Oura Ring 5 is official with a smaller design and rebuilt sensors

Oura Ring 5 is now official, just a day after the latest leak pointed to its arrival. The new smart ring is smaller, lighter and thinner than Oura Ring 4, with a rebuilt sensing system, 100m water resistance and pre-orders opening today.

A smaller ring with a practical reason behind it

Oura is calling Ring 5 the world’s smallest smart ring. That is a big claim, but the company says the new model is 40 percent smaller than Oura Ring 4, with comfort now pushed much harder as a reason to upgrade. The reduction in size should make the ring easier to wear for sleep, workouts and long stretches when users might otherwise notice bulk.

The company also points specifically to high-grip activities such as golf and tennis. Smart rings can become awkward when the hand is wrapped tightly around a club, racket, barbell or handlebar. A thinner ring does not solve every limitation of the category, but it does move in the right direction.

Sensors have been rebuilt

Oura also says the sensing system has been re-engineered and reconfigured from the ground up. The company mentions larger and smarter sensors, with the aim of delivering more precise personal health data.

That is the part existing Oura users will want to watch most closely. A smaller body usually raises questions about whether anything has been compromised internally. Oura’s answer appears to be that the internal sensor layout has changed rather than simply being squeezed into a smaller shell.

The company also uses the phrase research-grade accuracy. That is a strong line, though the real test will come from independent testing and longer-term user feedback. Smart ring accuracy depends on hardware, fit, algorithms and consistency over time, so the rebuilt sensing system will need to prove itself outside launch material.

Better durability and a deeper water rating

Beyond that, Oura Ring 5 uses aerospace-grade titanium and carries 100m water resistance alongside an IP68 rating. The company also says it is more durable than previous generations and has improved scratch resistance.

Battery life is listed at up to a week on a charge, though real-world runtime will likely vary by ring size, settings and feature use. Oura is also introducing a portable Oura Ring 5 Charging Case, sold separately, which can provide up to one month of extra battery life.

New software features arrive alongside Ring 5

The hardware is only part of the Ring 5 launch. Oura is also rolling out a batch of software features, and many of them are not limited to the new ring. Oura Ring 3 and later users on iOS and Android will get several of these additions in the coming weeks, although some features have regional or language limits.

Live activity tracking arrives on June 4 and lets users start a workout in the Oura app and view pace and distance from the phone. Heart rate can also appear there if a third-party heart rate monitor is connected. Widgets will show these metrics even when the phone is locked, which makes the feature feel closer to a proper workout companion setup rather than a post-workout summary tool.

Oura is also expanding its background health monitoring with Health Radar. The feature launches in June with nighttime breathing and blood pressure signals for members in the US, India and the United Arab Emirates using the app in English. It is designed to look for longer-term patterns in the background and alert users when their data suggests something may need attention, such as increasing blood pressure signals or changes in nighttime breathing.

Another new area is clinical data. From June, US members in 43 states will be able to connect eligible providers to the Oura app and upload lab results, medications, allergies and diagnosed conditions into a personal health record. Oura is also testing a connection between Oura Advisor and Counsel Health through Oura Labs, giving users access to medical AI and the option to connect with a licensed doctor.

GLP-1 tracking is also being added. From June 4, members in the US, India and the United Arab Emirates using the app in English will be able to bring medication schedules, dosing, side effects, weight changes and Oura health data into one view. Oura is also adding the ability to upload lab results globally in English from June 30.

There are a few other smaller additions. A new time-based data deletion feature arrives on June 4 for all Oura members, allowing users to delete app data from a chosen period without wiping the full account history. The Locate feature is also being expanded for Ring 2 and later users, with support for finding multiple misplaced rings and charging cases, plus an in-app search mode for narrowing down a specific device.

Oura Labs is also adding a brain health study for eligible US iOS members with Ring 3 or later. The study pairs Oura sleep, activity and psychological data with Cambridge Cognition’s in-app cognitive assessments, with the aim of looking at how stress, rest and behaviour patterns relate to cognitive function over time.

New finishes and wider retail availability

All things considered, current Oura Ring 4 owners may not see an obvious reason to upgrade straight away. Ring 5 is clearly smaller and lighter, and the rebuilt sensing system sounds promising, but it will need to prove itself in real-world use. Many of the new software features also appear to be rolling out to older models, which makes the hardware decision less urgent. For anyone still using an Oura Ring Gen 3 or earlier, though, Ring 5 looks like a more convincing step up.

Pre-orders for Oura Ring 5 start today at ouraring.com. Two new finishes have been added to the core lineup. Gold has been redesigned with what the company describes as a more natural and modern shade, while Deep Rose is a new copper-rose finish.