker functions similarly to many of the other models you’re probably familiar with in that it measures your daily heart rate, calories burned, activity levels, sleep patterns, and other health metrics.
The ring’s readings are recorded on the Oura Ring app but can also be synced with Apple Health. Those readings allow users to make informed decisions on their health and wellness—for example, the ring can tell you if you need to take a break from training or if you’re at risk of getting sick.
Before You Buy
- The Oura app works best with the latest versions of Apple iOS and Android, so be sure your smartphone has the latest operating system.
- The Oura Rings work on traditional ring sizes—if you don’t know your ring size, you can order a free sizing kit from the company’s website or visit a Therabody store near you to find out.
Is the Oura Ring Worth It?
The Oura Ring Gen 3 starts at around $300, but may be more expensive depending on what type of design you order. There is a monthly subscription required to access all your data, but at $5.99 per month (with the first month free), it’s one of the most budget-friendly subscription costs we’ve seen for any smart home gym equipment or fitness tracker.
Of course, price isn’t the only thing people take into consideration when looking for fitness equipment. Here’s a quick glance at who we think would enjoy the Oura Ring and who might want to look elsewhere for a fitness tracker.
Great for:
- People who want a comfortable health tracker
- Swimmers, or anyone else who needs a tracker that is waterproof
- Anyone looking to get insight into their sleeping habits
Not recommended for:
- Those more focused on tracking their activity levels than health tracking
- Anyone who wants a smartwatch that can tell time and send notifications
- People who do a lot of physical labor with their hands
Oura Ring Specs
| Size | 6-13 |
| Dimensions | 7.9 mm wide and 2.55 mm thick |
| Battery life | 7 days |
| Water resistant | Up to 100 meters (330 feet) |
| Metrics tracked | Body temperature, calories burned, sleep, blood oxygen, resting heart rate, and heart rate variability (HRV), breathing rate, respiratory rate, steps and daily movement |
| Workout profiles | 50+ |
| Colors | Silver, Black, Stealth, Gold, Rose Gold, Brushed Titanium |
| Membership | $5.99 per month with first month free |
Wearing and Using the Oura Ring Fitness Tracker
To say there are countless fitness trackers on the market would be an understatement, so if you’re wondering what makes the Oura Ring different from all the others, the answer is it’s a smart ring. No, seriously.
“The ring portion feels like the main separator,” Coop says. “It’s surprisingly lightweight and most of the time, I forget it’s on.”
That said, if you’re someone who does a lot of resistance training exercises this might not be the best choice from a comfort standpoint. “It’s uncomfortable when used in that environment,” Coop says. “Thankfully, I will often wear an Apple Watch while training and it will collect that data within the app.”
Coop, and other long-time Oura users I spoke to, said one of their favorite features is the quick charge and long battery life. A full charge takes anywhere from 20 to 80 minutes, depending on how depleted the battery is, and you won’t need to plug it back in for another week.
Morgan, a former NCAA Division 1 swimmer and my partner, has used the Oura Ring for over a year at this point, and loves the simplicity of it. “I like the convenience of it. The 7-day battery life is great because I don’t need to remember to charge it every day either.” She mostly uses it for sleep tracking, but also gets readiness scores from the fitness tracker.
Technology and Sensors
Though it’s small, this ring and its sensors are mighty.
Mostly focused on sleep and readiness metrics, the Oura Ring measures quite a few impressive metrics, including your heart rate, blood oxygen levels, skin temperature, and movement. The information is processed and presented in the Oura app, where it’s easily digestible with sleep and readiness scores. However, a deeper dive shows a robust amount of data for those who love to break down the numbers.
Oura tracks three main activities: walking, running, and cycling. While it doesn’t track any strength training or other workouts, the app can collect workout data from other apps like Google Fit or Apple Health.
Oura Partnerships
In recent years, Oura has gained partnerships with other health and fitness apps. This allows integration between apps, such as the running app Strava. Another popular partnership is with Therabody, the creators of the popular line of massage guns. Users can track therapies done with Therabody products to measure the impact of those recovery tools on your health, recovery, and fitness.
Using the Oura Ring for Training and Recovery
No matter whether you’re a swimmer, bodybuilder, CrossFitter, or acrobat, the Oura Ring can be used to track your heart rate, activity levels, and training frequency. Each activity can be logged in the Oura app, which can also show things such as your total caloric burn, workout heart rate, total distance traveled, pace, and more.
RELATED: Best Heart Rate Monitors
It will also tell you when it might be a good idea not to train. This is known as a Readiness Score, which takes your body’s temperature, heart rate, and sleep into consideration before giving you a number between 1-100. Here’s what the numbers mean:
- 85 or higher: You’re good to workout!
- 70-84: You’re a little tired but you can still train.
- Under 70: You need to focus on recovery instead of training.
Oura also has something called an Activity Score, which you can use to gauge how well you’re balancing training and recovery. Here’s how the activity tracking scores pan out:
- 85 or higher: You have great balance.
- 70-84: Your balance is good.
- Under 70: You should make some lifestyle changes to improve your activity-rest balance.
Your Activity Score will influence your Readiness Score, and vice-versa.
Using the Oura Ring for Sleep Tracking
The Oura Ring also gives you a Sleep Score, which as you might guess shows you how well you slept the previous night. You should probably know how they breakdown their scores by now, but just in case you don’t here it is:
- 85 or higher: You had a great night’s sleep!
- 70-84: You slept really well.
- Under 70: You need to make some changes to get better sleep.
The tracker records several metrics, such as your body temperature and blood oxygen levels, to measure your sleep quality. It will also keep track of how quick it took you to fall asleep (known as latency), total sleep, how much REM sleep and deep sleep you got in a night, if there were any disturbances (such as increased heart rate), and how much you tossed and turned in the middle of the night.
One study1 found that the Oura Ring was on par with medical-grade sleep trackers when it came to tracking total sleep time and sleep efficiency.
Caine used the Oura Ring for 10 months leading up to the Tokyo Games, primarily for sleep tracking. “Being able to see my rest and recovery was very helpful in planning out my workout and adjusting it if I wasn’t quite as recovered as I was expecting. Plus, it made me more mindful of my sleep hygiene.”
Using the Oura Ring for Women’s Health
In addition to your steps and sleep, the Oura Ring can track metrics suited for women’s health, notably tracking menstrual cycles, as well as pregnancies. To measure and track cycles, the Oura Ring measures subtle changes in temperature that occur throughout different parts of your cycle. While it’s fairly accurate right off the bat, according to customer reviews, Oura recommends giving the tracker 90 days for optimal measurements and tracking.
Additional Oura Ring Features
While Oura Ring is mostly popular for its sleep tracking metrics, that’s not all it measures and records. Here’s a few other metrics and features of the Oura Ring:
- Heart rate variability (HRV): This is a measurement of the regularity of your heartbeat, and Oura was one of the first to track this. Typically, a high HRV is healthy, while a low HRV usually means you’re stressed or not well-recovered.
- Body temperature monitoring: Oura can keep an eye on your body temperature and let you know when your temperature is high, indicating a potential cold or illness in your near future.
- Stress and resilience tracking: New features give metrics on stress, as well as tips on how to recover and become more resilient to physical and mental stressors.
- Cardiovascular age (CVA) and cardio capacity: After 14 days of consistent use, Oura will tell you if your cardiovascular health metrics are trending at, above, or below the average for your age. Cardio capacity works from your baseline VO2 max to determine your ability to do cardio exercise, and how much.
Reading the Oura Ring’s Data
The Oura Ring sends all of its readings to the Oura app, but it can also be synced with your Apple Watch or Google Fit. Coop told me the data and graphs are pretty easy to read, even for those who are new to using activity trackers.
“The numbers are pretty self-explanatory and you can click on anything you don’t know and they give great, quick reads on what the metric is,” he says, “as well as cumulative metrics such as a sleep score that is more of an average of everything.”
Oura recommends wearing the ring for two weeks to get a baseline reading of your health metrics and various sleep stages to give you the most accurate readings.
Community
Circles is the recent community feature of Oura in which you can connect to other users and compare metrics, scores, and react to other’s data.
Caine says several lifters at his gym use Oura Rings for sleep tracking and recovery, and the Circles feature allows them to share recovery scores between each other, as well as their coach. Lower readiness or sleep scores allows the coach to check in on athletes to see how to help, as well as to adjust workout programs to accommodate an athlete who’s not totally ready for the day ahead.
Waterproof and Dustproof
The Oura Ring is waterproof up to 100 meters, or 330 feet, for up to one hour, so it can be worn during showers, washing the dishes, or when you’re going for a high dive. Morgan adds, “As a former competitive swimmer, I love how waterproof it is. It’s annoying when I have to take off trackers before getting into the pool.”
I wasn’t able to find any specifics for the Oura Ring’s dustproof capabilities, but the electric components are fully sealed so it should be fine for most activities.
Battery Life
The Oura Ring can hold a full charge for up to a week, or eight days in some cases, and only takes 20 to 80 minutes to recharge. A free charger is included with your Oura Ring.
Look and Feel of the Oura Ring
The Oura Ring comes in two designs: Heritage, which is more like an octagon, and Horizon, which is like your typical circular wedding ring. There are six color options for the Horizon design: Silver, Black, Stealth, Brushed Titanium, Gold, and Rose Gold (Rose Gold and Brushed Titanium are not available in the Heritage design currently). The design (and colorway) you choose will affect the price, with the Horizon design starting at $50 more expensive than the Heritage design.
The nicest part about the Oura Ring is that it can blend in with your other jewelry and attire effortlessly. Although the ring is maybe a touch thicker than your typical rings and bands, it looks just like any other piece of jewelry you wear; no one would be able to tell your ring is tracking your heart rate at the same time. Honestly, by now people are familiar enough with the leveled top of the Heritage style to maybe know it’s an Oura Ring, but with the rounded design of the Horizon, you’d be hard-pressed to know you’re wearing a fitness tracker.
The Oura Ring is made to be barely there, and our testers often found that to be the feel. Coop often mentioned that he’d forget the ring was on, and the same goes for my partner Morgan. “I sometimes forget that I’m wearing it,” she mentions.
Caine does a lot of Olympic lifting (he’s an Olympian, of course), and doesn’t recommend wearing it if you do a lot of barbell work. “It’s just a hair too thick; it feels in the way while trying to get a grip on snatches or cleans.” Outside of lifting, he thought it was a pretty comfortable ring, though.
Oura Ring vs Whoop 4.0
Whoop
Whoop 4.0
Product Highlights
- Fitness tracker without display
- Whoop app delivers data
- Tracks blood oxygen, skin temperature, and heart rate
- Also tracks sleep metrics
Pros & Cons
Pros
- 24/7 physiological data available
- Offers more in-depth metrics than most other fitness trackers
- Comes with a “coaching” feature to tell you when to train and when to rest
- Comfortable to wear
- App is user-friendly
Cons
- Monthly membership fee required
- No step counter
- No watch face or display
Bottom Line
If you’re someone who takes their training seriously, the Whoop 4.0 could be an effective tool for you to use.
The Oura Ring and Whoop are similar in that both are focused on providing you with data on how hard you’ve trained and letting you know when it might be time to take a break. Both also stray from most fitness trackers in that you can’t tell time with them or accept phone calls, like you can with the Apple Watch or the Garmin.
Related: Read our Apple Watch Series 6 review.
In Coop’s opinion, the Oura Ring is the better choice for most people since it can track things like daily steps, but if you’re a high-performance athlete, you should go for the Whoop strap.
“Whoop is better for athletes and those who train a lot, but the form factor of Oura combined with their focus on well-being is very well done,” he says.
Read our full Whoop 4.0 review for more of our thoughts on this fitness tracker.
RELATED: Whoop Strap 3 Review
| Oura Ring | Whoop 4.0 | |
| Price | Varies by design | Varies by design |
| Subscription fee | $5.99 per month | $30 per month |
| Dimensions | Varies | 1.7” x 1.1” x 0.4” |
| Metrics tracked | Body temperature, calorie burn, sleep, blood oxygen, heart rate and heart rate variability, breathing rate, steps and daily movement | Sleep, heart rate variability, blood oxygen, skin temperature, calorie burn |
| Workout profiles | 50+ | 80+ |
| Waterproof | 100 meters for 1 hour | 10 meters for 2 hours |
Warranty, Financing, Returns
The Oura Ring has a disappointing warranty of only one year from the date of purchase, which will only cover manufacturing defects. If, for whatever reason, you receive a replacement ring before the end of your one-year warranty your coverage will be extended for an additional 90 days or for the remainder of the original one-year policy—whichever is longer.
There are financing options available at checkout starting at $25 per month.
You have 30 days from the date of delivery to return your Oura Ring, or exchange it for a new one, for a full refund, minus shipping and handling.
Ordering Your Oura Ring
The Oura Ring can be purchased from the website directly, where you can choose your style, color, and size ring. Ring sizes range from 6 to 13, and if you don’t know your ring size, Oura will send you a sizing kit to try out and determine which size is best for you. Oura recommends sizing for your ring or index finger to get the best metrics; the middle finger is a second option.
Tokyo Olympian and GGR Senior Staff Writer Caine Wilkes used the Oura Ring for several months, and his only complaint was the limited sizing. “I’m a big guy who lifts weights, so when I sized my fingers, the only finger I could fit an Oura Ring on was my pinky finger. I’d love to see them expand their sizes for larger athletes.”
Along with the ring purchase, you’ll have to subscribe for the Oura app to access your data. The app costs $5.99 a month, which is a bit cheaper than some competitors.
Oura does offer financing on their rings through Affirm; also, they are HSA- and FSA-eligible.
Customer Reviews
The Oura Ring only publishes select customer reviews on its website, and all of them are positive. iIt’s not available on third-party websites like Amazon.
Final Verdict of Our Oura Ring Review
The Oura Ring is a unique fitness tracker and one that we think can provide everyday people with actionable data that can improve their overall wellness. The upfront cost might be prohibitive for some, but they do have one of the more affordable monthly subscription costs we’ve seen.
Unlike the Whoop, it can track everyday metrics such as steps in addition to more advanced information such as your blood oxygen levels. And the comfort of just wearing it around your finger can’t be beat.
Oura Ring Rating
Oura Ring
Read our Oura Ring review to uncover its features, accuracy, and how it tracks sleep, fitness, and wellness to help you optimize your daily performance!
Product Brand: Oura
Product Currency: USD
Product Price: 299.00
Product In-Stock: InStock
4.2
Oura Ring FAQs
Does the Oura Ring have a monthly fee?
The Oura Ring has a monthly fee of $5.99.
Do Oura Rings actually work?
Yes, Oura Rings are compact fitness trackers with very accurate metrics, according to our product testers and customer reviews. The Oura Ring can provide you with in-depth information on your sleep, blood oxygen levels, and more to help improve your overall wellness.
How long will an Oura Ring last?
On a single charge, an Oura Ring can last up to seven days, depending on the amount of metrics the ring tracks.
What problem does Oura Ring solve?
The Oura Ring is mostly used to track your sleep, by measuring heart rate, HRV, blood oxygen levels, and sleep cycles while asleep. This can give you sleep insights into how certain habits affect your sleep, for better or worse.
References
- Asgari Mehrabadi M, Azimi I, Sarhaddi F, et al. Sleep Tracking of a Commercially Available Smart Ring and Smartwatch Against Medical-Grade Actigraphy in Everyday Settings: Instrument Validation Study. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2020;8(10):e20465. Published 2020 Nov 2. doi:10.2196/20465
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