– The Oura Ring 5 is virtually impossible to repair due to a bonded titanium casing.
– iFixit had to cut through the thin titanium shell to open the device.
– The battery cannot be replaced, making the ring electronic waste after its lifespan ends.
– The ring uses an Ambiq Apollo 3 Ultra Low Power SoC and a compact 10.2 mAh battery.
– Oura is developing a future smart ring with a replaceable battery, per a patent.
Smart Ring Teardown Reveals Design Flaw
The Oura Ring 5 ($399 on Amazon) was unveiled in May. The smart ring promises more precise sensors and a battery life of up to nine days in a case that’s 40 percent more compact. However, the manufacturer was unable to solve one of the Oura Ring 4’s biggest problems. As the teardown video from iFixit embedded below shows, the Oura Ring 5 is virtually impossible to repair.
Titanium Construction Creates Repair Barrier
Unlike older models, the inner casing is also made of titanium. The two halves of the casing are bonded together with synthetic resin, and iFixit was unable to open the body without damaging it. Instead, iFixit had to cut through the outer titanium shell, which required surprisingly little effort – while titanium is a very hard material, Oura it uses a very thin case.
Internal Components and Processing Power
The flexible mainboard and the 10.2 mAh battery make full use of the space inside the Oura Ring 5. The smart ring appears to be based on an Ambiq Apollo 3 Blue Ultra Low Power SoC, which features an ARM Cortex-M4 processor core with clock speeds up to 96 MHz, 384 KB of RAM, and 1 MB of flash memory. Nice touch: The mainboard bears the word “Oulu,” a nod to Oura’s hometown.
Battery Replacement is Practically Impossible
However, the teardown video shows that it’s still practically impossible to replace the battery in the ring, which costs at least $399, meaning the ring becomes nothing more than electronic waste once the battery ’s lifespan comes to an end. This currently applies to all smart rings on the market. As a patent shows, Oura it is working behind the scenes on a smart ring with a replaceable battery.
- Oura Ring 5 priced at $399
- Battery life up to nine days
- Case is 40 percent more compact
- Inner casing is titanium bonded with synthetic resin
- Arm Cortex-M4 processor at 96 MHz
- 384 KB RAM and 1 MB flash memory
- 10.2 mAh battery
- iFixit (YouTube)