Oura Ring 5 vs RingConn Gen 2: why I returned the Oura after nearly three weeks

I have always been very interested in wearable rings. I previously tried the RingConn Gen 2 and felt that its app was rather rough, with limited content and a somewhat childish UI that I did not like very much. When Oura Ring 5 came out, reviews said it was less bulky, with 40% less volume, and, after checking the dimensions, I thought it was slightly thinner than the RingConn Gen 2, so I bought one to try.

When I first bought it, I actually liked it very much

1. Finish and build: The color is genuinely beautiful! I paid extra for Brushed Silver, and the finish is especially good. I think it looks better than the regular silver and gold versions: it has a bright, technological feel. I previously bought the silver RingConn. Although Oura's silver already looks less plasticky than the RingConn, Brushed Silver has an almost cat-eye-like movement of light across it, which is beautiful.
2. Tracking performance: I used it for two or three weeks, and I was quite satisfied during the first week. Its detection was very sensitive, and I could feel the algorithms actively calibrating. After two weeks, many detections became more accurate; it could even recognize a short walk. Sleep tracking also felt accurate and matched my subjective experience quite well. It distinguished between the time I fell asleep and the time I spent lying in bed.

But during the third week, I suddenly noticed several problems. First, it did not fit my exercise habits at all. I usually do Pilates and strength training, and sometimes go climbing, and I cannot wear a ring for any of these activities. Some people may wear one for Pilates, but it feels uncomfortable and digs into me, so I have to remove it before every workout and put it back on afterward. That is quite annoying. Sometimes I do not remember to put it back on until one or two hours after exercising, and I keep worrying that I will lose it.

It also increased my sleep anxiety. I have recently been taking a long time to fall asleep, and wearing the ring made me more anxious: when I was lying in bed unable to sleep, I would think, “This is terrible—tomorrow’s score will definitely be very low.” The next morning I looked and it was indeed only 71, so I started the day with negative feedback and felt unhappy. I talked with some friends who had worn Oura or Whoop for two years. Some did not have this problem because they did not care much about the scores. But I kept thinking that if I did not care about the data, why wear it? Either way, it felt somewhat like the means had overtaken the purpose. In the end, I realized I did not need to know all my body data at all times. I originally thought I really needed sleep tracking, but I now realize that I can tell for myself the next day whether I slept well.

For me, the wearable I can wear most consistently is still the Apple Watch. I have gone through two or three generations, and it is practical and easy to use. I also do not insist on wearing it all the time: I do not wear it to sleep, and sometimes take it off after getting home from work. But having an extra screen is simply more useful; at least I can check the time. In short, Oura did not add much to my wellbeing. Along with its relatively high price and monthly subscription fee, I am now happily saving 499.