Oura Ring 4 vs Oura Ring 3: Is now the time to upgrade?

If you’re looking for the best smart ring, there’s a strong chance you’ve come across Oura. This Finnish company kicked off the nascent category of the smart ring with the original Oura Ring, and it’s only strengthened its standing ever since. The Oura Ring 3 had dominated the charts for the past three years, but its lead is shrinking as the competition began to catch up to it.

Fresh off the heels of competition like the Samsung Galaxy Ring and RingConn Gen 2, Oura unveiled the Oura Ring 4. It’s sleeker, redesigned, vastly improved, and aimed at keeping Oura at the top of every smart ring chart. The Oura Ring 4 has an improved battery life, a redesigned sensing system, and a suite of new software features, many of which will also be coming to the Oura Ring 3.

Is the Oura Ring 4 worth upgrading to if you have an Oura Ring 3? If you’re new to Oura, which one should you buy? Let’s dig into the details.

Oura Ring 4 vs Oura Ring 3: design and build

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Oura Ring 3 launched to much acclaim, but over the past year, we’ve seen companies solve many of the key problems that surfaced with it. First, it’s much thicker and heavier than the competition, which can be particularly challenging when you have swollen fingers. Companies like Samsung and RingConn have proven you can have a smart ring that’s thinner, lighter, and has better battery life than the Oura Ring 3.

The Oura Ring 4 addresses these challenges and more, thanks to an all-titanium redesign and a new integrated sensing design that removes the need for sensor domes on the inside of the ring, aside from two very small ones. If you struggle with swollen fingers that make wearing a smart ring uncomfortable, these improvements make the Oura Ring 4 worth considering.

The Oura Ring 3 (left) and Oura Ring 4 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Oura Ring 4 is also available in a wider range of sizes, from 4 through 15, while the Oura Ring 3 is limited to 5 through 13. The Ring 4 is made of titanium throughout, while the Ring 3 uses a titanium exterior with an epoxy interior. The result is a slightly lighter Ring 4 — up to 0.8 grams depending on your size — that is also negligibly thinner.

Both rings are durable, but the Oura Ring 4 should prove to be more durable thanks to the redesigned finishes. However, neither is good to wear while doing physical labor or lifting weights as there’s always a risk of damaging the exterior.

The Oura Ring 4 is thinner, lighter, and sleeker, and fixes a few key problems with the Oura Ring 3. In particular, the redesigned interior of the ring makes it far more comfortable even with underlying health conditions.

Winner: Oura Ring 4

Oura Ring 4 vs Oura Ring 3: fitness and tracking

Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends

The Oura Ring 4 introduces the next generation of Oura’s fitness-tracking suite. Instead of sensor domes on the inside of the ring, the Oura Ring 4 debuts a new system called “Smart Sensing” that is designed to offer improved accuracy.

The new system creates up to 18 sensing paths to read through your finger, and it then picks the most accurate at that moment. The previous approach on the Oura Ring 3 offered up to eight paths, so the new system is theoretically more than twice as accurate. It also means that the Oura Ring 4 captures data more frequently, ensuring greater accuracy in the underlying data and subsequent analysis in the app.

Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends

This is where the differences mostly end; although the Oura Ring 4 has a more accurate sensing system, the actual fitness- and health-tracking features are virtually identical between the two devices. Alongside the Ring 4, Oura rolled out a redesigned Oura Ring app, so both devices come with the same plethora of metrics and integrations.

Some of the health metrics captured on both devices include activity tracking with automatic workout detection, heart rate monitoring, readiness scores, stress ratings, cycle predictions, and long-term health insights. There’s also detailed sleep tracking, with basic reports available to all users and detailed reports requiring an Oura membership.

Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends

Unique to the Oura Ring 4 is sleep apnea detection, which won’t be coming to the Oura Ring 3. The Oura Ring 4 also features upgraded sensors that are designed to better adapt to your finger’s shape and skin tone. A neat feature is the ability to disable certain sensors to extend battery life. These are limited improvements over the Oura Ring 3, which ultimately offers the same fitness experience.

The Oura Ring 4 captures more data with better sensors and has sleep apnea detection, but if you’re thinking about upgrading, there’s fundamentally little difference between them. Both have the same app experience, offer an excellent suite of health metrics, and require a paid membership for advanced features.

Winner: Tie

Oura Ring 4 vs Oura Ring 3: battery life

The Oura Ring 4 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Oura Ring 3 is rated as offering up to seven days of battery life, depending on the size of the ring, but over the past year, the competition has surpassed Oura’s best. The Galaxy Ring offers up to eight days of battery life, while the RingConn Gen 2 offers up to 12 days. Both of these rings also come with portable carrying cases that can extend the battery life by an additional 12 days and 150 days, respectively.

The Oura Ring 4 improves on the battery life of the Oura Ring 3, but not in a substantial way. In our testing over the past three years, the size 12 Oura Ring 3 has consistently delivered six-and-a-half-days of battery life, and the Oura Ring 4 in size 12 offers almost a day more. That’s right in line with Oura’s estimates, but it’s not a substantial upgrade.

There are two other things to note: first, the redesigned interior of the Oura Ring 4 means existing charging accessories won’t work. Even though the Oura Ring 4 is a similar size to last year and fits on the Oura Ring 3’s charger, the connectors are different. Second, the Oura Ring 4 also doesn’t offer a portable carrying case, so there’s no easy way to carry, store, or charge the Ring 4 while on the go.

It’s marginal, but the slightly improved battery on the Oura Ring 4 means it’s the winner. However, if you’re happy with the battery life on the Oura Ring 3, there isn’t enough of a difference to recommend upgrading.

Winner: Oura Ring 4

Oura Ring 4 vs Oura Ring 3: compatibility

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Oura Ring 3 is compatible with both Android and iOS, and there have been no changes with the Oura Ring 4. Both require a modern smartphone, but it doesn’t have to be the latest and can run on either platform. Wide compatibility also sets the Oura Ring 4 apart from its key competition, as the Samsung Galaxy Ring is limited to just Android phones.

They’re the same. This is a tie.

Winner: Tie

Oura Ring 4 vs Oura Ring 3: price and availability

Oura Ring 4 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

One of the more prominent changes between the Oura Ring 4 and Oura Ring 3 is the choice of finishes. The Oura Ring 3 comes in two different styles — the Heritage with a flat edge, and the Horizon with an all-circular design — as well as between four and six finishes for each option. Not all Horizon finishes are available with the Heritage style, but there’s a wide range of choices. It’s also extremely confusing.

The Oura Ring 4 is far more simplified. There’s just one style and a choice of six colors: silver, black, brushed silver, Stealth, gold, and rose gold. It’s a simple choice, and far easier to discern and explain than last year. The lack of a Heritage-style design choice means it won’t appeal to everyone, but the Oura Ring 4 does look and feel more premium.

The Oura Ring 4 app Oura

Both devices require an Oura membership costing $6 per month, to access deeper insights, reports, and exclusive features. Technically, the membership is optional, but it’s essential to getting the most from your Oura Ring. If you have an existing membership for the Oura Ring 3, you can use the same membership with the Oura Ring 4. Meanwhile, if you have a lifetime membership plan — given to Oura Ring 2 users when they upgraded to the Oura Ring 3 — you won’t need to buy an Oura membership with the Ring 4.

The Oura Ring 4 starts at $349 for the silver or black versions and rises to $399 for the brushed silver or Stealth options, and $499 for the gold or rose gold choices. Meanwhile, you can still buy the Oura Ring 3 for between $299 and $449, depending on your choice. Both styles of the Oura Ring 3 start at $299, and any purchase of either ring comes with one month’s free Oura membership. If you opt to buy the Oura Ring 4, it’s highly recommended that you also try the sizing kit as the sizing is slightly different from the Oura Ring 3.

Oura Ring 4 vs Oura Ring 3: verdict

The Oura Ring 3 (top) and Oura Ring 4 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Unlike previous generations, there isn’t a huge improvement in the health-tracking features of the Oura Ring 4, but rather, a focus on improving comfort, durability, and the overall user experience. The result is a smart ring that is far more comfortable and user-friendly, but with the same fundamental experience.

With this in mind, should you upgrade? Unless you have a few specific issues that the Oura Ring 4 solves, there’s little benefit. If you have health problems ot finger swelling, or if the sleep apnea detection could help save your health, the Oura Ring 4 could be worth upgrading to. However, with no trade-in program, the comfort and few additional features mean the Oura Ring 4 will need to deliver a lot of value. Oura’s website advises you to enjoy your current ring, and only upgrade when you’re ready for a new ring.

If you’re new to smart rings or Oura, you should buy the Oura Ring 4. It’s a better overall design, far more comfortable, and is more future-proofed to last you several years. The only reason to buy the Oura Ring 3 would be if you wanted the Heritage style design, but that would come at the cost of a better overall smart ring.