Update: The Oura Ring 4 is now official – check out our full guide and hands-on review of the new Oura Ring 4 design.
The Oura Ring Gen 3 may still be one of the best smart rings money can buy, but the clamor for an updated design has grown louder since Oura Ring 4 rumors have hotted up.
With the Samsung Galaxy Ring now out in the wild – along with a RingConn Gen 2, Ultrahuman Ring Air, and plenty more competitors – Oura’s reign has never been under more threat.
Given the company’s third-gen ring is now a little long in the tooth, as well, it feels increasingly likely we could see an Oura Ring 4 arrive before 2024 is done.
Below, we’ve rounded up everything we know about a possible release – and a few features we would like to see land on the next Oura device.
Oura Ring 4: What we know so far
We first began this rumor guide earlier this year, and, since then, very little reliable information regarding an Oura Ring 4 has emerged. That was until July when a substantial leak came to light.
First spotted by the folks over at Android Authority, what appears to be the Ring 4 has been spied on its way through certification, with two variants seemingly being prepared.
The leak shows only one of the ring types – filed as ‘OA11’ – with little known about ‘OA12’. As we can see above, there doesn’t appear to be too much change except for the sensors and inside bumps sitting more flush than the current Gen 3 models. It also still appears quite thick.
Ultimately, however, ring designs are all incredibly similar, and the real proof will be in the thickness and weight details.
These will also, of course, vary depending on each ring’s size, and the leaked document suggests that sizes 7, 9, 13, and 15 are all being tested ahead of the Ring 4’s launch.
Oura Ring 4: Release date
While there’s no official word from Oura that a fourth-gen ring is in the works, the leak outlined above does hint that a release could be nearing.
It’s not just that, either – the timeline of previous Oura launches also points to the release of the Oura Ring 4 this year.
After delivering the original Oura Ring in 2015 via Kickstarter, the company followed it with the Oura Ring 2 in 2018 and the current-gen Oura Ring 3 in November 2021.
That’s a pretty clear and consistent three-year cycle for each model, and would mean 2024 should represent the end of the road for Oura Ring 3.
If it holds, we should see the Oura Ring 4 arrive in late 2024. At this stage, though, it’s all speculative stuff.
Should you wait for the Oura Ring 4?
Before the leaked certification emerged, we would have said to still consider picking up the Oura Ring Gen 3 range. However, this new information does provide a strong hint that a new piece of hardware is imminent – so, for that reason, we would advise holding off and seeing whether it’s announced before the end of the year.
Oura Ring 4: Features we want to see
As we say, the third-gen Oura Ring collection is still capable – even with new alternatives emerging all the time. With no new major hardware changes in a few years, though, an Oura Ring 4 feels necessary for the Finnish company to remain at the top of the pile going into 2025.
In that spirit, we’ve highlighted four features we would love to see on an all-new Oura.
1. Thinner and lighter design
Asking for a thinner or lighter design is akin to wanting longer battery life – an improvement is almost always welcome and possible between generations.
As the competition has improved dramatically in the last year or so, though, we think this has become an increasingly pertinent area for Oura; even something like the RingConn Gen 2 feels much lighter and less obtrusive than the company’s Gen 3 Horizon ring.
We’re not expecting Oura to deliver something comparable to a non-smart wedding band with the Ring 4, but we would like to see it take another step toward that reality by slimming down the overall profile.
2. Payment support
Oura has always been extremely focused on wellness, which means smart features like payment support have always been lacking. For the Oura Ring 4, we think it’d be great if this could somehow be integrated.
Oura acquired Proxy in 2023, and Oura CEO Tom Hale suggested the move could help the company expand into payments, as well as identity tagging, security, and key access.
We would say it’s very likely that something from that list of avenues will emerge in the next Oura Ring, and we think all would be welcome progressions. Just no vibrating for notifications, please.
3. Stress sensors
Oura has been at the forefront of many new-age health and wellness metrics in recent years – from arterial stiffness and chronotype analysis to pregnancy insights and AI coaching.
Yet, despite being excellent, it feels as though its Daytime Stress and Stress Resilience features have gone under the radar. And, with some more advanced tech, they may begin to cut through more.
The current delivery works well, with the four markers of your stress condition – stressed, engaged, relaxed, and restored – very easy to digest. However, the company currently grades your body responses through a spot-check distillation of heart rate variability, heart rate, skin temperature, and movement.
More and more wearables are incorporating electrodermal activity (EDA) sensors with solid results, and it feels like a natural fit for the Oura Ring 4.
4. Stronger emphasis on activity tracking
As mentioned above, Oura’s focus has always been on health, well-being, and sleep. And, in fairness, these are the best use cases for a smart ring.
However, we’ve also seen smart rings like the Amazfit Helio emerge and provide an example of how activity tracking – even if not directly performed by the ring – can be prioritized for serious athletes.
We’re not expecting any great advancements in accuracy (ultimately, smart rings just aren’t a great place to track activity from), but we’d love to see Oura get creative with the Ring 4 and make the Activity section of the app something we’re motivated to check in on.
We’ve appreciated the company’s desire to integrate with other platforms, like Google Health Connect, and even link up better with the Apple Watch, but we still think there’s more to be done here.
