The Oura Ring 4 is stylish and comfortable to wear, but it's prone to scratches.

• The Oura Ring 4, which is now officially available and will be available in retailers on Tuesday, has been tested by me.
• The device, priced at $349, monitors sleep, stress, activity, and heart health, among other things. It is comfortable to wear and simple to operate.
• The Oura Ring 4, despite its high price, quickly showed signs of wear and scratches.

Wearing the Oura Ring 4 for two weeks helped me comprehend the impact of my sleep, stress, and exercise on my daily well-being.

The Oura Ring 4 is now available in retail stores and shipping to customers, making it a great choice for those seeking a stylish and comfortable way to monitor their body and make healthier decisions.

The new smart ring boasts improved sensors, a more comfortable design, and a longer battery life compared to its predecessor. It comes in 12 sizes and six colors, including a new black finish, and costs $349. However, users must pay a monthly subscription of $5.99 or $69.99 per year to access the full range of app features.

Although the Oura Ring 4 was a bit clunky and scratched easily, it proved to be comfortable to wear and its app was easy to navigate. After two weeks of testing, the ring provided me with useful information about my health.

Getting set up

I was new to wearing an Oura Ring as I had never used one before.

Choosing a color and determining my ring size were the first steps in my Oura experience. The company advises customers to get sized, as the fit can vary from one generation to the next. Kits are available online, and in-store sizing is available at retailers such as Nordstrom and Sephora.

I chose the silver Oura Ring 4 to complement my existing silver jewelry collection.

Sizing the Oura ring proved challenging, as I misjudged it slightly during my in-person fitting with the team. Although the ring is a bit too big, it never felt like it was about to fall off. If I were to size down, I would do so in the future.

My apartment received a small box containing a charger and instructions for cleaning and wearing the ring.

I downloaded the Oura app and filled it out with biographical information such as my birthday, height, and weight. Pairing the hoop with my iPhone was incredibly easy, and once the battery was topped off, it was time to slip the ring on.

What's good

I was thrilled to test the Oura Ring 4 and monitor my sleep, despite never being a fan of smartwatch aesthetics. The device's comfort allowed me to forget it was even on my finger.

The new Oura sensors are smaller than those of its predecessor, with raised bumps that feel like little bumps, while the Ring 4 has flat sensors that give it a smooth interior.

I wore the ring on my right index finger to test if it would interfere with my handwriting. Despite being an old-school writer, I still write a lot of my stories by hand. To my surprise, the ring didn't affect my writing or cause any discomfort while holding a pen or pencil. Additionally, the ring is designed to be worn 24/7 and is water-resistant, which means it didn't give me any trouble when I washed my hands or showered with it.

The Oura app underwent a redesign and was rolled out to all users earlier this month. I found the app's layout to be very intuitive. The app presents data from smart rings in three tabs: Today, Vitals, and My Health.

The Today tab provides a summary of information based on the time of day, with shortcuts for quick access to the latest readings on my sleep, activity, heart rate, stress, and readiness for the day. These metrics are easy to understand and useful for a quick check-in throughout the day.

Looking at my reading in the Vitals tab was enjoyable, as there were many details to explore. Oura provides nearly 20 data points about sleep alone, and the app simplifies complex concepts. I was unfamiliar with the term latency, but the app taught me that it refers to the time it takes to fall asleep.

The My Health tab offers long-term insights into heart health, sleep health, and resilience, a metric that measures one's ability to recover from stress over time. However, since Oura records data for several weeks before calibrating these metrics, I was unable to fully explore this feature during my review.

Would I feel less prepared to take on my day if Oura's metrics indicated that I slept poorly?

The company's approach to framing was pleasantly surprising, as I never felt like I was being reprimanded for not getting enough sleep, feeling stressed, or missing a workout. Instead, Oura provided me with tips on small changes I could make to improve my overall well-being, such as taking breaks or practicing meditation.

The app's exercise goal varied based on my readings, and on days when I was tired or stressed, Oura lowered my activity goal, which helped me feel a sense of accomplishment even when I wasn't at my best.

What's bad

In two weeks, my ring has become scratched, though it's not visible from a distance, I can see it clearly.

Oura claims that users can avoid scratches by wearing the ring on their non-dominant hand, keeping it apart from other rings, and removing it during high-friction activities like weight lifting, as stated on their website.

Although the Ring 4 was priced high, it showed signs of wear quickly. Moreover, Oura's warranty policy does not cover scratches.

The battery life of the ring did not meet the expectations set by Oura.

Although the company claims that the ring can last up to eight days on a single charge, my personal experience was that it needed to be recharged after approximately five or six days. The company explains that battery life can vary depending on factors such as ring size, feature configuration, app settings, usage, and individual user habits, so it's not a one-size-fits-all solution.

Although five to six days is preferable to an Apple Watch's daily charging requirement, I didn't receive the eight days I anticipated.

Although I have small hands, I found the Ring 4 to be too bulky compared to the jewelry I usually wear. My friends didn't notice this, but I didn't think the Ring 4 was a style I would typically choose, although I've grown more accustomed to it over time.

Should you buy it?

Accessing Oura's complete set of features requires payment.

You don't have to pay for Oura's monthly subscription if you don't want to, but you'll only have access to your daily sleep, readiness, and activity scores. However, if you want to track your stress levels, you'll need to make a monthly $5 commitment before getting hitched to an Oura Ring 4.

The new Oura smart ring is a low-maintenance option for tracking health, and it's easy to wear and use. I've been recommending it to my family and friends, and I may end up purchasing one for myself in the future.

The CEO of Oura noticed a significant rise in heart rates during the beginning of the Trump-Biden debate.