I'm a Fitness Editor, and I Tested the All-New Oura Ring Gen 4—Here's My Honest Review

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I'm a Fitness Editor, and I Tested the All-New Oura Ring Gen 4—Here's My Honest Review originally appeared on Parade.
I've been wearing an Oura Ring since 2023, and ever since then, not a single day has passed where I don't look at my Oura Ring data (usually first thing in the morning when I wake up too). Sure, call me obsessed, but the longer I've used the Oura Ring, the more I want to learn about the data it tells me—and how to improve it. There's no denying that this accessory is more than a fitness tracker, it's a conversation starter, fashion statement and, once you experience the app and all the features, you quickly realize that it's way more than a fitness wearable.
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So when I had the chance to upgrade my Oura Ring to the new Oura Ring Gen 4, I jumped at the opportunity to try it out. Plus, when I was a few weeks into testing the Oura Ring Gen 4, Oura rolled out its new Metabolic Health features which include new glucose monitoring and meal tracking features available in the app. Plus, there's a new integration with Dexcom Stelo, a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) that you can purchase without a doctor's prescription. So, naturally, I had to test that too. Below, my thoughts on the new Oura Ring, how it stacks up to the Gen 3 Oura Ring, plus what I thought about the new CGM integration. Related:
I've been using the Oura 3 since July 2023, and got the new Oura Ring 4 in early May, so I tested the new ring for two full months. I also spoke with, Oura's Product Marketing Leader, to go over the new features and updates, and explain the new Dexcom CGM integration as well (I tried this new integration for about two weeks).
When I first unboxed the new Oura Ring, I noticed a much sleeker design overall. I ended up ordering the same size ring that I wore previously for the Gen 3, and I did use the new sizing kit as recommended to double-check my size. But once I got the new Oura Ring 4, I noticed that the same size ring fit slightly looser on my finger. Although noticeable, it didn't bother me enough to order another size down (plus, I knew it's common for the fingers and hands to swell throughout the day/night). This was probably due to the new updates to the ring sensors, which used to slightly bulge out underneath the ring against your finger. But, the new Oura Ring 4 features recessed sensors that make the ring look and feel more sleek. According to Harrington, the new Gen 4 Oura Ring is made with all titanium material, and the previous model was made of a resin-like material and titanium. "The thing that's really neat about titanium is it's very durable and really hard as a material, but it is a very lightweight [material]," says Harrington. The titanium design is also part of how the team was able to make the ring's sensors recessed, nixing the little bumps and LED lights that were notable in the previous model. Related: The new ring also has a "smart sensing" technology that's supposed to provide more accurate data tracking due to its ability to fit each person's unique finger shape and skin. The new Oura Ring also has expanded size options, boosting ring size options for people with larger or smaller hands. "Oura Ring four is now available in sizes four through 15. That accounts for around 93% of people's hands on pearth," says Harrington.
One of the things I love about the Oura Ring is the battery life. I usually only need to charge the ring about once a week, and now, the Oura Ring 4 has about an eight-day battery life. The new charger is also noticeably sleeker and easier to use. I wasn't a huge fan of the older charger, which I found a bit clunky and hard to place the ring in the right spot to charge.The new charging platform is a much-needed upgrade: It has a sturdier, easier-to-maneuver shape that makes charging the ring a breeze. It also charges fast, in about 20-80 minutes, per the brand's website.
Oura Ring tracks over 30 different health metrics and wellness insights, including sleep, recovery, heart rate, heart rate variability, body temperature, stress and more. The brand has added 24 new product features in the last year or so, including Pregnancy Insights, Cardiovascular Age and Symptom Radar. The metrics I personally pay attention to the most are my Readiness Score, Sleep Score, Activity, Stress and Cycle Insights. Let's dive into how Oura calculates these below:
According to Oura, your readiness score is a "holistic picture of your health" that encompasses your activity, workouts, sleep, metrics like your heart rate variability, body temperature and heart rate. Your score will range from 0-100, and I find it is usually pretty accurate in terms of how I'm feeling on a day-to-day basis. When I'm feeling refreshed, my scores hover in the 80s or above, and after a stressful day or night, poor sleep, or one too many drinks, my score will dip into the 60s or lower.
Each day you get a sleep score that gives you a snapshot of your sleep quality, according to about seven different metrics that Oura tracks. This includes: total hours of sleep, "sleep efficiency," or how much time you actually spent asleep while in bed, your level of restfulness or how much you tossed and turned throughout the night, REM sleep, deep sleep, sleep timing (what time you went to sleep) plus your sleep latency or how long it takes you to fall asleep.
Your activity score is a combination of your daily steps, how much you move around in general, and it also encompasses your workouts or fitness training. The score is a range from 0-100, and you get a daily score based on how active you (you can also input your own activity goals, which it will factor in).
Throughout the day, Oura tracks your stress levels via several insights including your HRV, body temperature, heart rate and more. All of these signals give you a stress insight, which shows your stress levels throughout the day on a graph.
One of the most notable developments I've seen with Oura Ring since I started using it years ago is the expanded women's health features. Oura Ring has an impressive cycle tracking feature that uses a combination of your personal data, body temperature and other algorithms to help you predict your cycle, ovulation and when your next period may arrive.Although the Oura cycle tracking feature is not approved by the FDA for contraception use, Oura does have an integration with Natural Cycles, which is approved by the FDA. Other women's health-focused apps that Oura can integrate or share data with, if you choose, are Flo.health and Clue. Related:
One of the buzziest launches of 2025 so far is Oura Ring's new metabolic insights feature, which integrates a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) from Dexcom called Stelo. While this feature is not exclusive to the new Oura Ring 4, I tested it simultaneously with the new ring. The Stelo is one of the first CGMs on the market that doesn't require a prescription from a doctor. The Stelo by Dexcom costs $99, and includes 2 sensors that last for about 15 days each. Oura also launched a new Meals feature that is powered by AI, and allows you to take photos of your meals and you get real time nutrition feedback from the Oura Advisor. This feature, paired with the glucose data, gives you a lot of interesting insights into how specific foods or meals may be affecting your blood sugar.
While I found the Meals feature interesting (I feel pretty solid on my nutrition knowledge and what works for my body) the most useful feature for me was the glucose monitoring. I found the Stelo CGM very easy to wear and I barely noticed it after the first day or so (I applied it to my upper arm). Although I have used a CGM before, I loved how easy it was to pair the Stelo with the Oura Ring, and all of the data was integrated seamlessly into my Oura app. I was able to watch my blood sugar throughout the day and see when certain foods or beverages triggered a "spike" which is considered above 140.
Although I did not get many "blood sugar spike" alerts from Oura, the first one was notable—a plain oatmilk latte from Starbucks. I was shocked that this prompted a spike, even over the chips I'd eaten the day before, or even a cocktail I had recently had with dinner. As someone who drinks a lot of coffee, seeing this data made me change my ways. Once I saw how oatmilk was affecting my blood sugar, I decided to drink lattes with whole or 2 percent milk to see how I felt (I had avoided drinking dairy for years) and was surprised to find that not only did I feel fine after drinking regular cappuccinos, but I didn't miss the sweet, creamy taste of oatmilk as much as I thought.And nutritionally speaking, I know that regular dairy milk is way more balanced in macros than oatmilk (it has a much better carbs to protein to fat ratio, and fewer weird additives.) This showed in my glucose readings, too. Honestly, this was the biggest change to my habits to come out of using Stelo—but it's a big one! (I can't tell you how many oatmilk lattes I downed in the past few years.)
The new Oura Ring 4 is a sleeker, more optimized version of the previous model. Although I had no complaints about my old ring, I was happy to upgrade to the new version, and I definitely don't want to go back to the 3. If you're an Oura Ring fanatic like me, the upgrade is worth the price tag of around $349. If you're on the fence or haven't tried Oura yet, you can still purchase the Oura Ring 3 for about $100 less.Either way, you're getting a comprehensive health tracker with a ton of data and health insights, paired with a great user experience on the companion Oura Ring app.
Up Next:Bryn Harrington, Oura's Product Marketing Leader
I'm a Fitness Editor, and I Tested the All-New Oura Ring Gen 4—Here's My Honest Review first appeared on Parade on Jul 12, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 12, 2025, where it first appeared.