Smart Rings / Oura Ring 4 (2024) vs Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024)
Oura Ring 4 (2024) vs Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024)
Oura Ring 4 (2024)
The widest size range Oura sells, now heavily discounted — same subscription, though.
Wins overall by 0.0 points
Quick Verdict
The Oura Ring 4 (2024) wins by 0.0 points, which is not enough to settle it. No subscription and a great charging case — but there is no iPhone app, at all. Pick on the specs that matter to you, not the overall score.
The Oura Ring 4 (2024) and Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) are both current-generation smart Ring models, and the Oura Ring 4 (2024) is $51 cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) ($249 vs $299.99). On Subscription Freedom, the Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) leads (9.0 vs 2.0/10) — how much of the ring keeps working with no recurring payment — the category's defining trap. On App & Data, the Oura Ring 4 (2024) leads (9.0 vs 6.5/10) — app stability, insight depth, platform parity and whether you can get your history out. On Sleep Tracking, the Oura Ring 4 (2024) leads (9.3 vs 7.5/10) — sleep staging depth, overnight accuracy and how usable the morning report is. Overall, the Oura Ring 4 (2024) scores 7.4/10 across our 8 scoring categories versus 7.4/10 for the Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024), though the gap is close enough that your specific use case should decide it. Below, we break down the full spec sheet, category-by-category scores, and exactly who should buy which one.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Spec | Oura Ring 4 (2024) | Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $249.00 | $299.99 |
| Release Year | 2024 | 2024 |
| Battery Life (claimed) (days) | 8✓ | 7 |
| Battery, In Practice | Oura publishes 5-8 days and states outright that it varies with ring size, app settings and activity level. Smaller sizes are nearer 5. Charging takes 20-80 minutes depending on how flat it is. | Samsung claims a seven-day charge but notes in the same breath that the smallest sizes reach only about six days. The 'up to 14 days' headline is the ring plus a full charge held in the cradle, not fourteen days of wear. |
| Subscription | Required in practice. $5.99/month or $69.99/year after one free month, on exactly the same terms as the Ring 5 — the membership is per account, not per ring, so upgrading later does not cost a second subscription. | None. Samsung Health is free and every Galaxy Ring metric is included with the hardware — this is the whole argument against Oura. |
| 3-Year Cost of Ownership ($) | 458.97 | 299.99✓ |
| Sizes Offered | US 4-15, no half sizes — the broadest range here, and the reason to buy the older generation if your finger is very small or very large | US 5-13, nine sizes, no half sizes |
| Sizing Kit | Free plastic sizing kit ships before the ring; wear the sizer at least 24 hours including overnight. Budget about a week before the real ring is ordered. | Free sizing kit; Samsung tells you to wear the sample ring for 24 hours or more before confirming the size, which front-loads several days onto the order. |
| Returns & Size Exchange | Oura does not publish a return window on its warranty page. The 1-year limited warranty excludes scratches, dents and batteries, and secondhand purchases from unauthorised resellers are not covered at all. | Not published on Samsung's Galaxy Ring product page; Samsung.com's standard consumer return terms apply and should be checked at checkout. |
| Measured vs Inferred | Green plus infrared LEDs for continuous heart rate and HRV, red plus infrared for blood oxygen reported overnight rather than continuously, an NTC skin-temperature sensor and an accelerometer. Readiness, Stress and Resilience are derived scores on top of those signals. | Accelerometer, PPG optical sensor and a skin-temperature sensor. Heart rate and blood oxygen are PPG-derived; Energy Score, Sleep Score and stress are Samsung Health composites calculated from those three inputs, not separate measurements. |
| FDA Clearance | None published. Oura markets the ring and app as general wellness, not as a medical device. | None for the ring. Samsung's FDA-cleared ECG and blood-pressure features live on the Galaxy Watch, which has electrodes; the ring has none and cannot do either. |
| Water Rating | Water resistant to 100m/328ft | 10ATM (100m for up to 10 minutes) plus IP68 (6ft for 30 minutes) |
| Phone Support | iOS and Android, full feature parity | Android only. There is no iOS app at all — an iPhone owner cannot use this ring, and full functionality assumes a compatible Samsung Galaxy phone with a Samsung account. |
| Charger & Data Export | Proprietary size-specific dock plus USB-C cable in the box; the Ring 5 charger is a different part. Export: not published as a one-click history download; Oura documents a personal-access-token Cloud API. | Proprietary transparent charging cradle with USB-C, included. Export: Samsung Health writes to Android Health Connect and offers a personal-data download through the Samsung account, so history is not locked to the ring. |
| Warranty | 12 months | 12 months |
| Colors | Silver, Black, Brushed Silver, Stealth, Gold, Rose Gold | Titanium Black, Titanium Silver, Titanium Gold |
Category Scores
Subscription Freedom
The Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) leads clearly here, 9.0 against 2.0 — a 7.0-point margin on how much of the ring keeps working with no recurring payment — the category's defining trap. If that is what you are buying for, the Oura Ring 4 (2024) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Sleep Tracking
The Oura Ring 4 (2024) leads clearly here, 9.3 against 7.5 — a 1.8-point margin on sleep staging depth, overnight accuracy and how usable the morning report is. If that is what you are buying for, the Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Health Sensing
The Oura Ring 4 (2024) leads clearly here, 8.2 against 6.5 — a 1.7-point margin on what the sensors genuinely measure — heart rate, SpO2, temperature, ECG — rather than infer. If that is what you are buying for, the Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Battery Life
The Oura Ring 4 (2024) and Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) are level here, at 7.0/10 each. real days between charges with continuous sensing on, plus what the charging case adds is not what separates these two — look to the categories where the scores diverge.
Sizing & Fit
The Oura Ring 4 (2024) leads clearly here, 8.5 against 7.5 — a 1.0-point margin on how many sizes exist, how good the sizing kit is, and how forgiving the exchange policy is. If that is what you are buying for, the Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) does not close the gap elsewhere.
App & Data
The Oura Ring 4 (2024) leads clearly here, 9.0 against 6.5 — a 2.5-point margin on app stability, insight depth, platform parity and whether you can get your history out. If that is what you are buying for, the Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Durability
The Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) leads clearly here, 8.0 against 7.5 — a 0.5-point margin on finish scratch resistance, water rating in practice, and whether the finish is warrantied. If that is what you are buying for, the Oura Ring 4 (2024) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Value
The Oura Ring 4 (2024) and Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) are level here, at 7.5/10 each. what the ring delivers against its total cost of ownership, not just its sticker price is not what separates these two — look to the categories where the scores diverge.
Best For
Choose the Oura Ring 4 (2024) if…
- • App & Data matters most to you — the Oura Ring 4 (2024) scores 9.0/10 here (app stability, insight depth, platform parity and whether you can get your history out).
- • Sleep Tracking matters most to you — the Oura Ring 4 (2024) scores 9.3/10 here (sleep staging depth, overnight accuracy and how usable the morning report is).
- • Health Sensing matters most to you — the Oura Ring 4 (2024) scores 8.2/10 here (what the sensors genuinely measure — heart rate, SpO2, temperature, ECG — rather than infer).
- • Sizing & Fit matters most to you — the Oura Ring 4 (2024) scores 8.5/10 here (how many sizes exist, how good the sizing kit is, and how forgiving the exchange policy is).
- • You want to spend less — it's $51 cheaper.
Choose the Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) if…
- • Subscription Freedom matters most to you — the Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) scores 9.0/10 here (how much of the ring keeps working with no recurring payment — the category's defining trap).
- • Your main use case is no-subscription.
Pros & Cons
Oura Ring 4 (2024)
Pros
- +Sizes 4 to 15 — if the Ring 5's 6-13 window excludes you, this is the Oura that fits
- +Now routinely $249 in silver or black, $100 under its own list price, for sensing that is a generation behind at most
- +Recessed sensors mean no protruding domes pressing into the finger, unlike the Circular Ring 2
- +Same app, same membership, same iOS/Android parity as the Ring 5
Cons
- −The $5.99/month membership still applies, so three years costs $458.97 even at the discounted hardware price
- −Noticeably chunkier than the Ring 5 — that is the whole reason the Ring 5 exists
- −Discounted stock is concentrated in Silver and Black; Gold and Rose Gold still list at $499
- −Warranty covers manufacturing defects only, not the scratches titanium picks up in normal wear
- −Amazon listings are per size and per colour, so the ASIN you click must match the size you actually need
Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024)
Pros
- +Zero subscription — three years costs $299.99 against $608.97 for a base Oura Ring 5
- +Now routinely $299.99 against a $399.99 list price
- +The charging cradle is the best-designed in the category and adds a genuine second week away from mains power
- +10ATM plus IP68, and a concave outer profile that keeps knocks off the widest point of the ring
Cons
- −Android only — no iOS app exists, so an iPhone is an outright disqualification, not a degraded experience
- −Several features (gesture control, auto workout hand-off) assume a Samsung Galaxy phone specifically, not just any Android
- −No ECG and no blood pressure: Samsung's FDA-cleared versions of both are Galaxy Watch features and cannot be added here
- −Health insight depth is behind Oura's — the scores are simpler and there is less to interrogate
- −Two years on from launch with the successor reportedly pushed to early 2027, so this is late-cycle hardware
Shop by Need
FAQs
Is the Oura Ring 4 (2024) or Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) better overall?+
Based on our 8-category scoring, the Oura Ring 4 (2024) comes out ahead overall. See the full breakdown in the scores section above — the right pick still depends on which categories matter most for your use case.
Which is better for Subscription Freedom, the Oura Ring 4 (2024) or the Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024)?+
The Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) scores higher on Subscription Freedom (9.0/10 vs 2.0/10) — how much of the ring keeps working with no recurring payment — the category's defining trap.
Which is better for App & Data, the Oura Ring 4 (2024) or the Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024)?+
The Oura Ring 4 (2024) scores higher on App & Data (9.0/10 vs 6.5/10) — app stability, insight depth, platform parity and whether you can get your history out.
Which is better for Sleep Tracking, the Oura Ring 4 (2024) or the Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024)?+
The Oura Ring 4 (2024) scores higher on Sleep Tracking (9.3/10 vs 7.5/10) — sleep staging depth, overnight accuracy and how usable the morning report is.
Which is better for Health Sensing, the Oura Ring 4 (2024) or the Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024)?+
The Oura Ring 4 (2024) scores higher on Health Sensing (8.2/10 vs 6.5/10) — what the sensors genuinely measure — heart rate, SpO2, temperature, ECG — rather than infer.
Is the Oura Ring 4 (2024) worth the price difference over the Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024)?+
The Oura Ring 4 (2024) is the cheaper option at $249 versus $299.99. Whether the pricier model is "worth it" depends on how much you value its lead in Subscription Freedom.
Which is better suited to my use case?+
The Oura Ring 4 (2024) is the better fit if you mainly care about iphone-compatible. The Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) is the better fit for no-subscription.
What's the warranty on the Oura Ring 4 (2024) vs the Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024)?+
The Oura Ring 4 (2024) ships with a 12-month warranty; the Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) ships with a 12-month warranty. Always confirm current terms on the manufacturer's site before buying.
Should I wait for the next model instead of buying either of these?+
If either model is more than two years old, a successor may be close — check the "Latest Model" link on each product page. Otherwise, both are current, well-supported options and there's no strong reason to wait.
Cheaper Option
Oura Ring 4 (2024) — $249.00
Premium Option
Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) — $299.99
Specifications and prices for both products last verified . Scores are calculated from published specifications — see how we compare products.