Most people tracking the smart ring market expected the Oura Ring 5 to arrive around 2027. That timeline changed quickly. Oura announced the Ring 5 yesterday and opened pre-orders, with shipping slated to begin on June 4.
The standout change is size. Oura says the Ring 5 is roughly 40% smaller than the Ring 4, measuring just 6.09mm wide and 2.28mm thick, with the smallest sizes weighing about 2 grams. To achieve that compact profile, Oura redesigned nearly every internal element: mechanical components, electronics, optics, battery, and sensors were rebuilt to fit the smaller form while retaining functionality.
The sensing hardware was significantly reworked. Where the previous generation used 18 signal pathways, the Ring 5 uses twelve optimized pathways combined with more powerful LEDs and redesigned sensor domes to improve skin contact. Oura reports these changes enhance measurement accuracy across a wider range of finger shapes and skin tones, not only under ideal conditions. Battery life also improves slightly, with Oura estimating six to nine days on a charge versus five to eight days for the Ring 4.
What’s New Beyond the Design
Beyond physical redesigns, the Ring 5 introduces a new software capability called Health Radar. Health Radar continuously monitors biometrics and highlights patterns that may warrant attention. At launch it includes two features: Blood Pressure Signals and Nighttime Breathing.
Blood Pressure Signals analyzes cardiovascular patterns during sleep and provides alerts when unusual patterns appear. Nighttime Breathing offers a 30-day rolling view of sleep-related breathing disturbances, helping users track trends over time rather than single-night anomalies. At release, both of these features will be available in the United States, India, and the United Arab Emirates.
Oura is also adding live activity tracking on June 4. That feature enables real-time monitoring of pace, distance, and heart rate during workouts via the Oura app. Importantly, live activity tracking will be available globally and will support Oura Ring Gen 3 and later models, so it is not limited to Ring 5 owners.
Pricing for the Ring 5 starts at $399 for Silver and Black finishes. Premium finishes—Gold, Stealth, Brushed Silver, and Deep Rose—are priced at $499. The optional charging case, sold separately for $99, provides additional on-the-go top-ups and holds enough charge to extend usage between wall charges for roughly a month of typical top-ups. An Oura membership remains required to access the app and advanced features; membership is priced at $5.99 per month or $69.99 per year.
The Ring 4 launched about a year and a half ago, making this refresh faster than Oura’s normal cadence. The smart ring market has become more competitive in that time, with subscription-free alternatives and other new devices gaining attention. The Ring 5’s release also coincides with activity from competitors: it arrives one day before the RingConn Gen 3 began shipping, highlighting a crowded and rapidly evolving space for wearable sleep and health tracking.
In short, the Oura Ring 5 focuses on a much smaller footprint while redesigning core sensing and power systems. It pairs that hardware shrink with new software tools aimed at spotting cardiovascular and breathing patterns during sleep, plus global live activity tracking for more active use cases. For prospective buyers, the main considerations will be the improved compactness, the updated sensing approach, battery improvements, the added Health Radar features at launch regions, and ongoing subscription requirements for full functionality.