Oura Ring 5 vs. Apple Watch Series 12: Which Smart Health wearable is right for you?
The Oura and Series 12 bring together much of the same health data, including metrics like sleep, steps, estimated calories burned, and heart rate (including variability). They also track menstrual cycles, although Oura claims to go further into women’s health, providing information on pregnancy and menopause. They additionally share Readiness Scores, which summarize various factors to gauge whether you should push for that new squat PR or take it easy.
From there, however, the devices diverge quite sharply. Naturally, the biggest difference is that the Series 12 has a touchscreen, available in 42 and 46mm sizes (the latter costing $50 more). It’s not just about checking the time or health data: in tandem with 64GB of storage and Apple’s S11 processor, the Series 12 can handle plenty of tasks without having to remove your iPhone, from Apple Pay and notifications to navigating off-road trails. Cellular models (starting at $500) can handle some online functions without Wi-Fi, whereas an Oura has no choice but to talk to your phone. You’ll have to remove your phone to see your Oura’s data or control its settings – the company is even ditching its web interface.
Speaking of which, it’s time to talk platforms. Although both devices sync with Apple Health, only the Oura supports Android’s equivalent, Health Connect, for a very obvious reason: the 12 series requires at least an iPhone 11 running iOS 27 or later. If you own an Android phone from the likes of Google, Samsung, Motorola, or others, your time will be better spent pitting the Oura against Google’s Pixel Watch 5 or Garmin’s many alternatives.
It’s also worth noting that the 12 Series is miles ahead when it comes to training. The Oura generally detects activities automatically and stores your data in its app, and it may not always record it accurately, if at all. Running one manually is more reliable, but in any case you’ll need to grab your phone to see real-time data. Conversely, even if you have to run many of the Series 12 workouts yourself, you get real-time stats on your phone and wrist. Often this is tracking data that the Oura simply can’t get, like running cadence or your precise GPS location. The Oura can only link GPS data from your phone. Besides, any smart ring is a bad choice for weightlifters because you risk losing its shine due to the knurling of barbells and barbells.
One area where the Oura triumphs is battery life. In reality, any non-Ultra Apple Watch should be charged every day, or even twice a day if you want to track sleep. The Oura can potentially last six to nine days straight. This is much more convenient and also reduces gaps in your data.
