Are you looking for an up-to-the-mark smart device that has helpful health-tracking capabilities? Well, you don’t have to search far and wide anymore, as we present two of the best wearables that are transcending boundaries not just in terms of sleep tracking.
First is the Garmin Vivoactive 5. This smartwatch is from Garmin, an American but Swiss-domiciled multinational technology company founded during the 1980s. With its advanced health and fitness features, Garmin Vivoactive 5 is more than just a smartwatch but your on-wrist personal coach guiding you toward your fitness goals.
Second is the Oura Ring. Not a smartwatch, but a smart ring. It comes from Oura, this time a health technology company in Finland. This smart ring basically tracks sleep and physical activity, but it can definitely do more. Without further ado, let’s head to the comparison of these two devices.
Garmin Vivoactive 5 vs. Oura Ring Quick Comparison
Before heading into the deets of this Garmin Vivoactive 5 vs. Oura Ring comparison, take a quick look at their specs and functionalities:
| GARMIN VIVOACTIVE 5 | OURA RING 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep tracking | ✅ | ✅ |
| Heart rate monitoring | ✅ | ✅ |
| Activity tracking | ✅ | ✅ |
| Recovery monitoring | ✅ | ✅ |
| Stress management | ✅ | ✅ |
| Blood oxygen monitoring | ✅ | ✅ |
| Period prediction | ✅ | ✅ |
| Blood sugar monitoring | ❌ | ❌ |
| Battery life | Up to 5 days with smartwatch mode | Up to 7 days |
| Water protection | Water-resistant up to 50 meters | IP68 (Water-resistant up to 100 meters) |
| Monthly membership | n/a | n/a |
| Price | $299.99 | $349 |
| GET IT HERE | GET IT HERE |
Garmin Vivoactive 5 vs. Oura Ring: Features and Functionalities
In this section, you will learn about the differences between Garmin Vivoactive 5 and the Oura Ring based on their sleep tracking, fitness tracking, heart rate monitoring, and blood oxygen monitoring capabilities.
Sleep Tracking
Many people love Garmin Vivoactive 5 for how it does perfectly well when tracking your sleep. First, with this smartwatch, you get a sleep score and even a “personal coach” for how much sleep you need and how else you can improve. The watch keeps track of various sleep stages – even naps! – then provide several key metrics over your sleep period. This way, you can understand your health better.
But wait, there’s more. As soon as you wake up in the morning, this smartwatch provides you with an overview of your sleep. Take it as its sleep morning report for you. But how about the Oura Ring? Can it top that stuff?
Interestingly, the Oura Ring has roughly the same features when it comes to sleep tracking. As you close your eyes and prepare to doze up, this smart ring prepares to track your entire sleep. Also, in the morning, as you wake up, the ring presents in-depth data showing how long you spent in each stage of your sleep, including a Sleep Score to let you know how well you slept.
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Fitness Tracking
Garmin Vivoactive 5 and the Oura Ring generally do the same regarding sleep tracking, but how about their fitness tracking capabilities? Let’s start with the former.
Garmin’s smartwatch can track your every move with more than 30 preloaded GPS and indoor sports apps, whether you are walking, cycling, running, or swimming in the pool. Plus, persons with disabilities can also track their movement as the watch also has a system that tracks wheelchair activities.
The Oura Ring also tracks all the movements of its wearer, as well as presents an activity score to ensure they balance their activities, inactivities, and rest periods. Both devices help the wearer ensure they take enough time to recover and transition into another fitness challenge.
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Heart Rate Monitoring
How about in terms of heart rate monitoring? Garmin devices, such as its Vivoactive 5, offer all-day insights based on heart monitoring data through the Garmin Elevate heart rate technology sensor. This is an optical PPG sensor (photoplethysmography, an optical measurement method for heart rate monitoring purposes) built into the back of the smartwatch. It detects the person’s heart rate by shining a green light through their skin, which the red cells in the blood vessels in their skin reflect.
The Oura Ring also does heart rate monitoring with a PPG sensor like how Garmin Vivoactive does it, only that it detects your heart rate from your hands and fingers, or where the ring is worn.
The smart ring detects changes in your blood pulse volume via the infrared PPG sensors located within the device, as every time your heart beats, blood is pumped out into the arteries in your hands and fingers.
ALSO READ: OURA VS. GARMIN VENU 3: WHICH SLEEP TRACKER IS BETTER?
Blood Oxygen Monitoring
Interestingly, both Garmin Vivoactive 5 and the Oura Ring generally do it the same way when it comes to monitoring your blood oxygen: through infrared lights.
For instance, the Vivoactive 5 watch has a wrist-based pulse oximeter that gauges your blood’s oxygen saturation. Plus, it tracks this blood oxygen saturation all day, whether you are awake or asleep.
Almost similarly, the Oura Ring measures peripheral oxygen saturation levels in its wearer’s blood by sending light coming from this device’s red and infrared LEDs into their finger. It does this while you are asleep. Then, it measures the amount of light reflected.
ALSO READ: OURA RING VS. APPLE WATCH SE 2: WHICH IS THE BEST SLEEP TRACKER?
Garmin Vivoactive 5 vs. Oura Ring: Specs and Design
This section will tackle the major differences between the Garmin Vivoactive 5 and the Oura Ring in terms of design, battery life, and water protection.
Design
When it comes to their designs, the Garmin Vivoactive 5 and the Oura Ring are obviously different animals. One is worn around the wrist, while the other is way smaller, worn around the finger.
Garmin Vivoactive 5 primarily has a 1.2-inch AMOLED display and runs a 390 by 390 resolution. Furthermore, its body is crafted from fiber-reinforced polymer. Its display’s bezel, meanwhile, is made from anodized aluminum, which protects it from scratches and scuffs. Gorilla Glass 3 protects its screen.
On the other hand, smart rings from Oura are made from titanium, alongside its non-metallic inner section. Its size is 7.9 millimeters across and 2.55 millimeters thick. Its weight varies between four and six grams. Unlike Vivoactive 5, the Oura Ring does not have a display, but you can access the data via its partner app.
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Battery Life
Garmin Vivoactive 5 has up to 11 days of battery life in standard smartwatch mode and up to five days when using its always-on display. The Oura Ring, meanwhile, has a battery life of up to seven days.
Water Protection
Garmin Vivoactive 5’s water protection is 5 ATM and up to 50 meters. The device can resist the penetration of water, like powerful water jets, but it should not be submerged in water for so long.
On the other hand, the water-resistant rating of the Oura Ring is 10 ATM. You can wear this ring while showering, swimming, or snorkeling, but not when you will go diving.
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Garmin Vivoactive 5 vs. Oura Ring: Pricing and Availability
Garmin Vivoactive 5 is priced at around $300. You can purchase Vivoactive 5 from Garmin stores, such as those in malls, or from accredited online stores in your country, among other outlets.
The Oura Ring costs $349. It can be purchased from the official Oura Ring website, various retail locations worldwide such as Best Buy, and official retailers in Japan.
The Verdict: Which Is the Best Device for Sleep Tracking?
What’s interesting about Garmin Vivoactive 5 and the Oura Ring is that they generally do the same in various pointers, such as sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, and blood oxygen monitoring. For instance, both the smartwatch and the smart ring use PPG sensors for monitoring your heart rate, and they also both use infrared lights for monitoring your blood oxygen.
So, to answer the question of which is the best device for sleep tracking, the choice is either of the two, actually, if you are after this feature. But, concerning battery life and water protection, the two outshine each other.
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