I wore the Oura ring for a whole year: this is why I will never go back to a smartwatch |Tom's guide

After wearing my Oura ring for a year, I know it was one of my best purchases and here's why.

I used Oura ring for a year - this is why I'm not going back to the Smartwatch

Remove my screen!

A year ago, I bought my Oura Ring 4, and it is placed on my left index finger every day.My hand perfectly shaped its presence, and I actually feel something is missing when I remove it to charge it.

I've become a bit obsessed with tracking my metrics with one of the best smart rings, and I think that can be a good thing.But you would never know, because the ring is subtle and has no screen to distract me, or the person I talk to.

With a smartwatch, our wrists demand our constant attention, but a ring takes that away when it effectively tracks metrics like heart rate, sleep cycle, readiness, and temperature.At the end of the day I can check these metrics in the Aura app, so for me the best way to connect with my health is to disconnect from the screen.

I don't want a screen

I might be cynical, but when I had an Apple Watch, I always kept it on silent because I hated incoming notifications.It constantly vibrated on my wrist, it would light up and frankly, annoying.

The Oura Ring has helped me manage my irregular sleep patterns by providing daily feedback on metrics.The Ring can also track exercise and activity, all combined into actionable information to help you feel better.

For many people, this approach to the outside world is ideal and allows them to stay in touch with loved ones, but for someone who is easily distracted, it was more of a hindrance.

Because the Oura Ring is screen-free, I can go about my daily tasks and stay connected to my body's data, minus the shiny wrist.It's one of my pet peeves when I'm sitting with someone, and they keep looking at their smart watches.I will say that I find it pretty rude.

Extended battery life

Because the Oura Ring doesn't have a screen, the battery life is longer than what you can wear with a screen.After all, screens use a lot of power.

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I only need to charge the Oura Ring once a week and get all the data and features even when it runs out of power.This means I get fewer data gaps where I have to take the ring to charge.

I actually purchased the Oura Ring through an Oura subscription because I had major surgery in 2024 and wanted to get back to exercising while prioritizing recovery.This was the best choice I could have made. Because since I returned to hiking, running and Pilates, this platform has become my guide.

I can have a deep insight of my readiness when I work.This allows me to build the best routine to start being strong while paying attention to how much recovery I need to give my body.

Oura can warn me when I am about to get sick;when I have the flu, I know from my temperature reading a few days ago that I should start taking it.And the temperature reading is also good for cycle monitoring.

So I won't be taking that ring off anytime soon because going screen-free and tracking my personal health couldn't be easier.

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Ashley is a staff writer on the review team at Tom's Guide.He holds an MA in Journalism and a BA in Journalism, Media and Sociology from Cardiff University.She writes for UK women's health, wellness and well-being stories and specializes in entertainment news and celebrity interviews for Virgin Radio UK.He has presented on a wide range of topics including music, literature, motor sports, entertainment and health.He has reviewed live music events, books and health products in the past, but discovering the best audio equipment on the market is what he does best.When he's not experimenting with the latest technology, you can find him curled up with a cup of tea and a good fantasy novel, or out for a walk.

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