GEAR & GADGETS

Oura Ring 5 Review: The World’s Smallest Smart Ring, Tested

James Okafor · Gear & Gadgets · June 3, 2026

Oura just dropped the Ring 5 — and the numbers are wild. It’s 40% smaller than the Ring 4. It weighs 2 grams at its lightest. It adds GLP-1 insights, blood pressure signals, and on-demand health care escalation. And it costs $50 more than last year’s model. Here’s the real-world verdict after a week of wearing it.

The smart ring market shipped over 4 million units in 2025, doubling for the second consecutive year. Oura has sold 5.5 million rings since 2013, and the Finnish-American company — which confidentially filed for an IPO on May 22 at an $11 billion valuation — is betting the Ring 5 will widen its lead over Samsung, Apple, and everyone else eyeing the category.

The question is whether smaller hardware and smarter software add up to a compelling upgrade — or whether Oura is iterating faster than its customers need it to.

The Ring 5 is the smallest smart ring on the market — barely noticeable during daily wear. | Source: Pexels

01 — The Hardware: Actually Invisible

The thing you notice first about the Ring 5 is that you don’t notice it. At 6.09mm wide and 2.28mm thick, it’s the first smart ring I’ve worn that genuinely feels like a normal piece of jewellery. Compare that to the Ring 4 (8.57mm wide) and you’re looking at a device that has shrunk by nearly a third in width.

I wore it on my index finger — Oura’s recommended position — and after 48 hours, I had to consciously check that it was still there. The matte black finish (the base $399 option) resists scratches better than the glossy Ring 4 finish did. There’s also brushed silver, gold, and deep rose at $499. At 2g for the smaller sizes — and still under 3g for the largest — it’s functionally weightless according to CNBC’s early briefing.

Battery life is rated at a week — same as the Ring 4 — and in testing, I got six full days with continuous SpO2 monitoring enabled. The optional charging case, which Oura sells separately, adds portability but costs extra. That’s becoming a theme.

02 — The Software: Oura Wants to Be Your Doctor

The Ring 5 hardware is impressive, but the software is where Oura is making its biggest bet. Three new features define the update: GLP-1 insights, blood pressure signals, and an on-demand health escalation pipeline that can route you from an AI chat to a licensed physician.

GLP-1 insights track metabolic changes that may indicate how your body is responding to weight management — useful for the growing number of people on GLP-1 medications, but also broadly applicable to anyone tracking metabolic health. The blood pressure signals feature monitors trends rather than giving clinical spot readings. It’s not a replacement for a cuff, but it adds a meaningful dimension to the ring’s cardiovascular monitoring.

The most ambitious feature is the health escalation pipeline. If you get a Symptom Radar alert — Oura’s early-warning illness detection — you can now escalate directly into a conversation with clinical AI, and from there to a doctor. Oura CEO Tom Hale described it as moving from “What is going on?” to a doctor conversation in an interview with the New York Post. Insurance partnerships through Essence Health and Counsel Health back the medical side.

These features all work on Gen3 and Gen4 rings too, so existing Oura users get the software upgrade without new hardware.

03 — The Competition: Who Else Is in the Ring?

Samsung launched the Galaxy Ring in July 2024 to decent reviews but hasn’t released a successor. There won’t be a Galaxy Ring 2 in 2026 according to SamMobile, leaving Oura uncontested on the hardware front for at least another year. The Galaxy Ring’s advantage — no monthly subscription — remains, but the gap in sensors, size, and software sophistication has widened significantly with the Ring 5.

Apple and Google haven’t entered the ring category yet, though both are reportedly exploring it. For now, the smart ring market is Oura’s to lose — which is exactly why they’re pushing the IPO narrative alongside the product launch. The company has sold 5.5 million rings, raised $11 billion in valuation, and is now racing to become the default health wearable for people who don’t want a screen on their wrist.

Oura’s software suite — GLP-1 insights, blood pressure trends, and AI health escalation — works on Gen3 rings and newer. | Source: Pexels

04 — The Subscription Problem

Here’s where the verdict gets complicated. The Oura Ring 5 hardware costs $399 to $499 — a $50 to $100 increase over the Ring 4 Forbes noted. But the real cost is the $5.99 monthly subscription required to access the health data the ring collects. That’s $72 a year, every year.

Over a typical two-year upgrade cycle, you’ll spend $470–570 on hardware plus $144 on subscriptions — about $600–700 total. That puts Oura in the same price tier as an Apple Watch, which has a screen, apps, notifications, and more comprehensive workout tracking. The counter-argument — and it’s a fair one — is that the ring is a fundamentally different form factor. You can’t sleep comfortably in an Apple Watch. You can in an Oura ring.

05 — Verdict: Who Should Actually Buy This

The Oura Ring 5 is the best smart ring ever made. It’s smaller, smarter, and more ambitious than anything in the category — and its software update (GLP-1 insights, blood pressure signals, AI health escalation) makes even Gen3 and Gen4 rings meaningfully better.

Who should buy it: Anyone upgrading from a Ring 3 or earlier. The size and weight difference alone justifies the purchase. First-time smart ring buyers who want the best available hardware and don’t mind the subscription. And anyone who’s serious about sleep and recovery tracking — Oura remains the gold standard.

Who should skip it: Ring 4 owners who are happy with their current size and battery life — the software update gives you most of the new features without new hardware. Budget-conscious buyers who should look at the Galaxy Ring or a Fitbit. And anyone who needs serious workout tracking — this is not a Garmin replacement, and Oura doesn’t pretend it is.

The real-world verdict: Oura built the ring it needed to build. The hardware is a genuine engineering achievement. The subscription model still stings. But if you can stomach the recurring cost, the Ring 5 is the most polished, unobtrusive health wearable I’ve ever tested.