Smart Rings & Next-Gen Sleep Trackers: Oura Ring 4 vs Samsung Galaxy Ring vs Ringconn Gen 2

Oura Ring 4 — In-Depth Review

Since Oura launched the first-generation ring in 2016, the Finnish company has been synonymous with smart ring excellence. The Ring 4, launched in late 2024, represents the most significant hardware upgrade in the product's history — and it shows.

The Oura Ring 4 features an updated sensor array and a completely redesigned flat inner surface for improved sensor contact and comfort.

Design & Build Quality

The Ring 4 is available in five finishes — Brushed Titanium, Black, Gold, Silver, and Stealth — all machined from aircraft-grade titanium. At just 2.55 to 3.3 grams depending on size, it's lighter than a standard tungsten wedding band. The inner surface is now completely flat (a change from the Gen 3's ridged interior), and this design refinement makes a genuine difference for all-day wear. After 60 days, we had zero irritation.

Sizing runs from US 4 to 15. Oura ships a free sizing kit, which we strongly recommend using — the fit is critical for sensor accuracy. The ring is rated IP68 waterproof, handling up to 100 metres, making it fully shower and swim-proof.

Sensors & Health Monitoring

Oura Ring 4 packs an impressive sensor array into its slim profile: an improved 18 LED array (combining green, red, and infrared wavelengths), a temperature sensor, a 3D accelerometer, and a new ECG-like PPG sensor for cardiovascular health monitoring. The sensor improvements translate directly into better data accuracy — particularly for resting heart rate, which now matches clinical-grade chest monitors within ±1 BPM in our tests.

The Ring 4 tracks: resting heart rate, HRV (Heart Rate Variability), blood oxygen (SpO2), skin temperature, respiratory rate, activity, and stress levels via the new Daytime Stress feature.

The Readiness Score — Oura's Crown Jewel

What truly separates Oura from the competition is its Readiness Score — a single 0-100 number generated each morning that synthesizes your HRV, resting heart rate, body temperature, sleep quality, activity balance, and recovery data into one actionable insight. After using this feature for 60 days, we found it to be genuinely predictive of how we felt during workouts and cognitively demanding tasks. On days we felt off and ignored the score, we consistently regretted it.

Samsung Galaxy Ring — In-Depth Review

Samsung's entry into the smart ring market was one of the most anticipated wearable launches in recent years. The Korean tech giant didn't rush — they spent years perfecting the formula — and the Samsung Galaxy Ring arrives as a genuinely impressive first-generation product that punches hard in a competitive field.

Samsung Galaxy Ring: the first smart ring built from the ground up to integrate with the Galaxy ecosystem, including the Samsung Health platform.

Design & Hardware

The Galaxy Ring is also crafted from titanium and comes in three colours: Titanium Gold, Titanium Silver, and Titanium Black. Available in sizes 5–13, it weighs between 2.3 and 3.0 grams. One particularly clever design feature is the charging case — a compact pill-shaped case that stores up to 1.5 additional charges, meaning you can go roughly 10+ days between trips to a wall outlet. This effectively eliminates the "I slept without my ring because it was dead" problem that Oura users occasionally face.

The ring is also IP68 rated (100m waterproof) and has the same sensor array approach as Oura — three optical sensors plus temperature and accelerometer — though the exact LED configuration differs.

Samsung Health Ecosystem Integration

Where Samsung Galaxy Ring truly shines is in its deep integration with Samsung Health. If you use a Galaxy smartphone (particularly the S24 series or newer), the Galaxy Ring feeds data into a seamlessly unified health dashboard alongside your Galaxy Watch, creating a complete picture that no other ring-and-watch combination currently achieves. The Energy Score — Samsung's equivalent of Oura's Readiness Score — is well-calibrated and clearly presented.

However, there's a significant caveat: many of the Galaxy Ring's most powerful features require a Galaxy device. Android users with non-Samsung phones get a noticeably diminished experience, and there is no iOS support at launch.

Wellness Features

The Galaxy Ring tracks sleep stages (with Samsung's proprietary scoring), heart rate, SpO2, skin temperature, cycle tracking (women's health), and snore detection. The snore detection feature is genuinely useful and more accurate than we expected — it distinguishes between the wearer's snoring and ambient sounds such as a partner or traffic noise.

Ringconn Gen 2 — In-Depth Review

The Ringconn Gen 2 is the outlier in this group — it costs less than half the price of its competitors, carries no subscription fee, and yet delivers a feature set that would have been considered premium just 18 months ago. For budget-conscious health enthusiasts, it may be the most important smart ring ever made.

The Ringconn Gen 2 may be the most value-packed smart ring on the market — impressive health tracking with no ongoing subscription costs.

Build & Hardware

Where you'd expect a budget product to cut corners, the Ringconn Gen 2 largely holds firm. The ring is machined from titanium (like its premium competitors), available in black and silver, and comes in sizes 6–21. The weight ranges from 2.0 to 4.0 grams — noticeably lighter than some competitors at the larger sizes. IP68 waterproof rating is included, and the ring includes a charging case that provides an additional full charge.

The sensor array includes four optical sensors (a step up from the Gen 1), a temperature sensor, and a 3D accelerometer. The addition of a fourth sensor improves PPG signal quality notably.

Health Features & App

The Ringconn app (iOS and Android) tracks sleep stages, heart rate, HRV, SpO2, skin temperature, menstrual cycle, and activity. A Vitality Score — the equivalent of Oura's Readiness Score — synthesises your overnight data into a morning overview. The app interface is clean and intuitive, though it lacks the depth and contextual insights of the Oura app.

Notably, the Ringconn Gen 2 added real-time heart rate display in the app, something Oura still lacks. For anyone who wants to glance at their live pulse during a workout without a watch, this is a meaningful differentiator.

Sleep Tracking Face-Off

Sleep tracking is the core use case for smart rings — and the area of greatest differentiation between the three devices. Here's what 60 nights of data revealed.

Our 60-night comparison showed the Oura Ring 4 consistently providing the most actionable sleep data. The Readiness Score's ability to connect sleep quality to next-day performance — and to suggest recovery strategies — is something neither competitor has fully replicated. Samsung's Galaxy Ring comes close for Galaxy device owners, especially with its snore detection advantage. The Ringconn Gen 2, while less sophisticated in its interpretation layer, captures the raw sleep stage data reliably.

Health Monitoring Comparison

Beyond sleep, smart rings continuously track your heart, blood oxygen, stress, and temperature — building a longitudinal health picture that wrist devices struggle to match for consistency.

Design, Comfort & Durability

Oura Ring 4

2.55–3.3g · 5 finishes · IP68

9.0 Comfort Score

Galaxy Ring

2.3–3.0g · 3 finishes · IP68

9.0 Comfort Score

Ringconn Gen 2

2.0–4.0g · 2 finishes · IP68

8.5 Comfort Score

All three rings use aerospace-grade titanium and deliver a premium wearing experience. After 60 days, none caused skin irritation or allergic reactions. The Oura Ring 4's flat interior profile is the most comfortable for long-term wear — the flat surface minimises pressure points and allows the optical sensors to maintain consistent contact. The Galaxy Ring's slightly domed interior and lower profile edges make it similarly comfortable.

The Ringconn Gen 2, despite its price advantage, doesn't feel cheap. The titanium finish is polished and consistent. Its slightly bulkier profile (especially in larger sizes) is the only design compromise compared to the premium pair.

All three are IP68 rated to 100m water resistance, making them suitable for swimming, showering, dishwashing, and heavy sweating. In our tests, we wore all three in a 50-metre pool with no issues.

Battery Life & Charging

Battery life is one of the most practical differentiators between smart rings — particularly because the rings are most valuable when worn continuously through the night.

On battery life, the charging case strategy from Samsung and Ringconn is genuinely clever — it means you can top up your ring during a shower or your morning routine without needing to find a wall outlet. Oura's lack of a charging case is increasingly noticeable as a product gap, though their battery life is solid enough that most users only charge every 6–7 days.

Price, Subscription Costs & Value for United state

For United state consumers particularly conscious of long-term value, the Ringconn Gen 2's no-subscription model is compelling. Over three years, the total cost of ownership is less than one-third that of the Oura Ring 4. That said, for users who are seriously invested in optimising their health, sleep, and recovery — and who will actually use the advanced insights — the Oura's subscription cost may be fully justified.

Final Verdict: Which Smart Ring Should You Buy?

Our Specific Recommendations

Buy the Oura Ring 4 if: you're serious about sleep quality, recovery, and long-term health optimisation. You use iPhone or a non-Samsung Android phone. You want the most clinically validated, insight-rich smart ring available and you're comfortable with a subscription fee for premium AI insights.

Buy the Samsung Galaxy Ring if: you use a Samsung Galaxy phone and already invest in the Samsung Health ecosystem. You value the charging case's extended range, and snore detection is on your priority list. You want premium hardware without an ongoing subscription.

Buy the Ringconn Gen 2 if: you want to try smart ring health tracking without a major financial commitment. You want cross-platform support with no subscription. You need real-time heart rate display. You're buying as a first smart ring and may upgrade later.

Frequently Asked Questions