The first thing that strikes you about the glossy Oura Ring is just how many sensors are packed into it. To miniaturise such technology is impressive. To do it in a device as small as a (slightly) chunky ring is doubly impressive. That it has up to eight days of battery life is trebly so.
We’ve been testing the Oura Ring 4 at Stuff for the past month, tracking sleep and exercise every step of the way. Not only does it work, but arguably it is also better than the Apple Watch 10, with eight times more battery life, albeit with no screen that needs power.
Oura farming?
I say “we’ve been testing” because I am a non-practising fitness fanatic. I’ve tried and reviewed generations of fitness trackers and concluded that I am not the target market. I am happy to hit my 10,000 steps and record Pilates and dog walks, but I don’t need any more from my tech, thanks. I can tell if I had a bad night’s sleep when I wake up grumpy. A ‘sleep score’ isn’t really necessary. Also, I have an Apple Watch if I really wanted to know.
But for the target market, the Oura ring is a godsend. It’s highly accurate, isn’t intrusive, doesn’t need daily charging (big win) and does its job as advertised. It also picks up when your health is generally off, including higher body temperature and increased heart rate. The ring is also good at menstrual cycle tracking for women. The app is similarly useful, offering a lot more insight into your sleep patterns. It’s an A-type’s dream.
Oura’s availability in South Africa is part of the new focus on sleep hygiene by Discovery, which started a months-long trial of the rings last year. Vitality customers will be able to buy them through Discovery from March, it says. I am intrigued by the technology they have crammed into something just 5mm thick with a battery that lasts up to eight days. This is, simply, amazing engineering.
You’re paying for it, mind. At R8,500 it’s more costly than some of the excellent digital watches from Samsung or Huawei, which average around R5,000, and not far off the Apple Watch 11 I bought myself (with eBucks) last year. But as a fitness and sleep tracker, it sets a high benchmark for accuracy and sensitivity.
- This column first appeared in Business Day.
