Oura Ring 4 Rumors and Expected Features
The smart ring market has officially heated up. With the release of the Samsung Galaxy Ring and the Ultrahuman Air, Oura can no longer rest on its laurels as the undisputed king of finger-based wearables. The Oura Ring Generation 3 launched back in late 2021, which is a lifetime in tech years. As rumors swirl regarding the Oura Ring 4, users are eager to see if the company will overhaul its sensor stack and address the dreaded subscription fee.
Design Overhaul: Solving the Comfort Issue
While the Oura Ring Gen 3 is relatively sleek, long-term wearers often complain about the three small “bumps” on the interior of the ring. These bumps house the infrared sensors that track your heart rate and temperature. However, they can leave indentations on the finger and cause discomfort during heavy gripping tasks, such as lifting weights or holding a steering wheel for hours.
Recent leaks and certification listings suggest Oura is targeting a flush sensor design for the Gen 4. This would mean the interior of the ring is perfectly smooth and circular, much like a standard wedding band. To achieve this, Oura would need to utilize more advanced, sensitive photodiodes that can capture signal data without needing to be pressed deeply into the skin.
Additionally, we expect an expansion in sizing. Currently, Oura offers sizes 6 through 13. Competitors like Samsung offer sizes 5 through 13. Rumors indicate Oura may introduce a size 5 and potentially a size 14 to accommodate a wider range of users.
Sensor Upgrades: What Tracking Metrics Will Change?
The snippet for this article highlights anticipated sensor upgrades. This is the most critical area for Oura, as the hardware defines what the software can analyze. Here is what industry insiders and patent filings suggest is on the horizon.
1. Improved Daytime Heart Rate Accuracy
The current Oura Ring is excellent at sleep tracking but falls short as a fitness tracker. It struggles to maintain a lock on heart rate during high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or erratic movement. The Oura Ring 4 is expected to feature a higher frequency sampling rate during “Workout Heart Rate” mode. This would allow it to compete directly with Garmin watches or the Apple Watch for active calorie burn accuracy.
2. Blood Oxygen (SpO2) Efficiency
While Gen 3 has SpO2 sensing, it is battery-intensive and primarily used for sleep apnea detection. A refreshed sensor stack in the Oura Ring 4 will likely use more power-efficient LEDs. This would allow for all-day oxygen spot checks rather than just overnight averages, providing deeper insights into respiratory health and altitude acclimation.
3. Stress and Resilience Metrics
Oura recently rolled out “Resilience” features via software, but the hardware needs to catch up. We anticipate the inclusion of a dedicated electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor or a more sensitive skin temperature sensor. This would help the ring distinguish between physical stress (from a workout) and mental stress (from a bad day at work) more effectively.
4. Symptom Radar Integration
Oura has been beta-testing a feature called “Symptom Radar” in its Oura Labs section. This feature analyzes significant shifts in temperature trends and respiratory rate to predict the onset of the flu or COVID-19. The Oura Ring 4 will likely have hardware specifically tuned to detect these micro-variations faster, moving this from a beta test to a headline feature.
The Contactless Payment Question
One feature that users have requested for years is NFC support for contactless payments. Being able to tap your ring to pay for a coffee without carrying a phone or wallet is a major convenience.
However, adding NFC requires a secure element chip and an antenna, which takes up precious internal space. While this is a highly rumored feature, it poses a risk to battery life. If Oura includes this, they will likely market it as a specific “Pro” or “Commerce” edition of the ring. Currently, only a few niche rings like the McLEAR Ring offer this, so Oura has a chance to capture the mass market here.
Battery Life and Charging
The Oura Ring Gen 3 claims up to 7 days of battery life, though real-world usage with SpO2 tracking enabled is usually closer to 4 or 5 days.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring boasts a charging case similar to Apple AirPods, which allows users to charge the ring on the go without plugging into a wall. Oura is expected to ditch its current stationary charging puck in favor of a portable charging case for the Gen 4. This would be a massive quality-of-life upgrade for travelers who hate carrying specific cables.
The Subscription Model vs. Competition
The elephant in the room regarding the Oura Ring 4 is the cost.
- Current Cost: $299 upfront + $5.99/month subscription.
- Samsung Galaxy Ring: $399 upfront + $0/month subscription.
Samsung has put immense pressure on Oura by offering a subscription-free experience. If you stop paying Oura’s $5.99 fee, your Gen 3 ring loses almost all its utility and only shows three basic scores.
It is unlikely Oura will drop the subscription entirely, as it is a core part of their revenue model. However, rumors suggest they might bundle a longer trial (12 months instead of 1 month) with the purchase of an Oura Ring 4, or introduce a “Lite” tier that offers more data than the current non-subscriber view without the full monthly cost.
Release Date and Pricing Speculation
Given the three-year gap since the last major release, the Oura Ring 4 is widely expected to launch in late 2024 or very early 2025. This timing would allow them to capitalize on the holiday shopping season or the “New Year, New You” fitness resolution wave in January.
regarding pricing, inflation and component costs suggest the base model will likely remain at $299, while premium finishes like Rose Gold or Stealth could see price hikes up to $549.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the Oura Ring 4 track blood pressure? It is highly unlikely the Oura Ring 4 will offer clinical-grade blood pressure monitoring. The technology for optical blood pressure sensing in a ring form factor is not yet accurate enough for FDA clearance. It may, however, offer “vascular elasticity” trends.
Does Oura Ring 4 work with Android and iPhone? Yes. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Ring, which is optimized strictly for Android (and specifically Samsung phones), Oura has always maintained full compatibility with both iOS and Android ecosystems.
Will my current Oura charger work with the Ring 4? Probably not. If Oura changes the inner shape of the ring to be flush (removing the bumps), the charging contact points will likely move. This usually necessitates a new charger design.
Is there a trade-in program for Gen 3 users? Oura has historically offered discounts for upgrading users. When Gen 3 launched, existing users were offered a lifetime membership discount. It is plausible they will offer a trade-in credit or a subscription perk for loyal customers upgrading to Gen 4.