Read our Oura Ring 4 review and you’ll see that there’s a lot to like about the smart ring, which launched in October 2024: we described it as being “almost the perfect fitness tracker”, while praising its battery life, tracking capabilities and design.
However, the high score attached to that review – 4.5 stars out of 5 – doesn’t mean the Oura Ring 4 can’t be improved, and we have some ideas about the kind of updates that could make the rumored fifth-generation model a worthwhile upgrade.
Oura Ring 5: leaks and rumours
There’s nothing official out there about the Oura Ring 5 yet, but we have a hunch that Oura is working on a new model of its smart ring. We got the company’s 3rd generation device in October 2021 and the 4th generation wearable in October 2024, so it makes sense that we might see something new later in 2026. The team at Gadgets & Wearables notes that another Oura device has already been registered with US regulators.
While there are only so many ways a smart ring can be designed, the Oura Ring 5 renders leaked by Android Headlines suggest that not much will change in terms of aesthetics – and the 5th generation ring will also apparently come with the same charging accessories.
What may be different are the colors: the same source predicts that the current Rose Gold color will be replaced by Deep Rose. The existing matte black, standard gold and silver options are expected to be retained, with the silver apparently available in both a glossy and brushed version.
Other details are pretty thin on the ground, though Android Headlines says battery life on the Oura Ring 5 will be more or less the same as on the current model (so around six days, based on our testing). There will be improvements in sensors and health tracking, the report says, although we don’t get any details.
More clues about what to expect come from Android Central, which points to patents Oura has filed for modular add-ons, GPS tracking, haptic feedback, and smart gesture support. As always with patents, however, they are not always guaranteed to translate into actual features, even if the company in question is exploring a particular technology.
It looks like the Oura Ring 5 will offer an evolution of what we have with the Oura Ring 4 based on these leaks and rumours, rather than something radically different – though perhaps with some surprises still to come in terms of software, sensors and fitness tracking features.
Oura Ring 5: what we will see
At this point, it’s probably too late in the development of the product to convince the Oura engineers to include features that may or may not have already been locked in, but it’s still worth talking about what we’d like to see from the upcoming smart ring — if only to have a list to refer to when it arrives.
A slimmer design
You can’t claim that the Oura Ring 4 is bulky, exactly, but there’s room for improvement here, especially when it comes to the larger ceramic version of the wearable. The standard Oura Ring 4 is 2.88mm thick, while the ceramic version tops out at 3.51mm (and it’s also heavier).
The RingConn Gen 2 is only 2mm thick, while the Samsung Galaxy Ring is 2.6mm, so this is one area where Oura is currently beaten by its competition.
Size and weight are so important for a wearable like this that you’re expected to wear around the clock, and Oura might be able to get the new ring fractionally smaller.
A lower price
The starting price for an Oura Ring 4 is $349 / £349 / AU$569, which doesn’t compare to the $399 / £399 / AU$699 you pay for the Samsung Galaxy Ring or the $299 / £269 / AU$269 starting price for the Amazfit Helio Ring. However, there is a possibility that Oura could be cheaper with Ring 5, especially when you consider the mandatory subscription.
An Oura subscription isn’t an optional extra: it’s required to use your device and will set you back $5.99 (about £4.40 / AU$8.30) a month. Realistically, Oura won’t make up for the steady stream of income from its users, but given that commitment, it would be nice to see the upfront price of the next smart ring drop.
A silicone sleeve
Oura Ring 4 is great for many things, but it’s not ideal for activities like racquet sports or weight training: the risk of damage to the device or your own body increases when you grab or hold with your hands, and that’s not something you want to have to worry about.
One of the third-party fixes for this, especially when it comes to gym work, is a silicone sleeve to wear over the Oura wearable. If one of these were to be included in the box with the Oura Ring 5, it would save additional costs for the user (see above), and mean that the device would be more useful immediately – without any accessories.
We’ll have to wait and see if the team at Oura has been thinking along similar lines since the launch of the Oura Ring 4, but we’ll let you know as soon as there’s anything official about a new product (a product that’s very likely to break into our list of best smart rings).
