Oura Review: Could this be the the ring that makes smart jewellery shine?
WAREABLE, SEPT 2017
Over the past few years, the smart ring market has experienced lots of false starts, whether that’s been due to hardware hold-ups, legal issues or just the fact they’ve proven to be notoriously difficult to get right for mainstream consumers.
But after the rise and fall of hyped brands, like Smarty Ring, Fin and Nod, a number of companies have stuck around that promise smart rings with true staying power. That means highly accurate data tracking, valuable insights and, most importantly, a design you’ll actually want to wear.
Initially a Kickstarter project, Oura stands out due to the amount of data it can track, from your daily activities through to your heart rate and breathing. But then again, with a €329 (around £300) price tag, you’d expect it to pack a punch.
It’s exciting to be able to collect all of that data from your finger. But let’s not forget that when it comes to tech habits, it’s still mostly uncharted territory. It’s hard to know whether wearing a smart device on your finger that’s bulkier than most regular rings is worth it for the health insights pay-off or too cumbersome and bulky regardless of what it’s tracking.
As with all wearable tech it’s likely to be highly subjective (we’ve found smart ring design to be polarising in the past), but here’s my verdict on the Oura ring.