Oura Ring 5 vs Oura Ring 4

The Oura Ring has always been a rather clever bit of wearable tech: all the health-tracking smarts of a fitness wearable, without having a miniature glowing computer strapped to your wrist.

South Africans only officially got in on the action in late 2025, when Discovery brought the Oura Ring 4 to local Vitality members. As Recharged reported at the time, it was the first Oura Ring officially available in South Africa, offered through Discovery Vitality and qualifying Discovery Bank accounts.

You can read our detailed review of the Oura Ring 4 here:

Review: Oura Ring 4

Fast-forward to August 2026, and Discovery has already brought in its successor: the Oura Ring 5. It is noticeably smaller than the Oura Ring 4, so if you were hesitant about size, now is the time to consider one.

It’s slim enough to look like a wedding band, promises better battery life, and tracks over 50 health metrics. Oura claims battery life is now one week, which is another bonus as the longer it lasts, the less you have to worry about charging.

So, what happened to warrant jumping a number?

OURA RING 4 VS OURA RING 5: SPECS AT A GLANCE

Official Oura specifications confirm that the Ring 5 is around 40% smaller than the Ring 4, while increasing typical battery life to six to nine days.

SMALLER RING, SMARTER SENSORS

This is where the Ring 5 earns most of its bragging rights.

Oura has completely redesigned the sensing architecture, using 12 signal pathways and revised sensor domes to improve skin contact and consistency across different fingers and skin tones. Interestingly, it uses two photodetectors rather than the Ring 4’s three, proving that sensor count alone isn’t everything. Oura calls it its most accurate generation yet.

The Ring 5 is also thinner and starts at just 2g, which matters for something you’re expected to wear while working, exercising, showering, and, most importantly, sleeping.

Software is less of a reason to upgrade. Features introduced alongside Ring 5, including newer predictive health tools, are also being made available to owners of Oura Ring Gen3 and later devices.

DISCOVERY BRINGS THE OURA RING 5 TO SA

The local story has changed rather quickly.

When Recharged covered the Ring 4’s South African arrival in October 2025, Discovery offered a fully funded option valued at R9,997, with a R999 activation fee, alongside a discounted purchase option.

Discovery’s new Ring 5 offer allows eligible Vitality and Discovery Bank clients to fully fund select Ring 5 styles by achieving their Vitality Sleep Rewards goals over 24 months. The benefit covers up to R10,897, comprising R8,099 for a Black or Silver Ring 5 and R2,798 for a 24-month Oura Membership. Achieving four or more weekly sleep goals in a month means no monthly penalty.

There’s also a launch sweetener: for a limited time, the activation fee drops from R999 to R99. Discovery is still offering the Ring 4 at reduced prices while stocks last.

SO, SHOULD YOU UPGRADE?

If you already own an Oura Ring 4, the answer is: probably not urgently. You’re still getting the core sleep, recovery, heart-rate, temperature, activity, and wellness features.

The Ring 5 makes the strongest case for people buying their first Oura Ring. It is substantially smaller, lighter, slightly better on battery life, more scratch-resistant, and built around Oura’s latest sensing architecture.

In other words, the Ring 4 remains very clever. The Ring 5 simply does its cleverness while taking up considerably less finger real estate.