| Manufacturer | Oura |
|---|---|
| Type | Smart ring |
| Series | Oura Ring 4 |
| Released | Announced 3 October 2024; shipping from 15 October 2024 |
| Price at launch | £349 / $349 (Silver, Stealth). £399 / $399 (Gold, Midnight, Cloud, Ceramic range) |
| Successor | Oura Ring 5 |
| Sizes | 4 to 15 |
| Colours | Silver, Stealth, Gold, Midnight, Cloud |
| Membership | £5.99 / $5.99 a month, required ($69.99 a year) |
Specifications and features as at launch.
Expert opinion | Specifications | Battery life | Features | Further reading
Expert opinion
The Oura Ring 4 provides unobtrusive overnight monitoring, with a smooth interior and recessed sensors making continuous wear comfortable for many users. Independent hands on testing has found sleep tracking and overnight heart rate generally reliable, although accuracy varies by metric and movement. During exercise, heart rate readings can diverge from chest strap measurements, particularly during intense efforts. Real world battery life generally approaches five to six days, depending on usage. The app turns sleep, readiness, activity and heart rate variability into accessible trends that help users understand recovery and changes in their normal patterns. Detailed insights require a paid membership, which limits access to the full experience without a subscription. Its main achievement is the consistency of its passive health tracking and the way it presents complex physiological data in a clear, everyday format.
Its strength is identifying long term patterns in sleep, recovery and physiological stress, helping users understand how training, daily habits and rest affect their wellbeing. However, testers disagree on the extent of its accuracy gains: some report fewer gaps in overnight readings, while others find little practical difference. Exercise heart rate remains less reliable than a dedicated sports watch or chest strap, and step counts can be inflated. It is a capable recovery tracker, not a substitute for detailed performance monitoring.
Specifications
| Physical | |
|---|---|
| Width | 7.90 mm |
| Thickness | 2.88 mm |
| Weight | 3.3 to 5.2 g |
| Material | Titanium. A Ceramic edition is also sold |
| Water resistance | 100 m |
| Sizes | 4 to 15 |
| Sensing | |
| Sensor design | 18-path PPG |
| Operating temperature | -10 to 52 degrees C |
| © the5krunner. Link required. | |
| Software | |
| Membership | £5.99 / $5.99 a month, required |
| Platforms | iOS and Android |
| © the5krunner. Link required. | |
Battery life
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Ring battery | 5 to 8 days, depending on size and settings |
| Charging case | £99, holds up to five charges |
| © the5krunner. Link required. | |
Features
- Sleep, readiness and activity scores
- Heart rate and HRV tracking
- Skin temperature trends
- Women’s health and cycle insights
- Stress tracking
Other Oura models
Compare this model with the others in the range.
Further reading
Small things I always use
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter: Charges your Garmin from any USB-C cable. Essential when travelling. I use one.
- Body Glide: The blue anti-chafe stick swimmers and runners carry. I use it.
- Speedo earplugs: Fewer ear infections and no cold-water dizziness. I use them.
- Dryrobe Advance: My winter changing robe for open-water swims. I use one. A cheaper option is the AONYIYI changing robe.
- Maurten: Race fuel that stays easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Beet It Sport nitrate shots: Beetroot shots I take in the days before a race. I use them.
- Garmin charging puck: The quickest way to top up before a session. I use one.
- Injinji: Toe socks that stop rubbing, so you run more. I use them.
- Ultimate toe protectors: Stop black toenails on long runs. They work. I use them.
- Compressport R2 v2 calf sleeves: My calf sleeves of choice. I use them.
- Cellucor C4: My pre-workout before hard sessions.
- TPU tubes: Schwalbe Aerothan, Tubolito and Pirelli SmarTube. Light, tiny spares. I use all three.
- G8 insoles: Adjustable insoles that are good. I use them.
- Cycplus Cube: A 97g electric pump that gets a road tyre rideable in two minutes. I carry one. 5% off with code THE5KRUNNER.
Watches and sensors
- Polar H10: My daily driver for waking HRV.
- Polar Verity Sense: My backup arm-worn HR sensor.
- Nomad bedside charger: Charges my iPhone and Apple Watch overnight. I use it, and many of their bands.
- Train.Red: The best muscle oxygen sensor I’ve used.
- Tymewear: Accurate heart rate and reliable ventilatory zones. I use it to pace endurance rides over an hour.
- Garmin Forerunner 970: A pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Apple Watch Ultra 4: My daily smartwatch. No phone needed on rides.
- Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: I’ve just bought one.
On the bike
- Continental GP5000 for everyday riding, and Aero 111 on the front for special occasions.
- Helmets: Specialized S-Works Evade 3 for road riding, and Rudy Project Wing for TT-style races. I use both.
- Ravemen FR300: A front light that mounts under your Garmin or Wahoo. I use one.
- Wahoo TRACKR Radar: I use it on one bike and Varia on the other. They perform the same.
- Garmin Varia RTL515: Radar that warns you of cars from behind. I use this model.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3: The bike computer that’s easy to use. I use mine on most rides.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2: Accurate power pedals that swap easily between bikes. I use this model.
Home and indoor training
- NPE Runn: Makes my basic treadmill smart, sending more accurate speed and distance to my watch and Zwift. I use it.
- Google Wifi: Keeps Zwift connected in my pain cave. I use it.
- Apple TV 4K: Zwift on the big screen. I use two.
- Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen): My video doorbell, running in both Google Home and Apple Home. I use it.
Health, recovery and sleep
- FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus: Shows how my blood sugar responds to diet.
- hDrop: Measures my sweat loss in summer and indoors.
- Fourth Frontier Zone: Checks my heart under load in hard sessions.
- Oura Ring 5: My partner’s recovery tracker of choice.
- Eight Sleep: A cooling mattress cover my partner and I use nightly.
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