[Edaily Reporter Shin Yeong-bin ] Before going to sleep, I took off my watch but left my ring on. The Oura Ring 5, which remained on my finger all night, quietly recorded my heart rate, body temperature, and movement while I slept. When I opened my eyes in the morning, instead of a vague feeling of “I slept well,” a sleep report was waiting for me.

The Oura Ring 5 is a device that collects health data while worn continuously on the finger. It measures heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), body temperature changes, blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂), and movement, then compiles this data into scores for sleep, activity, and readiness. It has neither a screen nor buttons. Most of the time, it looks like an ordinary ring, but when you open the app on your smartphone, the information collected overnight is revealed.

Weighing just 2g, it’s barely noticeable while you sleep… and in the morning, you get your ‘sleep report card’

After wearing it for about a month, my favorite moments were when

I was asleep

. I used to take my smartwatch off at night because it felt constricting on my wrist, but the ring was much less bothersome. Even though I don’t usually wear rings, I rarely felt the urge to take it off because it was bothering me while I slept.

The product I used was the “Stealth” color—a deep gray with a near-matte finish. With minimal surface reflection, it gave off a more subdued impression than a typical metal ring.

The Oura Ring 5 is 6.09 mm wide and 2.28 mm thick. Its volume has been reduced by 40% compared to the Oura Ring 4. The weight varies by size but starts at around 2 g. It’s more than 1 g lighter than its predecessor.

When you open the app in the morning, the first thing that catches your eye is the “Sleep Score” out of 100. It synthesizes data such as total sleep duration, sleep regularity, HRV, and nighttime movement. It also displays a graph showing when deep sleep, REM sleep, and light sleep occurred. My Sleep Score for that day was 85. On days when I went to bed late, the score was lower than usual.

Along with the sleep score, the “readiness level” is also presented as a daily score. Based on heart rate and body temperature measured throughout the night, it allows you to gauge your physical condition for the day. On days when your condition is low, it recommends lowering the intensity of your workout or taking a rest. It served as a small report card that encouraged me to reflect on my physical condition every morning.

9-day battery

life

, 100m water resistance… Still uncomfortable during workouts

Although it’s smaller, the battery life has increased. A full charge lasts approximately 6 to 9 days—about one day longer than the previous version. It takes about 80 minutes to charge from a completely drained state. Even brief charging sessions during work or workouts were sufficient.

It has an IP68 water resistance rating and is water-resistant up to 100m. You don’t need to take it off every time you wash your hands or take a shower. It features a seamless titanium interior and an exterior made of titanium as well. This aligns well with the product’s design philosophy of staying on your finger to continuously collect data.

Even when compared to the Galaxy Ring— SamsungElectronics(005930) ’s most familiar competitor in the Korean market—its size stands out. The Oura Ring 5 is 1 mm narrower and 0.3 mm thinner than the Galaxy Ring, and it’s also about 0.3 g lighter. Unlike the Galaxy Ring, which only supports Android phones, the Oura Ring 5 is also compatible with iPhones.

That said, it isn’t always comfortable. Especially when gripping hard objects like dumbbells or barbells with force, the ring gets squeezed between your finger and the equipment. Even with its smaller size, I found it more comfortable to take it off when I needed to exert force with my hand.

Unlike a smartwatch, you can’t check your pace or heart rate by looking at the screen while exercising. It also doesn’t have built-in GPS. For Saramins who actively track their workouts, a watch is still the better choice.

It

even

monitors

blood pressure signals… but the 9,400 won monthly subscription is a burden

Recently, “Health Radar,” a service that monitors signs of health issues, has also been introduced in Korea. Based on cardiovascular and respiratory data, it alerts users to patterns that differ from their usual routine and displays long-term trends in nighttime breathing changes.

The blood pressure monitoring feature uses photoplethysmography (PPG) data collected during sleep to track long-term changes related to blood pressure. It analyzes patterns over the past 30 days to alert users to any deviations from their usual patterns. It does not directly measure blood pressure or display readings in mmHg.

The biggest drawback is the price. The domestic retail price for the Oura Ring 5 is 630,000 won for the Black and Silver models, and 780,000 won for the Gold, Stealth, Brushed Silver, and Deep Rose models.

A membership is also required to continue accessing detailed health data and personalized insights. New users can enjoy the first month for free, but after that, they must pay 9,400 won per month or 110,000 won per year. If you cancel your membership, you’ll only be able to view your Readiness, Activity, and Sleep scores, which somewhat limits the device’s usefulness.

There is no separate subscription fee to use the main features of Samsung Health on the Galaxy Ring. While the ability to consistently monitor changes in sleep and recovery—which are often easy to overlook—is appealing, the cost structure, which combines the device price starting at 630,000 won with a subscription fee, remains a burden.