I've been wearing the new Oura Ring 5 for 3 months - here's why it's the only fitness tracker I wear every day

I'm a big fan of Oura, having worn the previous model every day and night since its release a few years ago. In the world of fitness trackers, it's undeniably the best smart ring, with the most discreet design and reliable technology.

I've been wearing the Oura Ring 5 for three months now, and it's the best smart ring today. New features include a thinner-than-ever design, which packs advanced technology into a tiny surface area. It's so comfortable on my finger and blends into the background so easily that I've forgotten I'm wearing it on several occasions, including while posing in my friend's wedding photos. I'd challenge anyone to find another health tracker that's so discreet.

The Oura Ring 5's design is why I still wear it every day. However, there's plenty more to shout about.

Oura Ring 5 review

Quick overview

The design improvements are more than just selling points. There are noticeable differences in the look and feel of the Oura Ring 4 and 5, more so than there were between the 3 and 4. It is thinner and very lightweight, making it easier than ever to wear 24/7, which is ultimately what you need to do to make the most of the continuous health-tracking sensors.

It feels barely there on the finger, and the rich metallic colourways (I went for rose gold) make the Oura Ring 5 look deceptively like jewellery, more so than any other smart ring I've tried - and I've worn a few this year.

Historically, I've been cautious about wearing my ring in the gym after I noticeably scratched my gold Oura Ring 4 on a set of dumbbells a week in. After reading that the Oura Ring 5 is made from stronger, more scratch-resistant titanium, I hesitantly kept it on for my most recent workout. I didn't notice any scratches for the first few weeks. I have spotted a few in recent days, but they are so minor compared to what I saw in previous models.

Software-wise, anyone who's had an Oura Ring before won't notice many changes, but the brand promises more accurate insights than ever thanks to new, improved sensors. I found this true, especially with sleep quality and duration, and step count. While no smart ring can completely accurately record steps, in my experience, the Oura Ring 5 does a better job than most.

The only slip-up I've seen is after I've been lying down (but not asleep). The ring will sometimes pick this up as a nap and add it to my sleep data for the night, which can skew the insights.

I've also noticed the Advisor feature, an AI-led tool that helps answer specific questions about your data, is quicker and more accurate than before.

It has the same £5.99 subscription fee to access the insights. You will also need to order a (free) sizing kit, even if you've had a ring before. The design means it sizes slightly differently than the Oura Ring 3 or 4.

Specifications

What is the Oura Ring 5 like to wear?

Measuring just over six millimetres wide, the new model is considerably thinner than previous versions, which have bordered on bulky. At 2g on average, it's also noticeably lighter, but it still feels durable.

You can wear the Oura Ring 5 on one of three fingers: index, middle, or ring finger, marking a change from previous models, which were worn on the index finger.

With the reintroduction of rose gold, which appears as a deep copper colour, there are also more colourways to choose from. Others include gold, brushed silver, stealth (deep grey), black, and silver.

It also has a longer battery life of six to nine days, compared to five to eight days, which I haven't noticed yet, but I'm sure will come to appreciate. I have noticed that as my rings get older (2+ years), battery life begins to dip significantly to about four days, which has been disappointing. I hope this changes with the Oura Ring 5.

Sleep tracking on the Oura Ring 5

The Oura Ring has always been my favourite sleep tracker. The improved design of the 5 makes it even more unobtrusive to wear overnight, and the low-profile sensors sit flush against the skin, so there's no chance of interruption with hand movement while asleep.

If you've worn an Oura Ring before, you'll know the drill. For those looking to invest in one for the first time, you'll find a plethora of advanced insights - including total sleep time, efficiency, restfulness, sleep stages (REM, deep, light), latency, and timing, which all feed into your daily Sleep Score. Once you've worn the ring for a few weeks, it'll pick up on your Body Clock and suggest a suitable bedtime for your routine and sleep needs. If you need more sleep, the Sleep Debt tab will highlight how many more hours to schedule.

One of my favourite features of the Oura world is the longer-term health features. While most fitness trackers will show you a live picture of your health, Oura takes it one step further, delivering Sleep Health insights over weeks, months, and years in the My Health tab, helping you look at the bigger picture.

Fitness tracking on the Oura Ring 5

The Oura Ring has never led with fitness insights. Rather, it uses your activity data to create the bigger picture of your health, be that your sleep needs, stress levels, heart health, or daily Readiness Score.

You do get a daily step count, daily calorie burn, automatically recorded workouts (with a GPS route recorded if it's outside), and manual workout modes you can enable. You can also retrospectively log activities. Key metrics (like hours of inactivity, training volume (how many workouts you've done), recovery time, and training frequency) can help plan your movement for the week.

It's undoubtedly impressive, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to move more and see how their exercise and weekly habits impact their fitness and overall health. I would say, however, that it's not as accurate for some activities and the step count can sometimes be overstated (but I haven't had the Oura Ring 5 long enough to see if this issue is present on the new model).

The design means you can't get live workout data, which would be essential for runners, cyclists, and other cardio lovers, so if this is you, I'd recommend one of the best running watches or best Garmin watches instead - or, if budget allows, to use alongside your Oura Ring 5.

Recently, I also weighed up the new Fitbit Air vs Oura Ring as the two have similar designs in a way, with two very different price tags.

Health tracking on the Oura Ring 5

Stress is another health pillar that the Oura Ring 5 focuses on, just as the 3 and 4 models did. You'll get an overview of your stress for the day (not all of which is bad stress, as activities like exercise influence it) and your Resilience Score, which is a longer-term marker of how well you are dealing with life's daily pressures. In the past, I've found this very useful to work out if I'm feeling the effects of a busy few weeks. When my Resilience is down, I focus more on sleep and recovery than exercise and socialising.

Cumulative Stress is another longer-term marker, using your sleep and activity data, along with temperature markers.

Together, when these are in flux, it can be a sign (along with other metrics) that your body is coming down with something. That's when the Symptom Radar will go off, and you'll get a notification that all is not well, and that maybe you could do with some downtime. I've seen this in the days before I get a cold, and it's given me a chance to stock up on vitamins before the symptoms hit.

Alongside the release of the Oura Ring 5 (they are also available on the previous model), new health-tracking features have been released. These include Health Radar, which warns about potential blood pressure and sleep breathing problems before they surface, and features for GLP-1 users to track their progress.

Is the Oura Ring 5 worth buying?

Yes, absolutely. At £399, it's the same price as the previous Oura Ring 4, but it offers a better design and more advanced, accurate sensors that detect vitals no matter where the ring is on your finger.

The colourways add a real premium feel to the upgrade as well, and I'd recommend the Deep Rose to anyone who normally wears gold as a pop of something different.

However, if you already have the Oura Ring 4 and it's working perfectly for you, I'd say there's little reason to invest right now. The metrics remain the same, the app is the same, and future feature upgrades will also be available on this older model.

Also, if you are looking to buy the gold metallic design (£499 in the 5), then you'll find this on sale in the previous model for £100 less - now £399.