Oura Health Oy, the popular smart ring maker seeking to go public this year, unveiled a significantly thinner and lighter new model along with new wellness features.
The Oura Ring 5 is 40% smaller overall than its predecessor, bringing its size and thickness more in line with an ordinary wedding band. The company was able to accomplish that in part by reducing the size of the battery pack while still promising battery life of up to about a week on one charge.
Oura also said it improved the sensing capabilities, repositioning the LEDs for measuring metrics like heart rate and oxygen saturation inside the band for better accuracy. There are also new wellness capabilities that aim at detecting signs of high blood pressure and sleep apnea. Those are also coming to some of the company’s older models. The new rings go on sale June 4 and become available for preorder on Thursday.
"It’s going to be super hot. Everyone we’ve shown it to has been like, ‘holy cow,’” Tom Hale, the company’s chief executive officer, said in an interview ahead of the announcement. He said the most common feedback has been about the size of the current model, with some men proclaiming it’s "too much of a statement” and women considering the current versions too big. The new ring addresses those complaints, he said.
The latest version is more expensive, coming in at US$399 (RM1,582) – up from US$349 (RM1,383) for the Oura Ring 4 – for standard silver and black metal finishes, while higher-end gold, stealth, rose gold and brushed silver versions cost an additional US$100 (RM396). The new design launches with an optional new portable charger for US$99 (RM392). (The new rings don’t work with the prior version of accessory while the new charger doesn’t support older rings.) The ceramic Oura Ring 4, launched last year, sticks around for US$349 (RM1,383).
Hale said that the price increase reflects the company’s move to keep the device as a premium product, particularly as it relates to smartwatches. "It’s a little bit between the premium smartwatch and the entry-level smartwatch,” he said. "That's kind of the place we want to be.” The competing Galaxy Ring from Samsung Electronics Co is priced at US$399 (RM1,582).
Oura’s software subscription for full functionality is still priced at US$5.99 (RM23.75) a month or US$69.99 (RM277.48) annually. Alphabet Inc’s Google, which recently rolled out the competing Fitbit Air band, charges US$10 (RM39.65) a month for its service, while a Whoop band can cost as much as US$360 (RM1,428) annually. An entry-level Apple Watch, which has no subscription option, costs US$249 (RM987), while higher-end Apple Watch Series 11 models start from US$399 (RM1,582).
Besides the revamped design, the company is pushing deeper into health-tracking, adding features that can detect potential signs of hypertension and sleep apnea. "We think of ourselves as a healthcare company, not a tech company,” Hale said.
A new menu, Health Radar, examines blood pressure and breathing disturbances during sleep by looking at patterns over several weeks and how those metrics might change overnight. Like Apple Inc, which offers similar features on the Apple Watch, Oura said the enhancements aren’t meant for a diagnosis but rather to encourage a follow-up visit with a doctor.
Health Radar builds on the popular Symptom Radar, a tool the company launched in 2024 to help users recognise when they might be coming down with a cold or other illness. "The whole idea is that we're like a screener or your check engine light for your body,” Hale added.
Other changes include the ability to upload previous bloodwork and health records related to allergy details, conditions and medications in order to get a fuller picture of one’s health.
"Between your labs, health records, biometric data and these alerts, we're actually able to deliver on this idea of the doctor in your pocket,” Hale said. "Because now all the context is there. What were your blood labs? What is your diagnosis? What medicines are you on? What medicines were you on? What is your biometric telling you right now?”
The company said it is also partnering with Counsel Health, an artificial intelligence-powered virtual care company, to allow its users to ask more questions about their health, and chat with licensed physicians for an additional fee.
Other updates include a real-time way to monitor live workouts, such as run distance and pace, via the app and lock screen. There’s also a space for GLP-1 users to track their dosing, symptoms and progress within the app.
Meanwhile, a new privacy feature lets users better control the data Oura can access, such as allowing members to delete sensitive information for specific time periods – including the last three months – while keeping the rest of their data intact. – Bloomberg
