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.