For years, wearable technology has prioritized function over form, often resulting in devices that feel like necessary tools rather than desirable accessories. Oura's latest release, the Ring 4 Ceramic, directly confronts this paradigm, offering its sophisticated health-tracking capabilities wrapped in a package designed to appeal as much to the fashion-conscious as to the data-obsessed.

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Main article image showing the Oura Ring 4 Ceramic in multiple colors

Beyond Titanium: The Ceramic Difference
Priced at $499, the Ceramic variant represents a significant $150 premium over the starting price of Oura's standard titanium Ring 4. This jump isn't driven by upgraded sensors or new health features, however. Instead, it buys a complete aesthetic transformation:

  • Material Science: The ring swaps titanium for a zirconia ceramic casing, a material Oura touts for exceptional scratch resistance. While thicker than its titanium counterpart, this ceramic shell maintains its color integrity over time, unlike metals which can discolor.
  • The Fashion Tax: Offered in four curated shades – Petal (pastel pink), Tide (pastel blue), Cloud (creamy white), and Midnight (rich navy) – the Ceramic lineup explicitly targets wearers seeking a device that complements their style. Oura provides a ceramic polishing pad to maintain the finish.
  • Same Tech Core: Crucially, beneath the ceramic exterior lies identical hardware to the original Ring 4. The sensors capturing heart rate, temperature, movement, and the battery remain unchanged. As ZDNET's Nina Raemont notes in her review: "The Oura Ring 4 and the Oura Ring 4 Ceramic are the same as far as software goes... the hardware in the ring - the battery and the sensors - is the same as well."

Function Meets Fashion: The Implications
This release signifies more than just a new colorway. It represents a deliberate strategy:

  1. Expanding the Audience: By emphasizing aesthetics with vibrant, traditionally more feminine colors, Oura aims to attract users who might have previously dismissed smart rings as overly utilitarian or masculine.
  2. Normalizing Health Tracking: Making health tech beautiful helps integrate it seamlessly into daily life, moving it from a conspicuous gadget to an accepted piece of jewelry with hidden capabilities. Raemont observes: "It's the only wearable I've tested that doesn't immediately look like it."
  3. The Multi-Ring Ecosystem: The simultaneous launch of multi-ring support within the Oura app is strategic. It enables users to own both a titanium Ring 4 for everyday ruggedness and a Ceramic model for occasions, switching seamlessly between them without data disruption – effectively building a wardrobe of health trackers.

The Persistent Challenge: Battery Life
Despite the aesthetic leap, Oura continues to grapple with a functional issue reported by long-term users, including Raemont: diminishing battery life. Users have noted battery performance falling short of the advertised eight days after approximately a year of use. Oura's response includes offering replacement rings and initiating recycling programs for older models, acknowledging this hardware limitation.

ZDNET's Verdict: Luxury First, Tech Second
Raemont's assessment cuts to the core: "This fashion tax makes the ceramic smart ring a fashion accessory first, a health tracker second, and a status symbol third." The Oura Ring 4 Cerematic is not a necessary upgrade for existing users satisfied with their titanium ring's performance. It is, however, a compelling proposition for those who value cutting-edge health monitoring but refuse to compromise on style, and who view their wearable as much as a personal expression as a data source. It successfully shatters the expectation that effective health tech must be visually bland, setting a new bar for wearable aesthetics.

Source: Based on reporting by Nina Raemont, Editor for Wearables & Health Tech at ZDNET.