Oura Ring Gen 3 In-Depth Review - Worth the Hype? (Compared to Whoop / Garmin)

Oura Ring Gen 3

Whoop Band 4.0

Garmin Epix Gen 2

Garmin Fenix 7

Garmin Forerunner 55

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Chapters
00:00 - Intro / Overview
01:27 - Purchasing Process / Sizing Kit
03:52 - Colors and Pricing
04:58 - What comes in the box?
05:30 - Setup Process
06:01 - Hardware Overview / Size and Weight
08:16 - Battery Life / Recharge Time
08:50 - Oura Ring App / Health Metrics
09:34 - Activity Tracking Metrics
10:53 - Heart Rate Metrics
11:15 - Readiness Score / Illness Detection
13:04 - Sleep Metrics
14:25 - Explore Tab / Tutorial Videos
15:16 - Accuracy / All Day HR Data
16:25 - Firmware Updates / Upcoming Features
17:25 - Pro's and Con's
19:37 - Oura Ring vs Whoop Band
20:35 - Oura Ring vs Garmin Body Battery
21:55 - Final Thoughts / Worth the hype?

[johnjohnsson]

The subscription business model is really annoying and that makes me not even considering this company. I will keep wearing my Garmin for now.

[h.h.]

I almost got it but changed my mind due to the monthly subscription. Fitbit is also doing the same thing with their readiness score - first 6 months is free then you have to pay a monthly fee. I like to wear mechanical wrist watches - this would be ideal for people like me so we don’t have to wear another watch/band on the other wrist. 👍🏼

[dbar]

Oura has some great features and I agree the app is very intuitive- the features advertised are good but the BIGGEST complaints: cost is way too much, and customer service is horrible. I went through 3 rings in 5 months due to material failure. First failed rig was due to the ring stopped communicating with the app this was due to the ring sensors failing. Second material failure was when the ring would not charge. Third failure occurred when the charging station stopped working. Customer service was very slow to respond (took a week to respond to any email). There was significant delay with replacement units and there Is never anyone to answer any questions for trouble shooting options. For cost and very poor customer service it’s not worth it.

[alpsskiman]

Very thorough review. The Oura Ring is an interesting product but, as others mentioned, the ongoing subscription-based business model would make it a no go for me. I'll stick with my Garmin 945.

[llorensjl]

It's great for people who love watches. Previously I could not wear my nice collection of watches, because I looked stupid with 2 watches, and I needed to track my vitals with an activity monitor watch. Now I can wear my preferred watch and keep monitoring my vitals with Oura.

[alyssa.ra]

Thanks for actually providing a real in depth review of the app and functions. It actually took quite a few videos where it was pretty surface level before I found this one. I already placed my order yesterday, I've had this on my radar for awhile (I don't like sleeping or wearing a watch much, it's kind of annoying with how much typing I do for work). I finally decided to pull the trigger to track my health and to help track my autoimmune flare ups and symptoms and when to pull back on training. The subscription was negligible if I can go more than a few months without triggering my illness. Thanks for the great video! 😊

[tdfstpn]

So I just got mine. The gold one is a 399 and my FSA paid for it so me paying the monthly membership is not a big deal and they only offer one month free app membership now versus the six months. Thank you so much for this video it was very informational and looking forward to using my Oura ring .

[RodrigueCarneiro]

Probably the best review of the oura ring on Youtube! You gave me all the info I needed to buy it! You have an additional subscriber :)

[elenamfit]

I love my oura - the biggest benefit is loading my daily temp into natural cycles. I do love the option to NOT wear a watch some days and still get health metrics. However, when I'm training I DO still want my watch because I like to track rest times, and generally throughout the day I am just *used* to having a watch for basic notifications and the time - so I find myself usually wearing both most days during the day. I also wear my watch for sleep most nights because I use the haptic alarm so I don't wake my partner. If Oura had a haptic alarm, I'd be set. But I'll keep using it so I can get the cycle based data more than anything.

[Zane_Zaminsky]

Dave, great video! I’ve had the Oura ring Gen 3 since Feb 25, 2022. I think it’s a great device! It’s given me wonderful information on a daily basis, and it has been extremely useful for me as I monitor my health and fitness level. By the way, I’m a 70-year-old geezer.

One drawback: it doesn’t allow me to record manually, and it doesn’t record automatically any workouts that I do between 12 AM and 4 AM. I really do enjoy working out during that time frame, and this is a bummer. This is my only criticism of the device. Overall, I am extremely satisfied.

[filmismorefun]

What a great video. Full of info and so well done. Thanks for taking the time to put this together.
I was considering one of these rings because I have worn the same Garmin Vivosmart since 2019, but I don't think the Oura would be an upgrade. The subscription is a deal breaker for me.
Plus, my Garmin is still going strong aside from some minor wear and tear on the straps.

[ashleyspermon]

Solid overview and review. My sizing kit is on its way. Im getting the oura ring for its ability to measure body temp, which can be exported via the API for birth contol/fertility tracking. Apparently oura is looking at integrating this in to a software upgrade. Hope its sooner ratger than later! Cool tech.

[lindawill]

I just ordered the ring and hope it's of good quality. You did answer a lot of questions I had about the ring. I have the samsung watch 6 that I will also be using.

[mlegrand]

I returned my Oura ring but I actually think Whoop and the Oura ring do a better job than Garmin's body battery. I think it's fine but I would love to see Garmin copy some of Oura/Whoops readiness details. Great review and really glad to hear your opinion on this one.

[copilot]

The second gen Oura was the feedback loop I needed to kickstart a significant shift in lifestyle (eventually leading to ultra running). I loved it and when offered a gen three for $250 including “lifetime” membership, it was a no brainer. I’m looking forward to the updates this summer.

I’m married but hadn’t worn my wedding ring for 16 years before the Oura. My wife didn’t believe I would be able to stand it but I just found the feedback loop too valuable not to wear it. I still can’t stand sleeping with a watch on. I got the Coros Pace 2 because it was a good balance of features I wanted but also super lightweight and trim compared to the monster watches I see fellow ultra runners wear.

Anyway, great review. I understand completely most concern about the business model and the throw away nature of the product. For reference my gen 2 needed to be charged every 4th day after 2-years; down from 7 or 8.

[draces]

I've worn Oura 2 for almost two years and was a cheerleader for them until they released the 3 & added a subscription. I get a lifetime free subscription 'as an early adopter' (but only because I agreed to buy a 3 which was kind of blackmail really). I haven't used my 3 yet because my 2 works fine still. The battery has gone from 7 days use down to 3-4 so you can expect 3-4 years of use, I guess, but I suspect tracking exercise and blood oxygen will hit the battery harder, when they're available. I have to commend you on your review because you pretty much picked out what I love and hate about it. It's a great sleep/recovery tracker - better than my Fenix 6 - but it was never meant to compete against Garmin for exercise and I think they're making a mistake at corporate level by attempting to do so. I could never recommend this with a subscription; just buy a Garmin. Body battery is good enough and better than $6/month. Oura should be a one off payment and I won't recommend it anymore unless it returns to that model.

[mandatory]

Great review! I'll stick with my Fenix because I am not a ring person or a subscription-model person. I am also not a math person but it would be interesting to learn how you go about downloading and comparing data for the devices you review, even though as you mentioned, it is not possible with the Oura at present.

[CkCmilliemoo]

Thank you for this clear description of this ring. I was on the fence about getting one and your information helped me to forge ahead and get it. 👍

[nld]

I love my Garmin but I actually bought a gen 3 for the temperature tracking. It pairs with my period app to predict my fertile days and also tell me what stage of my cycle I’m in. For female athletes who want to train to their cycles or just for women who are trying to get pregnant, this might be a game changer.

[TGenoRock]

Great review.. even all these months later.. yes, subscription gives me pause.. I would be much more inclined to buy one if they embedded a small but readable digital display of the time... just the time.. obviously is a big design consideration... and people would want more! As they always do!