Ultrahuman Ring Pro clears U.S. customs after patent dispute with Oura

At a glance:

• Ultrahuman can resume selling its Ring Pro in the U.S. after a March ruling from U.S. Customs and Border Protection ended a months-long import ban tied to a patent dispute with Oura.
• The Ring Pro offers 15 days of battery life (45 with case), no mandatory subscription, and a dual-core processor for on-chip machine learning — specs that outclass the Oura Ring 4 on several fronts.
• At $479 with its charging case, the Ring Pro's steep price and unresolved patent questions around its sensor design could limit its U.S. momentum despite its technical advantages.

The import ban and what broke it

Ultrahuman, an Indian smart-ring maker, has been locked out of the U.S. market since late 2025. That's when the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled in Oura's favor in a patent dispute, finding that Ultrahuman's previous model, the Ring Air, infringed on Oura's patents. The Ring Air featured an internal curved battery and sensor layout that Oura claimed as its own intellectual property. Rather than negotiate royalties, Ultrahuman pulled the Ring Air from shelves and shifted development resources to its next-generation product — the Ring Pro.

The import ban held until a March 2025 ruling from the U.S. Department of Customs and Border Protection cleared Ultrahuman to resume sales in the U.S. as of late March. The clearance covers the Ring Pro, which Ultrahuman positioned as a clean-slate design intended to sidestep the earlier patent allegations. International buyers have already been able to purchase the Ring Pro while the company waited for U.S. regulatory approval, and early reception has been largely positive, driven by its deep health-tracking features, sleek profile, and bundled charging case.

How the Ring Pro stacks up against the Oura Ring 4

The Ring Pro's headline specs are hard to ignore. It delivers an estimated 15 days of battery life on a single charge, and the included charging case extends that to 45 days — a dramatic leap over the Oura Ring 4's estimated 5 to 8 days. Battery anxiety has been one of the most common complaints about smart rings, and a multi-week charge cycle could be a decisive differentiator for daily wearers.

On the sensor side, the Ring Pro sports a redesigned heart-rate sensor and a dual-core processor built for on-chip machine learning. It also stores up to 250 days of health data locally, so users don't need to keep the ring tethered to a phone. By contrast, the Oura Ring 4 tops out at roughly a week of on-device storage and runs on a single-core chip, giving it less headroom for edge ML workloads. The Oura Ring 4 does retain strong sensor capabilities and broad user loyalty, but the Ring Pro's hardware upgrades are meaningful on paper.

Subscription model and pricing contrast

One of the Ring Pro's most user-friendly differentiators is the absence of a mandatory subscription. Oura requires a $5.99-per-month Oura Membership for full functionality, which adds up to roughly $70 per year. Ultrahuman's Ring Pro, by contrast, unlocks its health-tracking features out of the box — no recurring fee.

Pricing, however, tilts the other way. The Ring Pro retails for $479 when bundled with its charging case, and the case alone is sold separately for $100. The Oura Ring 4 starts at $349 and goes up to $499 depending on the finish selected. For budget-conscious buyers, the Oura Ring 4 remains the cheaper entry point — though factoring in Oura's annual subscription cost narrows the gap somewhat. Still, the Ring Pro's upfront price is a high bar for a category that has yet to achieve mainstream adoption.

The lingering patent question

Ultrahuman designed the Ring Pro to distance itself from the Ring Air's patented elements, but the company hasn't disclosed the full details of its battery architecture or sensor placement. That leaves a gray area: Oura could argue that the Ring Pro's battery design or sensor locations are sufficiently similar to the Ring Air's to warrant another legal challenge. Industry watchers note that patent disputes in the wearables space often hinge on incremental design differences rather than outright replication, so the risk isn't zero.

For now, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has cleared the Ring Pro for sale, and no new injunction has been filed. But anyone considering the Ring Pro should be aware that the legal landscape could shift if Oura decides to pursue further action. The company has maintained a dominant position in the U.S. smart-ring market, and it has shown willingness to use ITC rulings as leverage.

The competitive field beyond Oura

Oura isn't the only player in the smart-ring space, though it has built the deepest brand loyalty in the U.S. The Samsung Galaxy Ring, the Evie Ring, and RingConn are all available in various markets, but none have matched Oura's track record for accuracy, app ecosystem, and consumer trust. Ultrahuman's entry into the U.S. with a technically ambitious product could force those competitors to accelerate their own roadmaps — and could give consumers a viable alternative to Oura for the first time in years.

At the same time, the smart-ring category as a whole remains niche compared with smartwatches. Sales volumes are modest, carrier or insurer subsidies are rare, and the value proposition — continuous health monitoring in a minimal form factor — still needs to convince mainstream buyers. Ultrahuman's Ring Pro may attract early adopters and health-focused enthusiasts, but broader market penetration will depend on whether it can convert its spec sheet into real-world user satisfaction.

What to watch next

Ultrahuman's U.S. launch is a milestone, but the company's trajectory will hinge on three things: real-world user reviews once the Ring Pro hits American shelves, whether Oura responds with legal action over the new design, and whether the $479 price point gains traction in a market that currently favors Oura's lower entry cost. If the Ring Pro earns strong early scores and avoids fresh litigation, it could be the catalyst that finally breaks Oura's near-monopoly on the U.S. smart-ring market.