Oura ring 5: DesignThe first thing you’ll notice about the Oura ring 5 is just how lightweight it feels, compared with other smart rings, including Oura’s earlier models, and even regular jewellery. It is barely any thicker than my wedding band and, since that ring is made of gold and the Oura is a combination of titanium and electronics, the Oura is lighter. Compared with the Oura ring 4 in ceramic, which until now I have always found to be light and slim enough to be both beautiful and unobtrusive, the difference is considerable. Each time I take it off, I marvel at just how light it is. The new smart ring could pass for regular jewellery (David Phelan/The Independent)I’m banging on about this because one of the surest ways for a wearer to tire of tech on their body is if it’s too big or heavy. This is something you can wear 24 hours a day without noticing it. That said, the Oura ring 4 stays in the range and has had a price cut. It’s also light and discreet, so it remains a potent alternative. Both rings have the same features – though Oura claims the completely redesigned ring 5 offers more accurate readings and has more powerful LED sensors. There are six colourways for the Oura ring 5. Black and silver are glossy finishes (£399 each), while brushed silver and stealth, a black colour, are both matte. And there are two new shades, a gold which is less yellow than previous Oura models and deep rose, which sounds like rose gold but is really more of a copper finish. These last four finishes cost £499 each. The Oura ring 4 is still available to buy for £349 in silver finish, as is stealth, which has dropped in price from £399 to £349, and gold, which was previously £499 and is now £399. The Oura ring 4 in ceramic remains on sale, too, in two colours, midnight and cloud, which are a dark blue and off-white respectively. These used to cost £499 but are now £399.Note that if you’re moving from an earlier Oura Ring 4 to the latest one, the company recommends trying a sizing guide as although the sizes available remain the same, 6 to 13, the sizing is slightly different. That said, I found that size 12 continues to be the one that fits me. Oura ring 5: FeaturesThe Oura ring 5 arrived with a software update that brings new features to an already exemplary interface and range of capabilities. Like other smart rings, the lack of a display means the ring isn’t a distraction in your day. To see your metrics, you open the companion app on your smartphone.The ring measures your stress levels, tracks your heart health and cardio capacity, and can even warn you if you’re about to come down with a cold, flu or Covid. That’s part of something called Symptom Radar and it measures your biometrics when you sleep and tells you in the morning if illness is on its way to you. The first time I saw this notice I thought it was nonsense. I felt absolutely normal, and I promptly came down with a heavy cold two days later. Despite the smaller size, the new Oura Ring’s battery life is better than older models’ (David Phelan/The Independent)Plus, the new ring, Oura says, has stronger signal pathways which will offer greater accuracy on more skin tones, for instance. Sleep tracking is key to the Oura and it calculates a sleep score for you, letting you know how much REM and deep sleep made up your night, with more details of whether you have a sleep debt. New in the software update is live activity tracking, so you can start a workout in the app and see your metrics there. There are also women’s health updates such as menopause insights and hormonal birth control that adapts cycle insights.More features have been announced for some countries, like the US, for instance, where insights into managing GLP-1 medication are live now, for Ozempic and other users, along with blood pressure information. These features need clearance from relevant authorities before they can come to the UK. Note the sizing is slightly different, compared with older Oura Ring models (David Phelan/The Independent)All the new features are also now available on earlier models of Oura ring, such as Oura ring 4 and Oura ring 3. Note that to get the most out of the metrics that Oura tracks, you need a membership. This costs £5.99 a month.Oura ring 5: Battery lifeBattery life is key with wearables, and the smaller size and weight might have suggested that the new ring would have worse battery life than the old. In fact, it’s better. As mentioned above, Oura claims the new ring will last between six and nine days between recharges – the range is because smaller rings have smaller battery than larger ones. My size 12 has so far routinely lasted more than nine days between charges.