As soon as Gwyneth Paltrow and Kim Kardashian shared their Oura Ring sleep scores on Instagram in 2021, we knew this new brand of wearable fitness tech was going to be *big*. Also dubbed the Hollywood elite’s FitBit, the Oura Ring is a smart ring — a subtle yet high-tech alternative to the smartwatch.
Personally, I gave up on using a smartwatch a couple of years ago for a few reasons: the irritating strap, the glowing LED that would distract me at night and the screen constantly fighting for my attention.
Could a sleek Oura Ring be the thing that I was missing? Or is it just another celebrity gimmick?
Here’s my honest review of the Oura Ring 4:
How does the Oura Ring 4 work?
At first glance, the Oura Ring 4 looks like a sleek piece of jewellery, but it’s actually a smart health tracker packed with high-tech features.
With temperature sensors and inner LED lights measuring directly from your finger arteries (!!), it tracks heart rate, blood oxygen, and other vital signals.
All data is synced to the Oura app on iOS or Android, giving you over 50 health and wellness metrics, including daytime heart rate, stress and resilience, readiness, sleep, daily activity, and women’s health insights like menstrual cycle tracking.
Your sleep, readiness, and activity scores are graded out of 100, with sleep influencing readiness and daily activity goals.
By monitoring REM and deep sleep alongside heart rate variability, the Oura Ring 4 gives a clear, personalised snapshot of your wellbeing.
All of this is done to aid sleep, recovery and daily performance.
Oura Ring 4 – Silver
Oura Ring 4 – Gold
Oura Ring 4 – Rose Gold
Oura Ring 4 – Black
Is the Oura Ring 4 worth the hype?
Admittedly, the Oura Ring is worth the celebrity backing it gets.
Not only is it far more stylish than the typical fitness tracker (example below), it goes well beyond basic tracking to actually help you understand your body on a deeper level.
From detailed sleep insights and gentle wind-down reminders to all-day activity tracking and thoughtful features like meal logging, it connects the dots between your habits and how you feel.
While the only drawback is the monthly app subscription fee, considering the app is fairly comprehensive in the insights and functions it provides, it’s well worth the $9.99 AUD per month if you consider it an investment in your health.
Below, I’ve broken down how the Oura ring works as a sleep, fitness and cycle tracker.
WHO’s Oura Ring 4 review verdict
- Our rating: 9/10
Pros
- Comprehensive, all-in-one tracking across sleep, fitness and cycle health
- Detailed sleep insights that help improve rest quality over time
- Personalised data and habit tracking (including activity and meals)
- Smart features like bedtime reminders, meditation and automatic workout detection
- Long battery life with a lightweight and comfortable design
Cons
- Monthly app subscription fee ($9.99 AUD) required for full functionality
- Cycle tracking shouldn’t be relied on as a standalone fertility or contraception method
Oura Ring for sleep
Sleep is a big deal for me. I’ve tried almost every sleep supplement on the market to help me get enough rest.
And, it seems I’m not alone as Oura’s Sleep report found that Aussies clock 7 hours and 9 minutes of sleep per night on average.
However, being able to track the quality of your sleep and adjust your lifestyle accordingly is where the Oura Ring 4’s power lie.
An hour before bedtime, the Oura app gives you a gentle nudge to start winding down. If you’re a habitual scroller like me, this is a great reminder to put the phone down.
While sleeping, the ring measures not only your total sleep, but also your REM, deep sleep, and the time it takes you to fall asleep.
The app then shows these metrics, alongside your Sleep Score (the median sleep from the last two weeks).
Oura Ring for fitness tracking
Sure, the Oura Ring 4 leans more toward sleep and recovery than hardcore fitness, but it still offers a picture of your health.
Instead of just counting steps, it tracks your daily activity across light, moderate, and high-intensity movement.
As someone who is obsessed with getting their steps up, the Oura Ring 4 reliably tracks steps.
It also considers calories burned, heart rate and overall activity.
Notably, the app also makes it easy to see how each day adds up, keeping you motivated without feeling pressured.
You can also track real-time heart rate during workouts with the Record Workout HR feature, or let Automatic Activity Detection (AAD) log sessions for you with heart rate zones and graphs.
Oura Ring for cycle tracking
As someone who isn’t as good at tracking her cycle — even at the ripe age of 29 — Oura’s “Cycle Insights” is a godsend.
By analysing changes in body temperature, heart rate, and heart rate variability, it learns individual patterns to estimate cycle phases, predict your period and highlight your fertile window.
Because this feature doesn’t solely rely on manual input, it’s more personalised than standard period apps.
It also notifies you when you are most fertile; however, it isn’t a standalone fertility tool.
What are the specifications of the Oura Ring 4
Width: 7.90 mm
Thickness: 2.88 mm
Weight: 3.3 to 5.2 grams (depending on ring size)
- Available in an expanded size range (4–15) for a more personalised fit
- Comes in six finishes: Black, Stealth, Silver, Brushed Silver, Rose Gold, and Gold
- Battery life of up to 8 days, allowing for longer wear between charges
