Oura Ring 5 launches as smallest and most accurate model yet with blood pressure tracking

At a glance:

• The Oura Ring 5 is 40 percent smaller than the Ring 4, measuring 6.09mm wide and 2.28mm thick, with a battery rated for six to nine days and a new aluminum charging case.
• New software features include Health Radar with blood pressure monitoring and nighttime breathing, plus live workout tracking and a Cambridge Cognition cognitive study.
• Preorders are open now ahead of a June 4 ship date, with prices starting at $399 and the required Oura membership remaining $5.99 per month.

Hardware gets its biggest redesign since the original

Oura has spent thirteen years shrinking its signature wearable, and the Ring 5 represents the most dramatic downsizing yet. At 6.09 millimeters wide and 2.28 millimeters thick, the new model is 40 percent smaller than the Oura Ring 4 that debuted in October 2024. That change should make continuous wear far more comfortable, which matters because Oura’s entire platform depends on users keeping the ring on around the clock.

Alongside the diet, Oura has hardened the device for daily abuse. A new coating promises extra scratch resistance, and the enclosure is now waterproof to 100 meters, or 328 feet, a spec that puts it well beyond the occasional shower or swim. The battery has also been re-engineered to deliver between six and nine days of use on a single charge, and a new compact aluminum charging case can store five full charges before it needs an outlet. The case is sold separately for $99.

Sensors and accuracy take a step forward

Shrinking the chassis does not mean shrinking ambition for data quality. Oura has redesigned the Ring 5’s sensor array to maintain better skin contact, outfitting it with more powerful LEDs and more precise signal pathways. The payoff, according to the company, is improved heart rate accuracy both during sleep and under the stress of high-intensity workouts.

The hardware refinement arrives at a moment when wearable makers are racing to lower profile without sacrificing signal fidelity. By keeping the optical paths tight and the LEDs brighter, Oura is trying to solve the classic smart-ring problem: fingers move, swell, and cool, all of which break contact and corrupt readings. If the new sensor layout delivers on its promises, it could give Oura an edge over competitors that still struggle with nocturnal heart-rate inconsistencies.

Health Radar and new software features debut

While the physical redesign is impressive, Oura is clearly betting that software will drive long-term loyalty. The headline addition is Health Radar, a major upgrade to the Symptom Radar feature that first appeared in 2024. It splits into two new functions: nighttime breathing analysis and blood pressure monitoring, both powered by the ring’s LED sensors.

Nighttime breathing offers a rolling thirty-day view of breathing patterns during sleep by tracking significant shifts in blood oxygen levels. Those fluctuations can hint at conditions such as sleep apnea, a use case that has become table stakes for high-end sleep trackers. Blood pressure monitoring, however, breaks newer ground. The Ring 5 does not replace a medical arm cuff; instead, it infers trends by observing changes in blood flow and blood vessel stiffness via optical sensors. Over time, the LEDs capture how quickly blood moves through veins, and if the algorithms detect patterns consistent with increased arterial stiffness, the wearer receives an alert about elevated blood pressure risk. Oura notes that it is among the first companies to apply LED sensors to this problem, though the latest Apple Watches now offer a similar capability.

Beyond Health Radar, Oura is rolling out three additional software capabilities:

• Oura Health Records, which lets users upload blood work and other clinical data for integrated tracking.
• Personalized GLP-1 medication tracking, giving users a timeline of their prescription alongside symptom and side-effect logs.
• A collaboration with brain-health company Cambridge Cognition, offering an opt-in longitudinal study that uses wearer data to monitor cognitive function over time.

One long-term goal for the company is to translate the torrent of consumer-generated biometric data into actionable insights about overall health and longevity. This study is a step in that direction. All of the software updates are scheduled to arrive in June.

Live workout tracking and the phone problem

Athletes get a specific upgrade in live workout tracking. Users can start a session inside the Oura app and receive second-by-second readouts of pace and distance when running. The catch is that the live numbers live on the phone, not the ring, which means runners must pull out a handset mid-stride to check their split. That friction makes the feature less convenient than glancing at a wrist-worn smartwatch, and it underscores a persistent limitation of finger-based wearables: no display.

Still, the addition signals that Oura wants to compete for the same fitness-oriented audience that Garmin, Apple, and Samsung have cultivated. By closing the gap between casual health monitoring and serious workout analytics, the Ring 5 may tempt users who previously treated an Oura as a sleep-and-recovery device while relying on something else for training. Whether the compromise of phone-dependent live metrics is acceptable will likely depend on how seriously a user takes structured workouts.

Pricing, membership, and road ahead

The Oura Ring 5 is available for preorder immediately and will begin shipping on June 4. Pricing breaks along two tiers: $399 buys the black or silver finish, while $499 unlocks brushed silver, deep rose, gold, or stealth. Oura notes that the deep rose color is more of a copper rose than a traditional gold. The repositioned hardware line is a return to form after the unexpectedly bulky Oura Ring 4 Ceramic, and the company seems eager to reclaim its reputation for making technology disappear on the body.

The business model remains unchanged. Buyers still need an Oura membership, priced at $5.99 per month or $69.99 per year, to access the full suite of insights. That recurring fee has been a lightning rod for consumer criticism in a market where many rivals bake software into the purchase price, but Oura has held firm. With blood pressure alerts, cognitive research partnerships, and GLP-1 tracking all feeding into the same subscription ecosystem, the Ring 5 is as much a bet on ongoing software revenue as it is on miniaturized hardware.