I wasn’t expecting to see a new Oura ring until at least next year, but the wellness company has shocked us all. Breaking its well-trodden three-year cycle, Oura has just launched the Oura ring 5, and I might be convinced to start wearing a smart ring again.The Oura ring 5 is the smallest smart ring the brand has ever made. At 6.09mm wide and 2.28mm thick, it’s significantly slimmer than the Oura ring 4, and weighs as little as 2g depending on the ring size. Oura says its smoother curvature is designed to feel more natural on your finger – and I think I might be sold.Being thinner, lighter and more discreet than ever before, Oura’s potentially fixed the biggest gripe I’ve had with smart rings since Kim Kardashian and Prince Harry first popularised them in 2018. Forever feeling chunky and weighty on my finger, the thick design always inevitably led me to leave it at home whenever I went to the gym.The launch comes as demand for passive, minimalist wearables continues to heat up, with Google recently launching the Fitbit Air, available to pre-order now. Here’s everything you need to know about the new Oura ring 5, including price and release date.Read more: These are the best fitness trackers, reviewed Pre-order now Oura ring 5: Design The Oura ring 5 comes in a new deep rose finish (Oura)Oura says the new ring 5 is the smallest smart ring in the world. To achieve its ultra-thin design, Oura says it had to completely rethink the ring’s internal architecture, redesigning its mechanical, electrical, optical, battery and sensing systems. The company says the new ring uses lower-profile sensor domes for better skin contact, as well as more powerful LEDs and twelve stronger signal pathways to improve accuracy for different finger types and skin tones. Oura claims this will help deliver more reliable and accurate readings for overnight heart rate tracking, workout heart rate and signal quality. I’m interested to see how this pans out – my Oura ring 4 has frequently struggled with consistent workout readings. Oura’s also redesigned the battery system so that it can still squeeze in up to nine days of battery life.The Oura ring 5 comes with a new charging case, sold separately (Oura)As well as the regular standard silver and black finishes, the Oura ring 5 comes in gold, stealth, brushed silver and a new deep rose, which has a copper-rose colourway. Oura says the ring itself is more scratch resistant than previous generations thanks to a new coating designed to better withstand everyday wear. The Oura ring 5 comes in sizes six to 13. If you already have an Oura ring, the company recommends resizing your finger before buying the new one. Oura is also releasing an updated version of its portable charging case for the Oura ring 5. The new case can reportedly store enough power for up to five full charges while you’re travelling. Annoyingly, it still doesn’t come bundled with the ring itself like the Samsung Galaxy ring, meaning you’ll have to buy it separately for around £100.Oura ring 5: Features Similarly to the Oura ring 4 launch, new features will also be rolling out alongside the Oura ring 5, with many of the new stuff coming to older generations. You’ll be able to track workouts live from the Oura app. Once you start a workout in the app, you can view real-time metrics such as your pace, distance and heart rate during activities including running, cycling and strength training. That does mean you’ll have to whip out your phone if you want to access the data. Interestingly, Oura says users will also be able to connect third-party heart rate monitors and supported fitness devices for more detailed live workout data.The Oura ring 5 looks a lot slimmer than previous models (Oura)There’s also a host of women’s health features coming to the Oura ring. New menopause insights, including a symptom tracking dashboard that helps women better understand how menopause is affecting their sleep, mood and daily routines. A hormonal birth control tracking feature, which aims to show how different contraceptives can influence biometric data and recovery trends, will also be rolling out.Oura is also expanding its symptom radar into health radar. It’ll continuously monitor biometric patterns in the background and surface any potential health issues before they become more serious. One of these biometric patterns is blood pressure signals, which aims to detect changes in cardiovascular strain and rising blood pressure, looking for long-term overnight trends. Oura says the ring can monitor whether your blood pressure naturally drops during sleep, an important cardiovascular marker that daytime readings can sometimes miss.You can now track workouts live from your phone (Oura)You’ll also find insights on your nighttime breathing, with Oura providing a 30-day view of any breathing disturbances during your sleep. Oura says the feature can help identify any long-term changes in your sleep and breathing patterns and offer guidance on whether users should seek further medical evaluation.Screenshots shared by Oura also reveal an upcoming GLP-1 insights feature designed for users taking weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound. The feature appears to let users log medication doses and track how the drugs may be affecting their sleep, recovery and heart rate.It looks ike a GLP-1 insights feature will be coming to the app (Oura)Users will also be able to upload blood test and lab results directly into the Oura app so they can compare clinical data with their sleep, readiness and activity metrics with a new lab uploads feature. And if you’ve ever misplaced your ring, you’ll be pleased to hear that you will soon be able to hunt your Oura or charging case down using Bluetooth-based proximity tracking. Oura ring 5: Release date and price It comes in six different finishes (Oura)Available to pre-order now, it will officially launch on Friday 4 June. The Oura ring 5 in the silver and black finishes cost £399 – that’s a £50 price hike over the Oura ring 4 in the silver and black finishes. The gold, stealth, brushed silver and the new deep rose colourways cost £499. Like previous Oura devices, the ring also requires an Oura membership, which costs £5.99 per month or £69.99 a year to work.Pre-order now For more, we’ve reviewed the best smart rings on the market