The Oura Ring 5 may not arrive for another couple of years, given that the last three models arrived in 2018, 2021, and 2024. But given the rapid explosion of smart rings and the rise of rival products like the Samsung Galaxy Ring, it's fair to speculate what this popular, beloved smart ring brand will deliver next and how soon.
Topping our list of the best smart rings, the Oura Ring 4 doesn't do gimmicks: It automatically tracks sleep, workouts, steps, resting heart rate, blood oxygen, skin temperature, and stress; it then converts that data into stats like VO2 Max, resilience, and readiness, while its AI Advisor explains your stats to you.
That's already a definitive list, so what's next? Based on our time with the Oura Ring 4 — and Oura Health's long list of currently unused patents — here is our Oura Ring 5 wishlist and predictions.
Oura Ring 5: Patents that could appear
Oura has hundreds of patents, both filed and accepted by the USPTO, and a patent is no guarantee that a feature will be used in the Oura Ring 5. Some features stay as ideas for a reason. Still, we're highlighting potential Oura Ring 5 features that we think could be useful in the next-gen ring based on these patents.
Smart gestures: Patent US-12216829-B2 for "Ring-inputted commands" explains that buttons or screens on a smart ring "may detract from the aesthetic appeal," so they need a way for a ring to trigger actions via "some action or movement, such as by tapping or rotating the wearable device, performing some hand gesture, and the like."
This is very similar to the pinching motion control you get on the Galaxy Ring, but Oura envisions multiple "input command patterns" for things like "tagging information or events (e.g., tagging alcohol/caffeine consumption), starting/ending a workout, causing a user device to take a picture, adjusting or activating/deactivating external devices (e.g., speakers, smart lights, smart appliances, thermostats, other household electronics), performing an authentication procedure...activating sensors of a wearable device (e.g., performing an ECG measurement) and the like."
If Oura delivers these kinds of smarts and can make the commands distinct enough from normal hand movement to avoid false positives, this could make the Oura Ring 5 much "smarter" and more dynamic — but also more complicated.
Modular add-ons: Patent US-12177997-B2 for "Functional cover with wireless connection for ring wearable" discusses a significant problem with smart rings: you can't easily replace the battery or other faulty parts, forcing the user to buy a new model or the manufacturer to replace it when it begins to fail. Its suggested solution is "functional covers" or "modules" that "incorporate additional components and/or update existing functionality of the wearable device."
It suggests types of add-on covers like a "battery module, a fitness tracker module, an air quality module, a wireless communications module, a location module, a safety module, a self-identification or authentication module (e.g., module to authenticate the user for purchases, entry to restricted locations), etc."
The Oura Ring 5 would hypothetically have removable elements to make attaching modules easier or "inductive" components that couple with the electronics in the attachable covers. It all sounds quite complicated, but a modular Oura Ring 5 would allow power users to buy and add additional functions over time or augment its battery life as it naturally loses capacity.
GPS tracking: This straightforward patent — US-20230065695-A1 for "Location-based activity tracking — suggests that automatically detected activities could use GPS data to map workouts within the Oura app. The patent defaults to phone-based GPS but suggests that the Oura Ring itself "may be enabled with GPS or other positioning capabilities." No smart ring has a GPS antenna yet due to the major battery requirements and signal challenges, but it'd be intriguing if Oura somehow made the Ring 5 the first.
A major redesign: There are several patents related to the idea of making a universal Oura Ring 5 that fits any finger size, instead of having to make one for each size. Patent US-20250064398-A1 for "Conformable wearable device with deformable shape" suggests their next smart ring could be "manufactured in one size...as a straight piece rather than in ring form."
Depending on your finger size, the Ring 5 edges "may overlap after rolling around the wearable device, form a gap between the edges, or align." The patent almost describes it like a smartwatch that coils around your finger but can be safely broken apart at any time to then attach to another finger (or person).
Another patent (US-20250009085-A1) shows a "C-ring form factor" with a connective bridge between the two ends. Instead of a one-size design, this C-ring design would "transition between multiple discrete ring sizes (e.g., between U.S. ring sizes 6-8)," letting Oura manufacture fewer versions and users swap between sizes to wear it on different fingers.
One particularly outlandish patented idea (US-20250009086-A1) is to design the next Oura Ring with "multiple rings for adjustable circumference," letting you remove some inner rings based on your finger size. We don't think this one will end up happening, but it shows that Oura is willing to try anything.
Finally, another fascinating patent (US-20250000218-A1) has a "deformable inner cover" that uses a "memory shape polymer" to bulge or contract to counterbalance when your finger enlarges or shrinks due to environmental or physiological factors, helping the next Oura Ring deliver "more accurate physiological data measurements."
Universal charger: The Oura Ring 4 has a fitted charger for each ring size. If Oura redesigns the Oura Ring 5 with multiple sizes, then it will need a flexible charger as well. Patent US-20240396371-A1 discusses chargers that "magnetically attract a magnetic component" in order to "align charging coils" between ring and charger.
Haptic feedback: We've always liked the idea of haptic notifications on smart rings, but only Circular has added a vibration motor to one of its rings and cut the feature from its Circular Ring 2. So we're intrigued to see Oura patent the idea of providing "feedback" to users with methods like "vibrations, audio tones, changing temperature or pressure."
In patent US-20240371493-A1, they suggest an Oura ring could detect high blood pressure and send a vibrating alert to warn them. Then, "if the user's blood pressure did not decrease following the feedback, the wearable device may increase the magnitude of subsequent tactile vibrations to more forcefully indicate the user should take action to reduce their blood pressure."
While the main focus seems to be using vibrations as a "sixth sense" to help users "realize when they are stressed," the patent also mentions other potential "objectives" like vibrating based on your current heart rate zone during a workout, vibrating when you're approaching a turn while following directions, or even vibrating when you're facing north.
Whatever Oura does with this feature, it suggests we could get a haptic motor in a future Oura Ring.
Oura Ring 5: Wishlist
We've already covered in the section above how the Oura Ring 5 could have a flexible design to bend to multiple sizes, a haptic motor, gesture recognition, a removable battery or add-on covers, and (though it's unlikely) built-in GPS.
Now, we'll focus on what Oura Ring 5 features we'd like to see, based on our time with the Oura Ring 4 and Ring 3, as well as other smart rings like the Ultrahuman Ring Air.
NFC support: One of our most-wanted smart ring features is an option to make contactless payments. Authentication would be simple: When you put on your ring, you must go into the Oura app and enter your PIN or pattern to enable tap-to-pay. From that point on, your Oura Ring 5 would be authenticated to make payments with your phone in your pocket, or even with your phone at home.
But the moment you remove your Oura Ring 5, the NFC chip would be disabled until you entered your credentials again; that way, no one can go on a spending spree if you leave it on a bathroom sink or someone snatches it.
New health functions: The Oura Ring 4 already takes a holistic approach to health and wellness. The one missing feature we'd love to see on the Ring 5 is either an ECG for active AFib detection or passive irregular heart rhythm notifications.
Since at least one Oura patent mentions blood pressure, it'd be cool if the Ring 5 could provide continuous data and (optionally) buzz your finger if you're stressed or experiencing hypertension.
In addition, since so many smartwatch brands seem to be working on non-invasive blood glucose monitoring, could we get that same kind of sensor in a smart ring? We don't know if Oura could pull it off, but it'd certainly be useful for diabetics.
Otherwise, given how we've seen smart ring rivals positioning themselves as medical-grade devices, maybe it's less about new features and more about Oura giving the Ring 5 enhanced accuracy. Oura had its $96 million Pentagon contract canceled this March, so it may be looking for other business or medical opportunities beyond its usual consumer sector. That may require FDA-approved accuracy claims.
Ultra-wideband (or just better Find My Ring tracking): Our Oura Ring 4 reviewer has lost several Oura Rings in the past, which we love to tease him about. But he does have a legitimate complaint that they're very easy to lose track of.
There's a Find My Ring function for iOS, but not Android still; that needs to be fixed soon, but it should be resolved before the Ring 5 ships. By that time, we'd love to see ultra-wideband added because the last-location feature can only show its vague location. If the ring's fallen inside a couch cushion, only something like ultra-wideband would let you hone in on its exact location. Plus, UWB would let you use your ring as a digital car key.
A tiny or embedded display: This would move the Oura Ring 5 from the "smart jewelry" category into something more tech-heavy and potentially gimmicky, so we're not sure we truly want a ring screen that would require a thicker design and extra battery life drain. But let's at least talk about it!
What if Oura could add a small, square display like you see on hybrid watches like the Withings ScanWatch 2 or Garmin Vivomove Trend? Your smart ring would look "normal" unless you made an artificial gesture to trigger the screen and see information or unless you set it to light up with notification icons to see what's triggering the buzz in your pocket.
The display itself could be something subtle, like a grayscale OLED embedded like a gem at the top, or else built into the glass layer around the ring so the text can light up but otherwise remain invisible.
An even slimmer design: The Oura Ring 4 only weighs about 3–5g and measures less than 3mm thick. That's very impressive considering how much it can track, and if it adds more health data or a haptic motor, I can't see it getting any skinnier.
But let's imagine that all of those patents are just about Oura weighing its options, and that its Oura Ring 5 will focus less on gimmicks and more on style. In that case, it's fair to argue that the Ring 4 still has that distinct "smart ring look," and is much thicker than a "normal" ring.
If Oura can bring the Ring 5 closer to the range of a traditional skinny ring while still delivering accurate health sensor data, that might be the best way of making it more popular with mainstream users.
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