ŌURA CEO Tom Hale discusses the advantages of the Oura Ring over traditional health gadgets and addresses the competition from Samsung’s newly released Galaxy Ring.

A smart ring offers several benefits over phones or watches, being unobtrusive and worn 24/7, Hale explains. The Oura Ring’s passive tracking, particularly during sleep, provides consistent data free from daily activity variations, enabling more accurate health insights. “We go deep on sleep,” Hale says, noting that tracking sleep offers stable conditions for reliable data collection.

Oura ring

ŌURA recently introduced cardiovascular age measurement on all Generation 3 models, using pulse wave velocity (PWV) to assess heart health. This feature compares your cardiovascular age to your actual age, providing dynamic insights beyond traditional resting heart rate metrics.

The Oura Ring’s new features appear on Android and iPhone, with some, like Oura Labs, being iPhone-specific. Oura Labs can detect early signs of illness by identifying breaks in health trends, suggesting users take preventive actions like rest and hydration.

Regarding the Galaxy Ring, Hale views its launch as validation of the smart ring category. “It has definitely improved our awareness,” he says, emphasizing that ŌURA’s decade-long expertise in data science and AI sets it apart. While the Galaxy Ring isn’t compatible with iOS and lacks a subscription model, Hale argues that ŌURA’s $6 monthly fee is a modest investment in one’s health, driving positive behavior changes among users.

The release of the Galaxy Ring brought attention to other smart rings in the market.

Hale hints at future innovations, stating that the finger is a prime location for health measurements with untapped potential. ŌURA plans to explore new metrics and insights, aiming to personalize health tracking further.