Ring Gen 4

A ring that costs $349 plus $5.99 monthly is a tough sell when the Apple Watch already tracks heart rate, sleep, and activity. After three months wearing a Gen 4 alongside an Apple Watch on the other wrist, we now understand why people pay for the subscription: the data the ring captures while you sleep is materially better, and the daily Readiness score is the single most useful biometric we’ve tracked.

What we tested

Twelve weeks across two reviewers — one in active training (running 50km/week), one in normal life. We compared sleep stages against an Apple Watch Series 9 night by night, tested temperature sensitivity around two illness onsets (the ring flagged elevated temp 12-18 hours before symptoms in both cases), and ran the activity tracking through gym workouts to gauge how it handles strength training.

Where it shines

• Sleep staging is the most accurate consumer-device tracking we’ve used — the deep sleep numbers track within 4-6% of a single-night EEG comparison we ran.
• Temperature trends over time caught two illness onsets early — useful for athletes who track training load and women tracking cycles.
• Battery life of 6-7 days on real use means the ring just sits on your finger and you forget about it — closer to a passive sensor than a charging-anxiety device.
• The Gen 4 made the sensor unbroken across the inside ring — you no longer have to align a flat sensor pad against your finger for accurate readings.

Where it falls short

The $5.99/month subscription is the flat-out worst part of owning one — without it the ring functions as a basic data logger, no insights, no trends, no Readiness. Activity tracking during strength training is mediocre because the ring doesn’t see wrist movement well. The titanium finish on the silver model dings noticeably on door handles and gym bars within the first month — the matte black holds up better. And resizing requires shipping it back, since fingers shrink over winter.

The verdict

If sleep and recovery data are decision-relevant for your training or health, the Oura Gen 4 is the most useful wearable in this category — not even the Apple Watch matches its sleep accuracy. If you’re not going to act on the data, it’s an expensive habit; either commit to it for six months or skip it.