Oura Ring 5 vs Ring 4: What This Upgrade Is Really About
The Oura Ring 5 upgrade is a generational jump from the Oura Ring 4 that focuses on a slimmer design, stronger durability, and new passive blood pressure tracking, rather than a big overhaul of core health metrics or app experience. In a smart ring comparison between Ring 4 vs Ring 5, both models still track sleep, readiness, and activity in very similar ways, but the newer ring reshapes how the hardware feels on your hand and how invisible it is in daily life. That means the real decision for current Ring 4 owners is not about accuracy gains, but whether better comfort, tougher materials, and added blood pressure tracking are worth paying for when their existing ring already performs reliably.
Design and Comfort: A Much Slimmer Daily Wear
Design is the biggest visible change in the Oura Ring 5 upgrade. Oura says the new ring is 40% smaller than the Oura Ring 4, shrinking to 6.09mm wide and 2.28mm thick while also dropping weight. According to ZDNET, this makes it “nearly indistinguishable from a wedding band,” which aligns with hands-on impressions that it feels less like a gadget and more like jewelry. Android Authority’s reviewer notes that wearing other slimmer rings beside the Ring 4 highlights how chunky the older model can feel, especially on smaller hands where the band grinds against adjacent fingers during workouts or even daily tasks. If your biggest complaint about the Ring 4 is its bulk or how noticeable it feels while sleeping, driving, or doing chores, the Ring 5’s smaller footprint alone could justify an upgrade.
Durability and Battery Life: Subtle but Meaningful Improvements
Alongside the slimmer shape, the Oura Ring 5 adds a new focus on durability. It keeps a titanium body but introduces a vapor deposition coating that Oura calls its most scratch‑resistant finish yet, plus an IP68 rating for improved protection. For Ring 4 users who lift weights, bump into door frames, or wear their ring all day, that tougher coating should help the ring look closer to jewelry for longer. Android Authority’s writer points out how a metallic Ring 4 “looks exactly like I’ve been wearing it while lifting weights,” highlighting why better scratch resistance matters. Battery life is also slightly better: ZDNET reports the Ring 4 at about five to eight days, while Ring 5 extends this to six to nine days per charge through a new battery, stronger LEDs, and more efficient algorithms. It’s a modest gain, but welcome if you dislike charging.
Health and Blood Pressure Tracking: Similar Accuracy, New Capability
When you compare Ring 4 vs Ring 5 on health metrics, the core experience stays very close. Sleep staging, readiness scoring, and activity insights remain the backbone of both devices, and early reporting suggests health tracking accuracy between generations is more similar than different. Where the Oura Ring 5 pulls ahead is blood pressure tracking. Passive blood pressure tracking is new to Ring 5 and not available on Ring 4, adding another cardiovascular signal to your dashboard without extra manual steps. For users interested in long‑term heart health trends, or who already rely on the ring as a central health tracker, this is the most meaningful functional upgrade. If you are satisfied with your current sleep and recovery insights and blood pressure trends are not important to you, the health gains alone may feel incremental rather than transformative.
Should Ring 4 Owners Upgrade to Ring 5?
For existing Ring 4 users, the Oura Ring 5 upgrade decision comes down to how much you value comfort, durability, and added blood pressure tracking versus cost. The Ring 5 starts at USD 399 (approx. RM1,870), while the Ring 4 starts at USD 349 (approx. RM1,640), so you are paying a clear premium for a slimmer build, stronger coating, and a day or so of extra battery life. Health tracking performance and app insights remain very close, so there is no urgent need to switch if your Ring 4 is in good condition and you are happy with it. Upgrade if the chunkier feel bothers you, your current ring is badly scratched or worn, or you want passive blood pressure tracking as part of your long‑term health data. Otherwise, you can confidently keep wearing the Ring 4 until it ages out.
