I’ve been wearing the Oura Ring 5 for a month, and it’s a huge improvement than expected

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• Benefits: The product’s smart ring is very thin, 40% smaller than the last model. An extra day of battery life. Useful app additions and details for GLP-1.
• Evil: Except for the smaller physical form, it is very similar to Oura Ring 4. However, it costs about $50 for the same annual subscription.

After a few weeks wearing Oura’s skin Oura Ring 5 near my finger, I was riding the subway when I saw a girl’s hand wearing something not so small Oura Ring 4. The thinness of the ring caught my eye, and I spent a few seconds focusing on that thick piece of wearable technology. It looked big on his finger and was immediately visible — ugly, I mean.

Also: I dug deeper into my Oura Ring data using this free app – here’s what I found

Maybe I wouldn’t have noticed that before the Oura Ring 5, but as soon as Oura’s latest ring was introduced with a much smaller design, every other smart ring in my view became outdated.

It’s funny how quickly we adapt to something new, and how technology from a year or two ago becomes obsolete in the proper development. Nowhere is that more evident than in Oura’s latest (and tiniest) smart ring.

As I am wearing the Oura Ring 5 In the past few weeks, I have thought a lot about this idea. Like Apple unveiling the iPhone Air, the biggest improvement in this smart ring is the size and thinness of the device itself; not much else has changed.

Sure, the Oura Ring 5 comes with a few software updates that reflect Oura’s larger mission as a health technology company, but you’re really buying it for its ingenious design — the software is a nice addition.

Also: Oura Ring 5 vs. Oura Ring 4: I compared both smart rings for health tracking – you should buy this one

I’ve been wearing the Oura Ring 5 everywhere for the past few weeks, and the latest generation is a worthy upgrade for a few reasons. Here is what I found.

Two major improvements

40% is a big number with the Oura Ring 5. It is 40% smaller than its predecessor, and, as someone who has worn the Oura Ring 4 since it came out, I can confirm that it is noticeable. It seems that other users are also noticing the difference: one Reddit user said they thought they forgot about the ring on their finger, only to realize it was there — much smaller than the previous generation.

Also: Google’s Fitbit Air is a $99 screen wearable I can take seriously

Oura also claims to have added an extra day of battery life to the new ring, despite the smaller size. This is due to improved signal paths, a new battery, and improved AI, the company says. That improved battery claim may be true, but it depends a lot on the size of the smart ring you’re wearing. I wear a size 6 ring, for example, and I haven’t experienced much change between my first few weeks of using the Oura Ring 4 and Oura Ring 5.

I tested the battery life of the Oura Ring 5 by wearing it and recording its percentage each day to see how quickly the smart ring’s battery drains. Because the battery capacity depends on the size of the ring, and I have one of Oura’s smaller rings, I was expecting a shorter battery life already. Here’s how the battery performed over a six-day period.

On June 9, Oura informed me that I had seven hours left in the battery before it died. If I had let it die completely, it would have gone to 0% at 1 am on June 10, making the total battery life of this smart ring, in its first battery operation, about six days and a few hours.

During my first test with the Oura Ring 4 about a year ago, I wrote that the Oura Ring 4 gave me about five and a half days of battery life. With the 5, I got about a day more of battery life during my first week. Not too bad.

About that software…

When Oura launched the Oura Ring 5, it announced several software additions that make the smart ring a little more useful and relevant for tracking modern life. In the last few software updates, Oura added a live tracker widget for your smartphone and a feature for where you dropped your ring or its charging case.

There were also some special features for women: Members of Oura could record their symptoms during their pregnancy or perimenopausal track to guide their condition, providing in-depth information about the user’s life at an important time. Oura continues this ethos with its latest feature, available now in the Oura app.

Also: I tracked 3,000 steps on my Apple Watch, Google Pixel, and Oura Ring – this one was very accurate.

Something that will be relevant to new demographics is the GLP-1 profile feature, which includes your health data as you begin taking weight loss medications. Dose, weight, and side effects are linked to biomarkers Oura already measures, such as sleep, stress, vitals, and readiness. I haven’t tested this feature, as I’m not on GLP-1, but I can imagine it being useful for someone starting the drug and wondering if their symptoms are normal or concerning.

Another feature in development is Health Radar, Oura’s extension of Symptom Radar, a near-magical feature that successfully predicted sick days before I got sick. Health Radar will track cardiovascular health and overall blood pressure, as well as nocturnal breathing over a 30-day period. This will come to the Oura app on July 8, 2026, and is entry-only.

ZDNET shopping advice

If you plan to upgrade from a previous gen ring to a Oura Ring 5you will do so in a small design, first and foremost. That’s the biggest draw of this review, and what makes wearing a ring so much fun, smart, and like real jewelry.

Also: Why your Oura Ring battery is dying so quickly (and what Oura is doing about it)

You’ll likely get another day of battery life with this update as well, although we’ll see how long that battery decides to last, as the Oura Ring 4 had a few battery issues of its own that resulted in diminishing returns on the battery over a year of use. Oura replaced that battery with a new one for the fifth generation ring, so I hope the Oura Ring 5 will have a longer battery life than its predecessor.

As for the general stuff, the Oura Ring still excels in sleep, stress, and symptom tracking. I would recommend it to anyone looking for the best health or sleep tracker on the market, especially if they want a smart ring over a fitness band or watch.

Why Oura Ring 5 gets an Editor’s Choice Award

The best health trackers can still be difficult to wear, and even smart rings still feel like technology disguised as jewelry. The Oura Ring 5 is the first smart ring I’ve tested that feels like jewelry first and technology second.

Its slim design makes a big difference in everyday wear, and it’s the most comfortable smart ring I’ve tested. Oura matches its advanced physical design with signature, information-driven software with the Oura Ring 5.