The Oura Ring Replaced my Apple Watch

I’ve had an Apple Watch for about six years, but I’ve never been a big fan of it.

The watch never felt at home on my wrist and the charging schedule was a bit of a nuisance. What really made me want to stop wearing it was the endless notifications. I get annoyed with my phone notifications; I don’t need a blinking device attached to my body that brings those annoying red bubbles even closer to me.

But I continued to reluctantly wear the Apple Watch because I liked the reminders to stand up and the other health-tracking features.

During the 2020 pandemic, I kept hearing mentions of the Oura smart ring. I believe I first heard about it when the NBA started using Oura to detect early signs of COVID in players.

The elevator pitch was a smart health tracker with no screen and a week-long battery life. Sounded like a win to me.

My Thoughts on the Oura Ring After 9-months

In 2024, I discovered the Oura ring qualified under my HSA, so I bought one. After nine months of daily use, I give it a hearty thumbs up.

The Oura feels like one of the few devices that actually delivers on what it promises: simple health tracking to help you improve your life.

Since I started wearing the Oura to bed, I’ve been much more intentional about sticking to a consistent sleep schedule and giving myself enough time to actually sleep. I can say that my mood and health have improved tremendously as a result.

The activity tracking is good enough. It’s a bit limited compared to the Apple Watch, and the GPS tracking absolutely sucks, but for the casual sportsman like myself, it does the job. If you’re a data-driven sports nerd, you probably won’t be able to give up your watch as quickly as I did.

Battery life is stellar. I charge the ring once a week, and if I need to get a quick charge before bed, the phone app reminds me.

No More Notification Fatigue

The final feature that solidified it as my Apple Watch killer was the blessed reduction of notifications in my life. Fewer notifications = better life. Trust me on this one. Or don’t—get a ring and experience it for yourself.