First released in 2015, the Oura Ring was created to track its user’s body movements and provide insight into sleep, heart rate, and more. While the first and most simple generation of rings was released in 2015, two new generations have been released in 2018 and 2021. As of March 2022, Oura has sold over 1 million rings
Part of the appeal of the Oura Ring is that it looks fashionable. The ring is customizable to the customer’s style. The ring comes in two shapes: horizon, which is a circular shape, and heritage, which has a square shape at the top of the ring. For both shapes, the rings come in silver, black, stealth, gold, and rose gold, each color slightly varying in price. The price of the ring is determined by the shape and metal it is made of, ranging from $299 – $559.
While many people appreciate the aesthetics of the ring, it’s the data collection that makes it unique. One of the main features of the ring is to track sleep and sleeping patterns, which the company began doing in 2013. When a person wearing an Oura ring goes to sleep with the ring on their finger, the ring collects data. One piece of data it reports is called a sleep score. The score can be anywhere from 1 to 100, with 100 being the highest score you can receive. The score is composed of a few different pieces of data. It tracks how long a person spends in each stage of the sleep cycle (deep sleep, REM sleep, and light sleep) and body signals, which include body temperature and heart rate. There is an app that allows the user to view all of the information collected. The app will also teach you how to improve your sleep score if necessary. Since the app and ring are personalized, it gives specific instructions about routines and advice that are customized to each person’s needs. Additionally, the ring can track blood oxygen levels and tell if a person had trouble breathing during their sleep. The ring can also track when a person is taking a nap. Once a nap is detected, goals and scores get adjusted and the data collected is analyzed.
During the day, Oura can track heart rate, activity levels, and training frequencies, along with providing daily goals. When the customer begins an activity, the ring automatically detects the movement and records data like timing and calorie burning. Additionally, the ring can tell your heart rate, pacing, duration, and distance, as well as a route/map of your workout if it was outside. When you finish exercising, the ring provides you with even more data, including how your workout will impact your sleep. Even if a workout is not in process, the ring tracks your heart rate and learns how your body functions daily. Customers can see how their choices and routines directly impact their bodies.
In addition to sleep and activity, Oura tracks readiness. Oura provides a Readiness Score, which is composed of over 20 body signals, including temperature, heart rate, HRV, and sleep. Similar to the sleep score, this tells you how ready you are for the day on a scale of 1 – 100. Oura can detect when you may be getting sick, based on temperature changes, changes in heart rate, and other signals, which could all happen before symptoms develop. Based on body temperature trends, the ring can also accurately predict menstruation. Rest mode can be activated when the ring determines that your body might be unwell or need rest. Once rest mode is turned on, the app adjusts your daily goals to account for your rest.
In addition to taking care of your body, the Oura ring can assist you in taking care of your mind. On the Oura ring app, customers can find guided sessions that revolve around meditation, sleep, focus, energy boosts, and more. After completing a session, the app gives you information about your heart rate and other body signals during a session. This can inform you which sessions work the best for you personally and can be used more frequently. In addition to sessions, the app provides articles and places to get educated on your body and tips to stay healthy. Customers can learn more about daily choices and learn from experts how to keep themselves healthy.
The Oura Ring has received excellent press, most notably making it to Time’s Best Inventions of 2020 list. In this article, Time Magazine shares that during the COVID-19 Pandemic, over 2,000 people across the National Basketball Association ordered and used the Oura Ring. After a partnership between the NBA and Oura was formed, the NBA went an entire season without a single case of COVID-19. With athlete investors like Shaquille O’Neal and Manu Ginóbili, Oura has also formed partnerships with the WNBA and NASCAR.
In other media, including articles from TechCrunch, WIRED, Vogue, and Wirecutter, the ring is described as smart, digestible, easy to use, and informative. Celebrities, like Prince Harry and Kim Kardashian, have also been supporters of the Oura Ring. Oura has also recently partnered with Gucci to create a designer version of the ring priced at $950.
Compared to a FitBit, another popular activity tracker that typically is worn around the wrist, the Oura Ring provides more holistic information. Instead of just tracking activity and sleep like FitBit and other trackers in the wearables industry, Oura works to keep your entire body healthy and understand your routine. The app is easy to navigate, free, and provides more resources than its competition. The Oura Ring is also more practical for many. Instead of being a thick wristband, the Oura ring is smaller and disguisable as a piece of jewelry.
To get a better understanding of the Oura Ring, I interviewed Serena Blechman, a good friend who originally told me about the ring. Serena first got her ring in October of 2022 and heard about the ring from a TikTok video talking about the product. When asked her favorite thing about having the ring, Serena said, “I like that I’m more tuned in to and aware of my body. It encourages me to get my steps in and have a good night’s rest. The ring provides me with information on how to feel good and teaches me about my sleep, which I’ve never been able to learn about before having the ring.” Serena has a Horizon-shaped gold ring, which I mistook for a piece of jewelry at first.
The Oura Ring will be the next big thing in the wearable industry. Post-pandemic, people have become much more interested in their body wellness and being in tune with what their bodies and mind need. This ring gives people access to all of that information, all while being disguisable as a piece of jewelry. This ring uses technology that will impact and change the entire industry.
