More of us are switching to smart rings like the Oura Ring 3, with new technologies making them a worthwhile alternative to traditional fitness tracker watches.
One of the first people to follow this trend was Jennifer Aniston. The star was spotted with Oura Ring on her ringer as she walked the streets of New York, filming The Morning Show.
As we reveal in our Oura Ring review, this smart ring is an advanced health and well-being tracker that offers insights into sleep, stress, and daily activity. Now, it's £50 off, bringing the price tag down to its lowest since Black Friday last year.
Shop the Oura Ring 3
In 2021, Jennifer Aniston appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and revealed she had become 'addicted' to the smart ring, fascinated by the sleep insights.
Last year, while promoting her new book, Jennifer appeared on the show again - still wearing her Oura Ring.
The star is known for her 15-15-15 workout and Pvolve method, so it's no surprise we're taking inspiration from her wearables now too, but Jennifer Aniston isn't the only A-lister who proudly wears the Oura Ring.
Gwyneth Paltrow has also snapped pictures of herself wearing the tracking ring at home, paired with several stylish outfits.
Is the Oura Ring really worth buying?
While we're quick to look to celebrities for healthy inspiration, their lifestyles don't tend to match ours. So, we took the Oura Ring 3 for a spin ourselves to reveal whether it's really worth buying in this year's Black Friday sale.
Verdict: Yes, if sleep tracking is your main priority.
If you want to understand your sleep and recovery habits better, the Oura Ring 3 is a great alternative to one of the best Fitbits or Garmin watches. Alongside basic insights like sleep quality (how much deep sleep and REM sleep you have versus light sleep) and duration, you'll find it offers unique data like Restfulness (wake-ups and excessive movements during the night) and Latency (how long it takes you to fall asleep) numbers, with personalised insights into your sleep chronotype (your body's sleep schedule) and how you might like to change your sleep routine for the better.
To do this, the smart ring takes all elements of your day into account, including your activity and stress levels. You can also track your menstrual cycle and connect your ring to various hormone-monitoring apps to get even more insights. It's an excellent device for monitoring your overall health and wellness.
It's also a good choice if you're more interested in doing Pilates every day or yoga over running (since the Oura Ring has advanced stress and mindfulness insights) and if you are more interested in your step count than your walking distance. The Oura Ring covers just the basics with a few activity profiles, and the sensors pick up on step count, predicted calorie burn, heart rate, and so on during your workouts.
- OURA RING GEN 3 HORIZON: 20% off in the Amazon Spring sale
There are better options for fitness enthusiasts, so it's worth weighing the smart ring up against some of its competitors - like Oura Ring vs Garmin or Oura Ring vs Fitbit.
As the Oura Ring doesn't have a screen or in-built GPS, you can't see your live workout stats or record your distance or pace without your phone (or using another device alongside it - like the Fitbit Charge 6 or the Apple Watch Series 9).
Despite the Oura Ring being an excellent choice for monitoring your sleep patterns, stress, and overall health, we don't think it's as accurate as other devices for workout-dedicated fitness tracking.
That doesn't mean you have to stick to a smartwatch. Given the rise in smart rings in recent years, Samsung and other brands have also released their versions, with the Samsung Galaxy Smart Ring scoring four stars in our review. The Ultrahuman Ring is another good alternative to the Oura Ring 3, with the main plus being that it doesn't come with a subscription to maintain to keep getting insights - unlike the Oura Ring.
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