Ourathe Finnish company that has done the most to put smart rings ready to display the fourth generation Ring on the map. The new model gets a sleeker design, longer battery life, and smarter sensors for smarter insights for users. But what I’m really interested in is that the company has finally made a perfectly round ring that doesn’t include anything. ugly ass patterns outside.
The biggest change to the Ring 4 is in the sensors, which are placed in the raised bumps that previously interacted with your finger. Now the sensors are in the same position as the body, making everything smoother and smoother than before. While I’ve yet to see it in the flesh, press images suggest it’s a slimmer piece than its predecessors.
These sensor improvements are aimed not only at making them smaller, but also at improving our ability to look at our bodies. Combined with the new Smart Sensing algorithm in Ring 4, Gen3 has 18 different signal paths, rather than eight, Oura says. The ring will automatically optimize which of these 18 tracks to use for constant reading, given how much jewelry moves throughout the day.
This is a real problem for some Oura users because if the ring changes too much, you will get inconsistent readings. The company claims the new device offers a 30 percent increase in blood oxygen uptake, a 31 percent increase in heart rate at night, and seven percent fewer gaps during the day. Oura hasn’t revealed what battery size the Ring 4 has, but says the above arrangements should help it last up to eight days on a single charge.
The Ring 4 is available in 12 sizes (4-15) and six colors; Silver, Brushed Silver, Gold, Rose, Hidden and Black. All Stealth rods are coated in titanium with a physical vapor deposition coating, and the rim is coated in titanium with a diamond-like carbon coating. Like its predecessor, it is water-resistant to a depth of 100 meters and is suitable for saunas and swimming, but not deep-sea diving.
The company is also redesigning its mobile app to group all the data it collects about you into three distinct categories: Today, Vitals, and My Health. The first two of these help you review your vital signs for the day in general or in detail. My Health, meanwhile, will provide more long-term data, including your cardiovascular age, heart rate, stress and sleep. This will begin rolling out to all users today, regardless of which generation of rings they have.
When reviewing the third generation RingI was concerned about the company’s decision to put paywall features behind the monthly subscription. Look, I understand that you can’t build a sustainable hardware business with single device sales, and this kind of recurring revenue helps keep the lights on. But that only works if what you’re offering is compelling enough to justify $5.99 a month or $70 a year, so Ring 4 gets some new membership-only features.
It includes automatic heart rate and activity detection for up to 40 different activities, eliminating the need for users to manually record post-workout stats. When the app detects signs of high stress, it will now put that information in context with your movement, activities and tags. In addition, there’s a better-designed feature set with new concepts for fertility windows for menstruating people – which the company adds is designed to help, not prevent, pregnancy.
Of course, while Oura was never the only game in town, there is competition now Samsung Galaxy Ring. You can see that Samsung The integrated sensors are ahead of the company it’s inspired by, but the Galaxy Ring is fairly basic in terms of features. Oura CEO Tom Hale said this Bloomberg he feels that the Korean giants are two years behind his company.
Oura Ring 4 available for pre-order today, with shipping expected to begin on October 15, 2024, with prices starting at $349. The first month of membership is free, with users coughing up $5.99 per month or $69.99 per year. Even if you already have an Oura Ring sizing kit, the company urges you to get an updated sizing kit before ordering your ring size 4-15.
