Oura 5 Disappears Into the Hand
The world’s smallest smart ring pairs a frame 40 percent slimmer than its predecessor with software built to flag health shifts before symptoms surface
I’ve tracked my health with wearables since before Oura existed, cycling through chunky fitness wrist bands, goofy sleep headbands and early smart rings like the Motiv on the way to becoming an Oura loyalist starting with the first generation in 2015. Across that decade the category has shed its overtly technical look and edged toward everyday jewelry, with Oura leading the shift and repeatedly making its case that the finger—where the pulse signal runs up to 100 times stronger than at the wrist—is the most accurate place to read the body. Announced last week on 28 May and landing on doorsteps today, 4 June, the Oura Ring 5 pushes that logic further, claiming the title of the world’s smallest smart ring. Also released today is an app update that unlocks several new features for all Oura users.
I’ve been wear-testing a Stealth-colored Oura 5 ahead of launch, and the difference registers immediately. At 6.09mm wide and 2.28mm thick it is 40 percent smaller than the Oura Ring 4 and sits far more comfortably than any version before it. Most importantly the ring is least noticeable in everyday wear and its presence when gripping a knife or lifting weights is far reduced compared to the Oura 4. The smaller size doesn’t not come with a concession to capability, in fact Oura claims its accuracy is increased. The internal architecture was rebuilt from scratch around low-profile sensor domes and 12 signal pathways tuned for cleaner readings across varied skin tones and finger types. Even at this scale the Oura 5 holds 6 to 9 days of charge. I began testing on 29 May and now at time of publishing this story—nearly six full days later—the ring’s battery is at 44%. It ships with the same puck-style charger as its predecessor though the redesign rules out cross-compatibility—an Oura 5 will not charge on an Oura 4 puck. A slim aluminum travel charging case that banks up to a month of power is sold separately.
Form is only half the story. Oura has paired the hardware with a run of app updates meant to move members from passive tracking toward deliberate action. The most consequential is Live Activity Tracking. Available globally from today, it lets members start a workout and follow real-time metrics as they move—a genuine departure for a platform built largely around what the body did overnight and more directly in competition with other wearable fitness trackers. Health Radar, meanwhile, has evolved from the existing Symptoms Radar, sharpening its read on physiological shifts before they harden into problems. It now tracks nighttime blood pressure trends to catch cardiovascular warning signs that daytime readings miss and also adds Nighttime Breathing to watch for sleep disturbances. These features begin reaching members this month. Through an Oura Labs update arriving for eligible US members this June, a partnership with Counsel Health lets those flagged by a concerning trend tap AI-enabled care and reach licensed providers inside the app rather than wait for an annual physical.
Metabolic health is another new focal point. Oura claims that roughly 50% of members live with some kind of metabolic condition, many now managing it with medication. GLP-1 Insights lets users log doses, side effects and weight alongside and correlated to existing data sets such as sleep and resting heart rate. An upcoming global Lab Uploads update later this month will let members import clinical results directly, reading blood biomarkers next to daily Oura data. New Locate and Data Deletion tools hand members granular control over their hardware and what it records, and a Brain Health Study now in Oura Labs for eligible US members relates daily habits to long-term mental sharpness through validated digital assessments.
After a week on my finger, the Oura 5 reads less like a device than a habit. Oura has narrowed the hardware close to invisibility while widening what the software watches for, shifting the wearable’s job from recording what already happened to flagging what hasn’t yet.
The Oura 5 comes in six finishes. Silver and Black anchor the range at $399 while the $499 premium tier spans Stealth, Brushed Silver, a redesigned Gold and a copper-toned Deep Rose new to the lineup. Because the ring is 40 percent smaller and sits on slightly raised internal sensors, Oura urges every buyer—Oura 4 owners included—to order the new Oura 5 Sizing Kit and confirm their fit before purchasing.
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