Despite being tempted by deals left, right and centre, I firmly decided that there was only one thing worth splurging on this Black Friday season, and that was an Oura ring.
With a starting price of £349/$349 plus an Oura subscription, the new Gen 4 was simply far too expensive for me to consider. However, the smart ring company is phasing out its Gen 3 model, and as such the price has dropped significantly.
You can buy one now from just £249/$249, with huge savings on the most expensive models. Please note that prices on Amazon vary greatly depending on model, size and color.
I opted for the Brushed Titanium version in the Horizon form, which currently costs £279/$279. In the UK it is available directly from Oura, as well as from Amazon and John Lewis. US readers can download it from Oura, Amazon and Best Buy.
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Although my job as a technology journalist seems to suggest otherwise, I often find smartwatches and fitness trackers with displays too distracting, with the constant buzz of notifications and embarrassing reminders to get up driving me slightly crazy.
As someone with small wrists, many models are also far too large and robust to wear all the time. Smart rings leave all that aside and seamlessly match outfits while keeping track of all your vitals in the companion app.
The Oura Ring Gen 3 does what I need by tracking my steps, exercises, heart rate and sleep. Plus, it has a battery life of up to seven days – much longer than many leading smartwatches from Apple, Google and Samsung.
My TikTok feed was full of praise for the Oura Ring thanks to its cycle tracking features. It is the only smart ring on the market that is compatible with Natural Cycles, an FDA-approved app.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
This is done by continuously monitoring your heart rate and temperature. Many users have also found that wearing the Oura ring makes them sick, with the app alerting them to temperature spikes or irregular breathing.
I bought it directly from Oura, although shipping takes a while because it comes from Europe, so if you don’t want to wait, I recommend looking at a store in your home country.
Make sure you order the sizing kit first and wear different options for at least 24 hours, because your finger size can fluctuate depending on the time of day and temperature – as I discovered firsthand.
While this isn’t the newest Oura Ring, the upgrades on the Gen 4 weren’t enough to keep me from saving money. These include slightly longer battery life, a lighter and more comfortable fit, and a greater number of sensors that reportedly provide more accurate tracking – although some reviews and Reddit users suggest they didn’t see huge differences in their data when comparing of the two models.
Of course, we haven’t been able to compare the two Oura rings yet, so we don’t know these claims firsthand. Nevertheless, there are enough positive experiences about the Gen 3 that made me make this deal.
I assume this offer lasts until stocks run out, so if you want to take advantage of it, I wouldn’t wait – especially if you’re interested in a particular color and size. At the time of writing, Amazon and John Lewis appear to have run out of options.