The most anticipated Oura Ring 4 is upon us soon. Though we don’t have solid information as to when it’s going to be released, we sure expect Oura will be releasing its next-generation smart ring at least later this year. If you’re wondering what features and functionalities might be in the pipeline, here’s what I expect from Oura Ring 4 to come out with:

Oura Ring 4 Features and Functionalities

One of the features we’ve all been waiting for is contactless payments. While there are already smart rings for payments like McLear RingPay and Cnick, we have yet to see a health smart ring that can do it all—including contactless payments.

While nothing has been confirmed yet, this particular has already made the rumor mill following Oura’s announcement that it is collaborating with software tech firm Proxy for potential opportunities in areas including payments and access. Proxy’s work also involves security and identity, so there could be something biometric involved in the pipeline.

If you’ve read our Oura review and ring test, you know activity tracking is its weak spot. In the upcoming smart ring, we expect Oura to massively improve this department to compete with smartwatches. This will make the Oura Ring more attractive, especially to fitness circles who are looking for a reliable fitness tracking device./

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS FOR SLEEP TRACKING

Oura’s biggest competitor at the moment is Ultrahuman Ring Air, a slim health-tracking smart ring that has all of Oura’s features and functionalities. But what makes it edge out Oura is its continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) feature which no other wearables have done so far. We don’t expect Oura to replicate this exact feature, but maybe Oura might bring in a host of new features outside the health tracking realm. Haptic alarm, maybe? Or maybe the ability to control your smart home from your finger?

The competition will only become stiffer as the Samsung Galaxy Ring and Amazfit Helio Ring will soon be hitting the shelves. Amazfit is a well-known health tech company, so we might see an industry-leading activity-tracking functionality to arrive with the Helio Ring. As for the Galaxy Ring, what can we expect from a big tech company? Nothing much was revealed by Samsung, but by the looks of the teased videos, the Galaxy Ring is going to be a revolutionary wearable.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS YOU CAN BUY

Oura Ring 4 Trade-offs

If we want more features with Oura Ring 4 soon, we know we cannot have a slimmer smart ring to expect more features, neither the other way around. It’s a trade-off that comes with every smart ring due to limitations in their bodies. Either way, contactless payment is something we really expect from Oura soon as there are no major players in the U.S. as of now that do this.

ALSO READ: BEST OURA ALTERNATIVES

Should You Wait for Oura Ring 4?

If you’re thinking about getting the next-generation Oura Ring, I’d say wait for the Oura Ring 4. The current Oura Ring is still a robust device, but you can buy from several health smart rings that do what it does for cheaper, including Ringconn and Amovan. We don’t have confirmed dates yet as to when Oura plans to release Gen 4, but we hope we will get it later this year.

For the latest wearable tech news and updates, follow Smart Ring News on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.