Oura Ring 4 vs Oura Ring Gen3

Oura stopped selling Gen3, its Horizon and Heritage generation, but kept updating its firmware: version 3.4.3 arrived on 20 April 2026. Ring 4, the full-size titanium Oura that came next, was still in Oura’s store on 19 September 2026. If you own a Gen3, the question isn’t which ring is better on paper but how long yours has left.

Ring 4 and Gen3 compared

Spec	Oura Ring 4	Oura Ring Gen3
Sold by Oura	Yes, listed on 19 September 2026	No; ring and charger discontinued
US price	From $349 in Silver and Stealth; Gold $399–$499	No current price
Sizes	4–15, with the Ring 4 sizing kit	No size table
Width	7.9 mm	Not published
Thickness	About 2.88 mm; sensor dome recessed 0.3 mm	Not published
Weight	3.3–5.2 g	Not published
Battery	Typically 5–8 days	A full charge may last up to 7 days
Data held on the ring	Up to 7 days	Up to 7 days
Charging	Size-specific dock and USB cable; typically 20–80 minutes	USB charger with color-coded LEDs, no longer sold
Sensors	Smart Sensing; 3 photodetectors, 2 triple LEDs, temperature, accelerometer	Green, red and infrared LEDs; extra temperature sensor; infrared alignment sensor; accelerometers
Styles	One titanium design	Horizon and Heritage
Latest firmware listed	2.12.0, 17 June 2026	3.4.3, 20 April 2026
Membership	$5.99 a month or $69.99 a year	Same plan; some older accounts keep a Lifetime promo
Bluetooth	Bluetooth Low Energy, airplane mode	Version not given

Keeping a Gen3 going

A Gen3 that still pairs and charges does most of what Ring 4 does. Gen3 was the generation that brought daytime and workout heart rate, using green, red and infrared LEDs, along with an extra temperature sensor for Oura’s cycle features, an infrared alignment sensor and accelerometers. With membership, it also gets blood oxygen, automatic activity detection and dynamic activity goals.

The weak point is the charger. Oura doesn’t sell Gen3’s USB charger with its color-coded LEDs anymore, so a lost or broken one is a real reason to move to Ring 4, and a healthy one isn’t. On that charger, line the sensor bumps up opposite the charger light. Oura’s 20 to 80 minute charging time is written for its rings in general, not Gen3 alone.

Notes for Gen3’s earlier builds mention workout tracking and nap detection, and Ring 4 was on 2.12.0 from 17 June 2026. The two generations number their firmware separately, so the bigger number isn’t the better ring.

What Ring 4 adds

Ring 4 is 7.9 millimeters wide and about 2.88 millimeters thick, and weighs 3.3 to 5.2 grams depending on size. The shell is titanium all the way through, with a non-allergenic, BPA-free inner surface, and the sensor dome sits recessed by 0.3 millimeters. It comes in sizes 4 through 15 with its own sizing kit. Oura doesn’t give a Gen3 size run, and the battery figures in its safety note, 15mAh at US size 6 up to 22mAh at US size 13, describe Oura rings in general rather than Gen3.

Ring 4’s sensor set goes by the name Smart Sensing: three photodetectors and two triple LEDs for red, green and infrared light, plus a digital temperature sensor and accelerometer. Oura says the algorithm adapts to your finger structure, skin tone and activity while managing battery. Nighttime blood oxygen uses the red and infrared LEDs, and membership adds 24-hour heart rate plus the same activity detection and goals Gen3 gets.

Gen3 came in two styles with identical sensors: Horizon, worn with the dimple toward your palm (the cue Oura also gives for Ring 4), and Heritage, worn flat side up. Gen3 is titanium with PVD on Gold, Silver, Rose Gold and Brushed Titanium, or DLC on Black and Stealth, with a non-allergenic, non-metallic, BPA-free inner molding. Ring 4 was listed in Gold, Silver and Stealth on 19 September 2026.

Battery and memory

Both rings hold up to seven days of data, so a week away from your phone costs you nothing on either. Ring 4 typically runs 5 to 8 days on a charge, and how long depends on your ring size, settings and activity, and on how old the battery is. For Gen3, Oura says a full charge may last up to seven days, with the same kinds of variation. The best cases land close together; only the wording differs.

Membership carries over

Membership covers Gen3 and every newer Oura, and Ring 4 sits on the same account, so moving to it doesn’t open a second plan. If an old Gen3 account of yours still shows a Lifetime Membership promo, don’t expect the same deal with a new Ring 4. And if you won’t pay for membership at all, neither of these rings will give you the full app.

Phones, water and temperature

Both use the Oura app on iOS 16 or later, or Android 11 or later with Google Play, with Bluetooth 5.0 on the phone. Ring 4 connects over Bluetooth Low Energy, has an airplane mode and carries FCC certification.

Ring 4 is rated to 100 meters. Oura allows it in the sauna and for water sports but not for diving, and its general guidance adds showering, swimming and recreational snorkeling, with no scuba and no more than 12 hours underwater. Its operating range is −10 to 54 °C, or −10 to 52 °C in the general guidance, and it should charge at room temperature. Oura doesn’t give Gen3 a water rating of its own. Oura says neither ring is a medical device.

If you’re buying new

Don’t shop for Gen3 as a new ring: Oura won’t sell you one or a charger for it. Ring 4 started at $349 in Silver and Stealth on 19 September 2026, with Gold from $399 to $499, and Oura says finish and size can vary with inventory, in a note dated 18 June 2026. If you fit sizes 6 through 13 and want something smaller, Oura Ring 5 is the current, slimmer model, and if you’d rather have zirconia than titanium, Oura Ring 4 Ceramic is a separate shell. Check the US store before you buy.