Oura Ring 5 shrinks 40% to $399 as smart ring competition heats up

Oura's fifth-generation smart ring arrives 18 months after its predecessor, packing slimmer hardware and proactive health alerts into a market that is suddenly crowded.

Oura's Ring 5, 40% smaller than its predecessor and starting at $399, arrives as the smart ring pioneer faces its first serious competitive challenge from subscription-free rivals including RingConn and Ultrahuman.

"Members had been asking us to make a ring that was smaller and thinner," Maz Brumand, vice president of product at Oura, said. The company redesigned the mechanical, electrical, optical, battery and sensing architectures to achieve the size reduction.

The Ring 5 measures 0.24 inches wide by 0.09 inches thick, down from 0.31 by 0.11 inches on the Ring 4. Battery life extends to nine days from eight, while more powerful sensor LEDs aim to improve accuracy across a wider range of finger sizes and skin tones. The ring ships June 4 in sizes 6 through 13, with Black and Silver at $399 and premium finishes including Gold and Stealth at $499 — a $50 increase over the Ring 4's starting price.

The accelerated launch cycle — 18 months versus the roughly three-year gap between the Ring 3 and Ring 4 — reflects mounting pressure from rivals that offer smart rings without monthly subscription fees. Oura's $5.99 monthly membership remains mandatory for full functionality, a cost advantage competitors are exploiting as the wearable category expands beyond early adopters.

Health Radar Shifts From Reactive to Proactive Alerts

Oura is introducing Health Radar, a feature that monitors biometric signals in the background to surface patterns before they become problems. At launch, it includes two capabilities: Blood Pressure Signals and Nighttime Breathing.

Blood Pressure Signals tracks cardiovascular patterns during sleep, when blood pressure should naturally dip. When it does not, Oura says, it can signal potential cardiovascular risk that daytime readings may miss. Unlike Samsung's Galaxy Watch blood pressure feature, Oura's measurements do not require calibration with a cuff, though users can log readings from a separate cuff in the app. Nighttime Breathing provides a 30-day rolling view of sleep-related breathing patterns and disturbances, expanding on the nightly breathing regularity insights already available on older rings.

Oura is also moving beyond data into care delivery through a partnership with Counsel Health, an on-demand platform combining artificial intelligence with licensed physicians. Members will be able to ask health questions and connect with doctors in the U.S. for an additional fee on top of the standard subscription, though Oura has not disclosed pricing for the service.

GLP-1 Tracking and Brain Health Signal Broader Ambitions

The Ring 5 launches with GLP-1 medication tracking that lets users log dose information, side effects and weight changes in one place, combining that data with Oura's existing readiness and sleep metrics. The company is also launching a Brain Health Study that matches short in-app cognitive tasks with long-term physiological trends, aiming to map how daily choices and recovery affect mental sharpness.

Oura is not locking its software features to the new hardware. Health Radar and Brain Health insights will roll out to the Ring 4 and Ring 3, while the device-finding feature will even support the Ring 2. That means current owners do not need to upgrade immediately, though the slimmer fit, improved accuracy and longer battery life may prove compelling for daily wear.

The smart ring market remains small relative to wrist-worn wearables from Apple, Samsung and Google's Fitbit, but it is growing quickly. Oura's decision to accelerate its product cycle and expand into proactive health monitoring and care delivery suggests the company sees a window to establish a lead before larger competitors enter the category. For investors, the key question is whether Oura can convert its first-mover advantage into a defensible position — or whether subscription-free rivals will force it to compete on price in a market where hardware margins are already thin.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.