Is the Oura Ring 5 Worth the Upgrade? I Tried Oura’s Smallest Smart Ring Yet

Oura’s newest smart ring is dramatically smaller and more health-focused, but whether or not its worth the upgrade depends on how you use the ring most

Oura Ring 5 arrives at a moment when the smart ring category feels more relevant than ever. Consumers are gravitating toward screen-free wearables that blend into daily life, and the competition is catching up fast, with cheaper alternatives multiplying by the month. Gen 5 answers with a noticeably smaller design, updated sensors, longer battery life, and a health platform that pushes Oura well beyond sleep tracking.

The real question for existing users is whether the upgrade is worth it.

Does 40% Smaller Really Matter?

Smart rings face a unique design challenge: they need to work during workouts, showers, sleep, and everyday life, ideally while looking like jewelry, not a gadget. Ring 5 clears that bar more convincingly than any previous generation. The slimmer profile lets fingers close naturally, and the smoother interior makes a meaningful difference during sleep, where comfort shapes the data as much as the sensors do.

Oura redesigned the sensing architecture using low-profile sensor domes, more powerful LEDs, and stronger signal pathways to maintain accuracy in a ring that’s 40% smaller. Oura claims the result is more accurate across different finger types and skin tones than previous generations.

After three years of wearing an Oura ring nearly every day, I had to routinely take it off for strength training: it caught on dumbbells, and the risk of scratching wasn’t worth it. I wore Gen 5 through every workout: Barry’s, HIIT classes, lifting sessions, and it never got in the way. For anyone trying to track strength training without a wrist wearable, it’s a big breakthrough.

I also noticed the sensor’s accuracy improvements almost immediately. I used to have a lot of incorrect suggestions from Oura: a walk that was actually strength training, or Pilates that was actually a HIIT class. Every single suggestion from Ring 5 has been correct since I started wearing it.

The design also does a much better job of passing as jewelry. Earlier generations looked great, but they were noticeable as fitness tech. Ring 5 comes closer to something that could slip into a normal jewelry rotation. The company even published ads where users were wearing Oura rings on fingers other than the pointer finger.

The App Is the Bigger Story, and It’s Not Ring 5-Exclusive

Some of Oura’s most interesting updates, however, are currently available on all rings. Features like Health Radar, Health Records, GLP-1 Insights, lab uploads, and AI-enabled care through Counsel Health represent a platform shift, from a sleep and recovery tracker toward something more like a continuous health layer. Ring 4 users will get most of these updates through software.

The Ring 5 makes the product easier to wear, powering all the new features.

Should You Upgrade?

Ring 5 starts at $399 and still requires a monthly membership for full app access, factors worth weighing before pulling the trigger.

For Ring 3 owners, the case is straightforward. The jump in design, battery life, sensing, and interior comfort is substantial. For Ring 4 owners, it depends on fit: if your current ring feels bulky or catches during workouts, the upgrade is worth it. If it already fits well and the health insights are what you’re after, there’s less urgency.

For first-time buyers, Ring 5 is the clearest entry point Oura has ever offered.

Final Verdict

Oura Ring 5 is worth it for first-time buyers, Oura Ring 3 users and anyone who has wanted an Oura ring but found earlier versions too bulky. For Oura Ring 4 users, the decision is more personal. The new ring is more comfortable and better looking, but the upgrade may not be necessary if the current model already fits well and delivers the insights you want.

For three years, I took my Oura ring off every time I walked into the gym to do a strength-focused workout. Ring 5’s 40% size difference is not just aesthetic, but functional, and may make the smart ring more fitness-focused than ever.