Ultrahuman Ring Air vs Oura Ring 3: Which should you buy?

Oura
has
long
been
the
leader
in smart
rings,
and
for
good
reason.
The
company
produces
a
fantastic
product
and
a
reliable
platform.
However,
as
the
form
factor
grows
in
popularity
and

new
players
enter
the
field,
shoppers
have
more
and
more
options,
including
the
Ultrahuman
Ring
Air.
To
find
out
which
tiny

fitness
tracker
is
the
better
buy,
we
compare
the
Oura
Ring
3
and
Ultrahuman
Ring
Air.

To
be
fair,
most
smart
rings
look
reasonably
the
same:
the
devices
are
compact,
circular,
and
often
available
in
neutral
metallics.
The

Ultrahuman
Ring
Air
sets
itself
apart
as
a
truly
lightweight
option,
weighing
in
at
2.4
to
3.6
grams
(depending
on
your
size).
It
also
has
a
smooth
interior
that’s
easy
to
slip
on
and
very
comfortable.
The
ring
has
straight
edges
that
give
it
a
bit
of
a
masculine
impression
and
it
comes in
five
finishes:
Raw
Titanium,
Aster
Black,
Bionic
Gold,
Space
Silver,
and
Matte
Gray.
During
my
review,
I
found
the
Matte
Gray
finish
durable,
but
I
prefer
Oura’s
matte
look.

The
Oura
Ring
3
is
available
in
many
more
styles,
with
two
different
designs
and
a
variety
of
colorways
for
buyers
to
shop.
Oura’s
Horizon
style
features
a
classic,
uninterrupted
round
band,
while
the
Heritage
design
features
a
plateau.
Shoppers
can
grab
a
Horizon
model
in
Silver,
Black,
Stealth,
Brushed
Titanium,
Gold,
and
Rose
Gold.
The
Heritage
style
comes
in
the
same
options
minus
Rose
Gold
and
Brushed
Titanium.

Both
Oura
and
Ultrahuman
also
utilize
sizing
kits
to
help
users
achieve
an
appropriate
fit.
The
Oura
ring
is
available
in
sizes
6
through
13.
The
Ultrahuman
Ring
Air
is
available
in
sizes
6
through
12.

As
always,
the
interior
of
both
brands’
rings
contain
the
devices’
sensors
and
LED
lights.
Each
device
packs
a
PPG
sensor,
skin
temperature
sensor,
six-axis
motion
sensor,
and
LEDs
for
heart
rate
and
SpO2
monitoring.
Utilizing
these
tools,
both
rings
cover
basic
activity
and
wellness
tracking,
including
everything
from
heart
rate
and
HRV
monitoring
to
sleep
and
stress.

The
Ultrahuman
Ring
Air
offers
a
unique
format
in
that
the
company
introduced
PowerPlugs,
an
app
store-like
experience
that
allows
users
to
add
more
tools
to
their
feature
set.
These
range
from
AFib
detection
to
pregnancy
insights
and
more.
Some
PowerPlugs
are
free,
while
others
incur
a
small
fee. Oura,
meanwhile,
includes
all
of
its
tools
and
analysis
under
the
umbrella
of
the
Oura
membership.

Both
companies
work
hard
to
distill
users’
data
and
provide
analysis.
Within
the
Oura
app,
users
can
review
their
stats
broken
down
into
three
main
scores:
Readiness,
Sleep,
and
Activity.
These
scores
offer
a
holistic
view
of
wellness
tracking
that
is
digestible
and
actionable.
Similarly,
the Ultrahuman
companion
app
provides
a
comprehensive
sleep
index
and
movement
index,
as
well
as
dynamic
recovery
and
stress
rhythm
scores.
However,
Ultrahuman’s
presentation
of
data
isn’t
as
clean
or
approachable
as
that
of
the
Oura
app.
Both
apps
feature
additional
tools
to
distinguish
the
user
experience,
such
as
Oura
Advisor,
and
AI-based
wellness
coaching
for
Oura
users,
or
the
social
networking
component
available
for
Ultrahuman
users.

More
importantly,
the
Oura
Ring
3
has
proven
to
be
a
very
reliable
and
accurate
device,
especially
for
heart
rate
and
sleep
tracking.
During
my
review
of
the
Ultrahuman
Ring
Air,
metrics
were
not
consistently
tracked
or
accurate.
The
device
also
did
not
live
up
to
its
battery
life
claim,
lasting
under
four
days
between
charges
instead
of
six.
The
Oura
Ring
3
lasts
about
five
days
between
charges.
Both
devices
utilize
puck
style
charging
cradles.

Both
the
Ultrahuman
Ring
Air
and the
Oura
Ring
3
are
quite
pricey.
The
Air
starts
at
$349,
with
the
option
to
add
custom
engraving
to
the
ring
for
an
additional
$39.
Technically,
the
device
offers
a
subscription-free
experience.
However,
some
PowerPlugs
do
cost
an
additional
fee
to
access.
The
Air
is
available
for
purchase
from
Ultrahuman.com
and
third-party
retailers
like
Amazon.

The
pricing
structure
of
the
Oura
Ring
3
is
a
little
more
involved.
The
device
starts
at
$299,
with
upcharges
for
more
expensive
styles
and
finishes.
In
addition
to
the
cost
of
the
hardware,
Oura
also
requires
a
subscription
fee
of
$5.99/month
for
access
to
the
ring’s
top
features.
To
be
fair,
the
platform
is
incredibly
dense,
and
this
fee
might
be
worth
it
for
some
shoppers
to
access
a
better
experience.
The
Oura
Ring
3
is
available
from
Oura.com
or
third-party
retailers.

At
this
point,
I
definitely
recommend
the
Oura
Ring
3
over
the
Ultrahuman
Ring
Air.
Though
I
appreciate
the
latter’s
lightweight
build
and
the
potential
of
its
unique
PowerPlugs
program,
the
device
is
not
yet
refined
enough
in
terms
of
accuracy
and
battery
life.
The
Ultrahuman
companion
app
also
needs
some
attention,
though
again,
it
does
have
a
lot
of
potential.

The
Oura
Ring
3
on
the
other
hand
represents
a
trusted
a
company
with
a
solid
reputation
for
accuracy
and
reliability.
The
platform
also
continues
to
expand,
offering
users
more
tools
and
features
regularly.
The
only
reason
not
to
get
an
Oura
Ring
3
is
that
rumors
suggest
an

Oura
Ring
4
might
be
launching
in
the
coming
months.