Reviews You Can Rely On

Oura Ring Gen 3 Review

This is a good option for anyone interested in lifestyle tracking with an understated wearable device, but we can't recommend this subscription-based ring for fitness tracking alone
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Oura Ring Gen 3 Review
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw
Price:  $299 List
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Manufacturer:   Oura Ring
By Genaveve Bradshaw and Brian Pidduck  ⋅  Dec 1, 2024
64
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#13 of 14
  • Fitness Impact - 30% 4.4
  • Health Impact - 30% 8.1
  • Ease of Use - 20% 5.6
  • Battery - 10% 6.0
  • Fit - 10% 8.8

Our Verdict

The Oura Ring is our top pick for a fitness and lifestyle tracking ring. It is comfortable to wear, lightweight, and simple to put on or remove. Of course, the premise of the Oura Ring is that it is so unobtrusive you won't ever need or want to remove it (except for charging). We loved how easy it was to track our sleep with the Oura Ring, and it provided invaluable insight into our general health. At the same time, we weren't huge fans of the subscription requirement and the lack of a built-in GPS (although we recognize there is a limit, for the time being, to the miniaturization of a GPS antenna!). We were also disappointed with the lack of distance data when running on a treadmill and the limited activity tracking data. For these reasons, we recommend the Oura Ring for someone looking for an understated yet cutting-edge lifestyle tracking device, but we don't feel that it is the right tool for someone who wants a full-featured fitness tracker.
REASONS TO BUY
Ergonomic wearable
Interesting app
Great sleep tracking
Decent battery life
REASONS TO AVOID
Subscription required
No built-in GPS
No distance for indoor workouts
Limited activity tracking analysis
Editor's Note: After we completed our testing of the Oura Ring 3, version 4 was released with a number of updates to the ring and to the software. We bought the new version and have included our first impressions below in a separate section of the review. We will update the complete review in our next round of multi-faceted testing of fitness trackers.

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oura ring gen 3
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Oura Ring Gen 3
Awards Top Pick Award
Top Pick for a Lifestyle Tracker Ring
Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Fitness Tracker
Best Buy Award
Best Value for Athletes
Top Pick Award
Top Pick for Light and Simple
Best Buy Award
Best on a Tight Budget
Price $299 List
$249.00 at Amazon
$399 List
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$300 List
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$160 List
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$50 List
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Bottom Line It is an inconspicuous wearable for 24/7 health & lifestyle monitoring but it is not a good option for dedicated activity trackingAn excellent fitness tracker for multi-sport athletes and Apple aficionados, this device provides a ton of function beyond just recording biometrics and serving as a workout partner. The only drawback is a short battery lifeAn excellent fitness tracker for athletes at an affordable priceA great fitness tracker from a brand that is synonomous with fitness tracking, this device offers function at a good priceThe device offers a lot of function and value, although it has some limitations related to heart rate monitoring and health tracking
Rating Categories Oura Ring Gen 3 Apple Watch 9 Garmin Vivoactive 5 Fitbit Charge 6 Amazfit Band 7
Fitness Impact (30%)
4.4
8.8
8.0
6.9
6.9
Health Impact (30%)
8.1
8.8
8.0
7.3
6.2
Ease of Use (20%)
5.6
8.7
7.6
7.7
6.1
Battery (10%)
6.0
3.5
8.0
7.0
10.0
Fit (10%)
8.8
7.9
7.3
7.8
6.0
Specs Oura Ring Gen 3 Apple Watch 9 Garmin Vivoactive 5 Fitbit Charge 6 Amazfit Band 7
Measured Weight .11 oz 1.69 oz 1.26 oz 1 oz 1 oz
Measured Display Diameter na 34.0 mm 38.0 mm 19.4 mm 21.9 mm
Heart Rate Average Beats Per Second Off NA 1.6 4.4 15.4 15.9
Manufacturer Stated Battery Life Up to 7 days
dependent on usage
Up to 18 hours

Up to 36 hours in
Low Power Mode
Up to 11 days

5 days display always-on
7 days Heavy Usage: 12 Days
Typical Usage: 18 Days
Battery Saver Mode: 28 Days
Built-In GPS Tracking No Yes Yes Yes No
Screen Type na OLED
Up to 2000 nits
AMOLED AMOLED AMOLED
Measured Charge Time 1.20 Hours 1.20 Hours 1.70 Hours 1.60 Hours 1.75 Hours
Heart Rate Monitor Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Sleep Tracking Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Altimeter (Elevation Tracking) No Yes No No No
Did a single charge survive a 3 day weekend? Yes - highly depends on usage No Yes Yes - highly depends on usage Yes
Sensors Green, red, and infrared LEDs,
Extra negative temperature coefficient (NTC) sensors, IR sensor,
Accelerometers
Electrical heart sensor and ECG app, Third-generation optical heart sensor, High and low heart rate notifications, Irregular rhythm notifications, Sleep stages, Temperature sensing, Compass with Waypoints and Backtrack, Always-on altimeter, High-g accelerometer, Ambient light sensor GPS, Glonass, Garmin Elevate Wrist Heart Rate Monitor, Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor, Compass, Accelerometer, Thermometer, Ambient Light Sensor Heart rate monitor and tracking, built-in GPS, SPO2 monitoring, 3-axis accelerometer, temperature skin, blood glucose tracking and NFC BioTracker™ 3.0 PPG biometric sensor
(supports blood-oxygen, 1PD + 2LED), 3-Axis acceleration sensor, geomagnetic sensor
Memory Up to 7 days depending on usage 32 GB 4 GB 4 GB Not mentioned
Connectivity Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth Smart®)
EMF-Safe and allows Airplane Mode
FCC certified
Available cellular connectivity

Works with Apple Watch For Your Kids (GPS + Cellular models)
Bluetooth®, ANT+®, Wi-Fi® Apple iOS 15 and higher
Android 10 or higher
Android 7.0 and above, iOS 12.0 and above
Water Resistance 10 ATM (100m) 5 ATM (50m) 5 ATM (50m) 5 ATM (50m) 5 ATM (50m)
Notifications App gives push notifications but ring itself doesn't do anything Text, call, push notifications including ability to call/text from watch Text, call, push notifications Text, call, push notifications Text, call, push notifications
Alarm Clock Function No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Music Control No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Color Options? -Heritage (4 colors) or Horizon (6 colors) -Aluminum (5 colors) or Stainless Steel (3 colors)

-an absolute plethora of bands available
-4 colors -3 colors -5 colors

Our Analysis and Test Results

Based in Finland, Oura has developed and produced smart rings since 2015. The Oura Ring 3 is an innovative device that tracks health and fitness via sensors embedded in the ring. The intention behind the Oura Ring is that the wearer keeps it on 24/7, removing it only to charge, which allows the ring to collect data on the wearer and transfer it to a tethered smartphone. Once uploaded, Oura then offers analysis, feedback, and suggestions based on the data, which can help the wearer identify how to improve health factors with exercise, sleep, and stress management.

Oura Ring 4


After spending a lot of time with the Oura Ring 3, we were really excited to try out the Oura Ring 4, which was released after we had completed our testing of fitness trackers. We quickly bought one and were even more excited to bear witness to the huge number of improvements in the fourth generation, such as the shape of the ring (fully round and slimmer), no noticeable sensor “bumps” on the interior, increased responsiveness of activity detection, better battery life, faster charging, increased sensor accuracy, more durable finish, more heart rate data in the app (YES!), Oura Labs (experimental features such as meal tracking and Oura Advisor for personalized advice), and it is more comfortable!

We look forward to conducting more extensive testing of this fourth-generation model, but our impression is that Oura still needs to add some features to compete with dedicated fitness trackers. Nonetheless, the overall improvements in this model solidify it as an excellent lifestyle tracker.

oura ring gen 3 - the oura ring 4.0 has some substantial improvements over the 3.0.
The Oura Ring 4.0 has some substantial improvements over the 3.0.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Performance Comparison



The Oura Ring is a remarkably discreet fitness and lifestyle tracker that won't weigh you down or get in your way.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Fitness Impact


Although the Oura Ring is like a companion that is always ready for the next activity, it scored very low in fitness impact because it requires that you have your smartphone with you to collect location and speed data, and you can't monitor any data (like heart rate) during a workout.


GPS


The Oura Ring doesn't have a built-in GPS and requires a connected smartphone, with the app running in the background, to track distance and routes and to produce a map of a run, walk, hike, or cycling activity. The ring will store biometric data when you don't have your phone with you, but it can't record geolocation data.

oura ring gen 3 - the oura ring is the lowest-profile fitness and lifestyle tracker in...
The Oura Ring is the lowest-profile fitness and lifestyle tracker in the lineup, but this comes with some compromises, such as the lack of GPS (it needs a smartphone to track location), and there isn't a way to actively monitor data, such as heart rate, during a workout (even the app doesn't allow that function).
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw

Elevation


There isn't an altimeter in the Oura Ring for determining elevation change. Apps can get elevation data from a smartphone (which can be determined by geolocation), but the Oura app doesn't display this information. An Oura wearer would have to use a seperate app, such as Strava, to determine elevation gain and/or loss.

The Oura map generates a map with distance, duration, pace, calories burned, and intensity data after an activity has been saved, but the app is using your smartphone to acquire location data. (Note that in this case the Oura app was using location data from other fitness trackers connected to our lead tester's phone).
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw

Distance precision


Since the Oura Ring depends upon a smartphone to determine location, this sub-metric doesn't apply. Also, the Oura Ring does not provide any distance data for an indoor run on a treadmill.

When we took the Oura Ring for a walk (along with a manual counter), we found that it is highly accurate at measuring the number of steps.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Walking and step counting


For walking and step counting, the Oura Ring performs remarkably well. In our step trials, it was over 99.5% accurate. Impressive!

oura ring gen 3 - when an activity is being tracked, you can observe a timer in the...
When an activity is being tracked, you can observe a timer in the app, but all other data is unavailable.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Cycling tracking


The Oura Ring tracks bike rides, but it is fairly limited in this area. During an activity, the only data viewable on a smartphone is duration. After the activity, we could view duration, calories burned, distance (with a map), intensity, and heart rate zone. We would like to see the app include average heart rate and maximum heart rate.

oura ring gen 3 - there are eighty-two activities you can track with the oura ring...
There are eighty-two activities you can track with the Oura Ring, including strength training, but heart rate tracking is limited to only running, walking, or cycling.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Workout tracking


After ten minutes of exertion, the Oura Ring autodetects an activity (note that this setting must be toggled first). We found it to work well when autodetecting a run or a walk, but if you happen to go for a jog/walk, it will split the activity into separate activities. We found this a little frustrating, but you can use a shortcut on the app screen to manually initiate a workout. When you are working out, you don't get any indication from the ring that it is tracking or see any data on your smartphone, like mileage, splits, or heart rate.

oura ring gen 3 - the oura app provides a clear breakdown of daily activity and...
The Oura app provides a clear breakdown of daily activity and workouts.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Trackable activities


When it comes to heart rate data, there are limited options for workout tracking. It really just comes down to indoor & outdoor running, indoor & outdoor cycling, and walking. You can add different activities (there are eighty-two in the menu), but there aren't other options for tracking heart rate. In this way, we found the workout tracking to be more like a journal than a tool for automatically recording biometrics during exercise.

Community


Oura provides a way to interact with friends or family via an “Oura Circle.”You can then adjust what data is shared within that group. We didn't find any way to participate in group challenges or to earn badges for achievements.

Health Impact


Health impact is where the Oura Ring shines, and we are impressed by the insight and depth of analysis that the app provides.


Heart rate


During our extensive testing with the Oura Ring, we found it to be reliably accurate at measuring heart rate, especially when compared to other fitness trackers in our lineup. The downside is that you can't view your heart rate during a workout. When we analyzed the data after our workouts and compared it with our Polar heart rate monitor, we found that the Oura Ring misses some rapid spikes or dips in heart rate (that occur during a HIIT workout). Still, it does a good job overall. We hope that Oura includes additional features in future updates that allow the wearer to access more heart rate data (such as max and average BPM) and see their heart rate in real-time.

oura ring gen 3 - the sensors are the slight protrusions on the inner ring, which...
The sensors are the slight protrusions on the inner ring, which capture a wealth of data.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Diet


When we first started testing the Oura Ring, diet tracking was not built into the app. It is possible to pair the app with a specific diet-tracking app, but we found that to be a little disappointing. While we were deep into testing, however, Oura released a beta for meal tracking that utilizes AI to analyze a photo of food and to create a log of what we ate. We found it worked well for recognizing ingredients, but it didn't provide calorie counts. Hopefully, that will be a feature in future updates!

It is remarkable what the Oura Ring does for its size; it packs a lot of technology in there!
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Health indicators


The Oura Ring employs optical heart rate sensors, a skin temperature sensor, motion sensors (an accelerometer and gyroscope), infrared sensors (detect blood volume change and is used to estimate respiratory rate), and an ambient light sensor. Altogether, these provide the wearer with blood oxygen, heart rate variability, EKG, skin temperature, stress, VO2 max, fitness progress, and training load & recovery data. It also generates a Resilience score that is calculated from night-time recovery, daytime recovery, and daytime stress load. Invaluable insight and coaching can also be obtained from Trends and Explore tabs within the app. Our lead tester pointed out that a Rest Mode can be toggled when the wearer is sick or recovering, pausing activities, goals, and scoring--she wishes more fitness trackers included this thoughtful feature!

Sleep tracking


Sleep tracking with the Oura Ring is remarkably accurate and offers incredible insight. The ring detects naps and differentiates between resting in bed and sleeping. Most of all, however, it provides a ton of data and insight, such as REM sleep, deep sleep, time in bed, oxygen saturation, breathing regularity, etc.

oura ring gen 3 - specific sleep data, such as heart rate, skin temperature, blood...
Specific sleep data, such as heart rate, skin temperature, blood oxygen, and REM sleep, is recorded by the Oura Ring, and the app calculates an easy-to-understand sleep score.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

We tested the Oura Ring for over a month, and during that time, it never missed logging sleep or stopped tracking. Of course, it is challenging to get objective sleep data (we were sleeping!). Still, the Oura data impressed us when we compared it with our actual sleep and waking times, our perceptions of sleep quality, and data from other sleep trackers.

Ease of Use


The Oura Ring scored below average in terms of ease of use, largely because it took a lengthy period of wearing the ring before it generated scores or summaries on our data.


We found the Oura Ring app to be easy to navigate and to access a wealth of information about our health.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Getting Started


As you might imagine, putting the Oura Ring on and downloading the app is straightforward (with the usual steps of creating a profile), but overall it takes a two weeks to a month for some of the health scores, such as Resilience and Restorative Time.

Phone app


The way the app is set up suggests to us that the Oura Ring is oriented more toward general health monitoring and less as a fitness tracker. We found it to be well thought out and intuitive to use.

oura ring gen 3 - the oura ring was the second-lightest fitness and lifestyle tracker...
The Oura Ring was the second-lightest fitness and lifestyle tracker in our lineup.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw

Wearability


Although it is designed to be worn on the index finger, our lead tester sometimes wore it on her ring finger, depending upon swelling. Otherwise, it doesn't interfere with clothing, except occasionally when wearing very tight shirt sleeves.


Connectivity


The Oura Ring easily pairs with Apple and Android phones. We didn't have any issues with auto-uploading workouts, and it also paired easily with Strava. The app provides notifications, but the ring itself doesn't provide any notifications to the user.

oura ring gen 3 - on your finger, the oura ring just looks like a sturdy band, but...
On your finger, the Oura Ring just looks like a sturdy band, but once removed, you can see the sensors and the battery contacts.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Subscriptions


A three-month trial subscription comes with the purchase of the Oura Ring. After that, you are required to pay monthly or annually to access your data on the app.

Water resistance


Rated to 10 atmospheres (100m depth), the Oura Ring is well suited to swimming, surfing, showering, and washing hands. No issues there!

Battery


We put the Oura Ring through its paces for over a month, and during that time we observed that the battery life is good compared to other trackers in our lineup, but it also depends upon usage. Oura Ring states that the battery can last seven days, but it died on us during one of our three-day weekend tests. However, it had power to spare on another three-day weekend, so we aren't sure what the issue was (we wonder if temperature played a role).



oura ring gen 3 - in our tests the oura ring charged quickly and had excellent battery...
In our tests the Oura Ring charged quickly and had excellent battery life. However, it is critical to make sure the ring is aligned correctly for charging.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw

Charging the ring was fairly straightforward, although we had to be sure the ring was lined up correctly. Early on, our lead tester learned that alignment on the charging stand is critical!

Fit


We had some issues with the fit of the Oura Ring, despite how light it is. In fact, our lead tester commented that she was “usually always aware that I am wearing it. It isn't a 'wear it a forget about it fit' for me.” This shape (rounded but with one section with straight edges) felt a little clunky to her, and the domed sensors were quite noticeable.


The Oura Ring is designed to be worn on the index finger, but our lead tester sometimes wore it on her ring finger.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

It is possible to have a normal circle band, but that comes with an additional cost, as do other finishes. All that aside, Oura does provide a sizing kit for determining the correct size, and they recommend a trial period with a sample ring before committing.

oura ring gen 3 - oura makes an optional sizing kit for users. if you go that route...
Oura makes an optional sizing kit for users. If you go that route, Oura will subtract the cost of the kit from the total purchase price of a ring.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Our testing revealed that the Oura Ring may not be the best choice for fitness tracking for runners, cyclists, or climbers, but it is an incredible device for monitoring health data and tracking overall lifestyle.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Should You Buy the Oura Ring 3.0?


After wearing the Oura Ring for over a month and conducting a gamut of tests on it, we recommend it to someone who is interested in a wearable device and prioritizes health tracking information. Several people we know have used the Oura Ring to make positive changes in their health, particularly with sleep. It is an intriguing device, to be sure, and future versions and software updates will most likely result in ever greater function, but it isn't a good choice for someone training for an event or race who needs to monitor heart rate, pace, or distance in real time.

What Other Fitness Trackers Should You Consider?


If you are drawn to the Oura Ring because you want to track health data, we also recommend looking at the Whoop 4.0. The Oura Ring is smaller, but in our testing, we quickly got to the point where we didn't notice the Whoop at all. We never got to that point with the Oura Ring. Another minimal fitness tracker is the Fitbit Charge 6, which is also much less expensive than the Oura Ring, but it has a screen, and you can easily monitor fitness data while exercising.

Genaveve Bradshaw and Brian Pidduck