Apple Watch or Oura Ring: Which Should You Buy?

I was never a big watch guy before getting an Apple Watch. In my late teens I ran cross-country with a cheap watch to keep time, nothing more. But from the moment I was gifted my first Apple Watch six years ago, I was hooked on the smartwatch.

At the time I was working in a bar, on my feet a lot, so I got a ton of satisfaction out of completing my rings for standing, moving, and exercise. It was the first time I really got to see data over time about my fitness and health, and for a long time it was a great motivator to get to the gym.

Currently, I’m rocking an Apple Watch SE, and while I am simply too busy to mind my rings every day, the habit has formed. I feel naked when I go out without it. I rely on it not only to check time, but weather, notifications, and message. I could live without it, some days I do and I’m just fine. I’m no evangelist, but I’ve never regretted being on the Apple Watch hype train.

That said, I had the opportunity to try an Oura Ring 3 for a review, and I’ve been surprised about how much people want to know how the two wearables compare. They’re two totally different types of device. But, for the past ten weeks I’ve been wearing both an Apple Watch SE and an Oura Ring Gen 3 (yes, both) to compare how they look, feel, and perform.

The Apple Watch is perfect if you want conveniences, a full-time lifestyle product. It’s a phone on your wrist, as well as an accurate exercise tracker. If your primary goal is to only track your vitals, workouts, and sleep, it’s hard not to recommend the Oura Ring. Both are some of the best in tech, and each has become a part of my daily routine. But if I have to give an answer… No, the Oura Ring does not unseat the Apple Watch.

Apple Watch, the do-it-all wearable

As a lifelong iPhone user, I know that you have to be bought in to get the most of this device. But once you are, it’s life-changing. I’ve been wearing my Apple Watch SE daily for well over a year now, and it barely shows any sign of wear and tear. I couldn’t say the same about the previous Apple Watch Series 3, which got beat to shit within the same timeframe. This SE is built to last in a way previous watches were not, which bodes well for the more newer Ultra 2 and Series 9 watches, since the SE is the lowest budget option.

Aside from checking the time, the most frequent action I take on my Apple Watch is checking the weather. With the Weather App integrated into my watch face, the forecast is one tap away at all times. In general, the amount of apps that sync data between your watch and phone always impresses me. Just the other day I was using a new app with a timer feature, and having that timer immediately on my wrist without synching the app was a perfection encapsulation of how the Apple Watch works into your daily life.

I also love my watch for the workout tracking. Often, I exercise on the elliptical in my apartment building’s sad basement gym. My watch never fails to identify my body movement as elliptical exercise. In the case of runs, walks, swims, the tracking always feels accurate. I, unfortunately, cannot say the same about the fitness rings I once loved. Across both Apple Watches I’ve owned, I’ve noticed that the exercise ring in particular is never as accurate as I want. Sometimes I go for a 40 minute walk, which the watch is tracking and logging as a workout, and that will only fill up 10 of my 30 exercise minutes goal. It’s a still baffling aspect of a device I otherwise love for fitness tracking.

In terms of other complaints, the only one I can bring to the table that’s not a nitpick is that the standard bands don’t excite me. If you want something that is both comfortable and doesn’t look like a hospital bracelet—as my partner loves to point out—pick up a luxury Apple Watch band. Personally, I love my stainless steel mesh Milanese Loop for both outings and workouts.

Oura Ring, a tool with specific uses

Like I said in my review, the Oura Ring is an amazing piece of tech in a sparkling package. Similar to my Apple Watch, I don’t see a time in the near future where I stop wearing this daily. (Yes, I’m doubling up.) I love the sleep insights. I don’t love being asked if it’s a wedding ring, but that just goes to show how classy they look.

I’m not the only Esquire editor who has fallen for the Oura Ring 3. Even our style editors agree that the smart ring is comfortable, easy to wear, and low maintenance. When it comes to charging, I only have to charge mine every three to four days. As a step counter, I’ve found it even more accurate than the Apple Watch SE in terms of tracking daily steps and time spent active. As a health tracker, it goes deeper and can be worn more often for better data. But as a fitness buddy, it’s not quite up to par with the Apple Watch.

The lack of a display really hurts the Oura Ring most in this regard, and the fact that it’s not quite as good at identifying my workouts didn’t help either. Typically, there’s four or five “walking” workouts for me to confirm when I check the app before bed, and half of that is just commuting to work. This makes engaging with that aspect of the Oura app feel a bit tedious, contrasted with the active nature of the Apple Watch’s workout tracking.

With the Apple Watch, you can spend an exorbitant amount on an Oura Ring that looks nicer but has similar functions. The fact that all Oura Ring Gen 3’s have identical feature sets, actually put it ahead in this category. I’d take knowing I’m paying an extra $200 for a gold ring over an obfuscated list of differences between my $250 Apple Watch and the $400 Series 9.

Apple Watch vs. Oura Ring: The Winner

If I’m being completely honest, it’s not easy to pick a winner. These two devices are both great at what they set out to do and are well worth the price of admission. I’ve been a loyal fan of the iPhone and Apple Watch combo for years, and the Apple Watch SE is the best iteration I’ve tried. Even with an Oura Ring, I still wear it daily and use it for fitness tracking, and checking my apps and messages.

I didn’t think there was room for another smart device in my life, but the Oura Ring Gen 3 proved me wrong. A few months in, I am still obsessed with checking in on how I’ve been sleeping and trying to improve my resilience and daily energy levels.

Both have made a tangible difference, but there is one that I think is a better value.

The Apple Watch simply does more than the Oura Ring for a comparable price. It’s more versatile, and that makes it a lot easier to recommend. The Ring is a nice discreet health and fitness tracker, but that’s all it is. The Apple Watch can be whatever you need it to be—whether that’s a second cell phone, a FitBit, or just a watch, is up to you.