Read our Oura Ring 4 review and you'll see there's a lot to like about the smart ring that launched in October 2024 – we described it as “almost the perfect fitness tracker” while praising its battery life, tracking capabilities and design.
However, the high score associated with that review (4.5 stars out of 5) doesn't mean the Oura Ring 4 can't be improved, and we have some ideas about the kind of upgrades that could make the rumored fifth-generation model a worthwhile upgrade.
Oura Ring 5: leaks and rumors
There's nothing official about the Oura Ring 5 yet, but we have a hint that Oura is working on a new model of its smart ring. We got the company's third-generation device in October 2021 and the fourth-generation wearable in October 2024, so it makes sense that we'd see something new later in 2026. The Gadgets & Wearables team notes that another Oura device has already been registered with US regulators.
While there are many ways to style a smart ring, the Oura Ring 5 renders leaked by Android Headlines suggest that it won't change much in terms of aesthetics, and the fifth-gen ring will apparently also come with the same charging accessories.
What could be different are the colors: the same source predicts that the current Rose Gold color will be replaced by Deep Rose. Existing matte black, standard gold and silver options are expected to be retained, with the silver apparently available in a glossy and brushed option.
Other details are fairly scarce, although Android Headlines says the Oura Ring 5's battery life will be about the same as the current model (around six days, according to our testing). There will be improvements to sensors and health tracking, the report says, although we don't get any details.
More clues about what to expect come from Android Central, which points to patents Oura has filed for modular add-ons, GPS tracking, haptic feedback, and smart gesture support. However, as is always the case with patents, they are not always guaranteed to become real features, even if the company in question is exploring a certain technology.
It looks like the Oura Ring 5 will offer an evolution of what we have with the Oura Ring 4 based on these leaks and rumors, rather than something radically different, although perhaps with some surprises still to come in terms of software, sensors, and fitness tracking capabilities.
Oura Ring 5: what we want to see
At this point, it's probably too late in product development to convince Oura engineers to include features that have already been locked in or not, but it's still worth talking about what we'd like to see in the next smart ring, if only to have a list to refer to when it arrives.
A slimmer design
The Oura Ring 4 can't exactly be said to be bulky, but there is room for improvement here, especially when it comes to the larger ceramic version of the wearable device. The standard Oura Ring 4 is 2.88mm thick, while the ceramic version goes up to 3.51mm (and is heavier, too).
The RingConn Gen 2 is just 2mm thick, while the Samsung Galaxy Ring is 2.6mm, so this is one area where Oura is being outperformed by its competitors.
Size and weight are very important for a wearable device like this, which you'll be expected to wear 24 hours a day, and Oura could make the new ring a little smaller.
Lower price
The starting price of an Oura Ring 4 is $349 / £349 / AU$569, which doesn't compare too badly to the $399 / £399 / AU$699 you pay for the Samsung Galaxy Ring or the $299 / £269 / AU$269 starting price of the Amazfit Helio Ring. However, there is a chance that Oura could be cheaper with the Ring 5, especially considering the mandatory subscription.
An Oura subscription isn't an optional extra – it's required to use your device and will cost you $5.99 (around £4.40 / AU$8.30) a month. Realistically, Oura isn't going to kill that steady stream of revenue from its users, but given that commitment, it would be nice to see the asking price of the next smart ring drop.
A silicone case
The Oura Ring 4 is great for a lot of things, but it's not ideal for activities like racquet sports or weight training – the risk of damaging the device or your own body increases every time you do any kind of gripping or holding with your hands, and that's not something you need to worry about.
One of the third-party solutions for this, especially when it comes to gym work, is a silicone case to wear over the Oura wearable device. If one of these were included in the Oura Ring 5 box, it would save extra cost for the user (see above) and mean the device would be more useful out of the box, without any accessories.
We'll have to wait and see if the Oura team has been thinking along similar lines since the launch of the Oura Ring 4, but we'll let you know as soon as there's anything official about a new product (a product that's very likely to make our list of the best smart rings).
