My Final Word on ORII Ring vs. Oura Ring

If you doubt we’re living in the future, look no further than the selection of smart rings available. To further validate the innovation in wearable technology, Origami Labs introduced the ORII Ring in 2017 with an interesting concept and a compelling pitch.

Intended for people with hearing impairments and providing them another option for communication, ORII was introduced with Bone Conduction. Imagine hearing audio through vibrations transmitted via your bones, like a built-in pair of headphones. Mind blown. They also focus on spending more time talking and less time staring at a screen.

While an undeniably interesting concept put forward by ORII, the Oura Ring has stuck the landing with a more sleek and discrete-looking ring, boasting a ton of features. Unlike ORII, which focuses more on communication, the Oura Ring provides a holistic view of my health and wellness, making it a more comprehensive choice. Let’s discuss more on the features of each, shall we?

The Verdict

ORII is a ring based on connectivity and turns the ring into a mini-phone, eliminating the need for a screen. However, the limited functionality of being able to make and receive calls and messages makes it lack versatility.

For a wearable that is supposed to be worn throughout the day, that too in a bulky ring form and only to provide the purpose of eliminating headphones, is not reason enough for me to buy it. I would much rather make the commitment of wearing a ring 24×7 if it provides me with value and more functionality than having a mini phone on my finger.

For this reason alone, Oura has been my go-to for more than a year. It lacks the feature of making and receiving calls, messages, and notifications, but the sleek design is something I would choose any day.

Price and Availability

The Oura Ring starts at $299 for the Horizon variant and goes up to $549 for the Rose Gold Heritage variant. This seems like quite a hefty amount, but with the amount of features it has, Oura has justified its price tag. In addition to this, they also charge a monthly subscription fee of $5.99 USD and give the first month free. 

Oura is available worldwide via its official website and authorized retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and eBay.

The ORII Ring has been discontinued since its last shipment as of 30th April 2019.

Specifications

Specifications	ORII Ring	Oura Ring
Sizes	6-11, with ring size adjusters and screws for the device to attach to the ring	6-13
Sizing Kit	Yes, Sizing gauge provided	Yes, Sizing kit provided
Colors	Metallic Dark Grey, Matte Black, Armor Red, and Sandblasted Silver	Silver, Black, Stealth, Brushed Titanium, Gold, and Rose Gold
Dimensions	N/A	7.9mm width, 2.5mm thickness
Weight	N/A	4-6g
Waterproof	IPX7 (splash proof)	IP68 (100 m)
Notifications	Yes (on device)	Yes (in-app)
Calls and Messages	Yes	No
Haptics	Yes	No
Voice Assistant	Yes	No
Compatibility	Android 6.0 and above and iOS 11 and above	iOS 15 and higher or Android 9.0 and higher
Battery Life	1 hour talk-time, 45 hours standby	Up to 7 days
Battery Size	50 mAh	15mAh (US6) – 22mAh (US13) LiPo battery
Charger	Portable charging dock	Size-specific charger with USB cable
Charging time	1 hour	20-80 minutes
Price	$129 (discontinued)	Starting $299
Subscription	FREE	$5.99 USD/month

Design

One is a sleek and discreet device that looks like a piece of jewelry with superpowers, the other is a cross between a ring and a smartwatch, its chunkier counterpart. Surprisingly, the ORII Ring, despite looking so big and chunky, wasn’t too bulky and heavy.

But its rectangular shape that covers most of the finger is attention-grabbing for sure. The design is not my go-to choice for a smart ring. I can’t imagine it being comfortable either, almost like a Fitbit on the finger. The ring has buttons that were a little harder to press, according to the users.

The Oura Ring, on the other hand, is a much sleeker and discreet smart ring, blending seamlessly with my outfits and not screaming for attention. It took a couple of days to get used to, but now it’s so comfortable that I almost don’t notice it on my finger anymore.

It also looks like a piece of jewelry, merging with my other accessories and yet stands out as a great conversation starter.

Features and Functionality

The ORII Ring

Ok, I know I’ve been bashing the ORII ring to just have one function but it can do a fair bit. Their pitch is quite compelling, where they aim to reduce screentime and yet have everything a phone does right from your finger.

The tech they used amazed me, to say the least. Never had I heard of bone conduction before. Utilizing the bones as headphone wires is something I never imagined humans could do. They convert electric signals into vibrations that travel via the bones and into the ear when you use your finger to touch the ear.

What I can’t imagine is getting the right angle and how clear the sound quality would be. From my research, the sound could crack a little bit, but overall, it was decent for a device that doesn’t have Bluetooth or wires.

Additionally, it could interact with Google Assistant or Siri on the press of a single button on the ring and it works just as well as it does on your phone. From taking notes, setting reminders and alarms, reading and replying to messages, and sending out tweets, it’s like a personal assistant on your finger.

Apart from calls and messages, the ring also lets you set custom LED light colors for notifications pertaining to different apps and contacts.

The Oura Ring

The Oura Ring and the ORII Ring have nothing in common apart from them both being rings, which, too, are very different in design and looks. The Oura Ring can do so much more than the ORII.

Yes, it can’t make and receive calls and messages and has no notifications or buttons on the device itself, but it goes well beyond that. It tracks various metrics, 24×7, in order to give you a comprehensive view of your health.

With features such as ‘Trends,’ overtime, Oura makes it a lot easier to understand the direction that your metrics are going in. For a quick view, Oura also gives three scores- readiness, sleep, and activity. These help me gather information about how well I slept, my body’s energy, and how well I hit my activity goal for the day in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.

Additionally, Oura estimates a daytime stress graph to keep your mental health in check and has a library of guided meditations and breath work to help me destress and sleep better. A deep dive into various metrics which I had no clue about before, such as the HRV, made me realize the importance of these and the positive impacts they’ve had on my health.

Oura can also be extremely helpful in tracking periods and pregnancy alike. Their integrations with various third-party apps, ranging from activity tracking to fertility tracking, makes Oura an all-rounder in my books.

Who Is It For?

Oura Ring is for people who want to track their daily activities as well as sleep and recovery. People who genuinely want to take a step towards a healthier lifestyle can deeply benefit from the Oura Ring. I know I have.

As for the ORII Ring, I don’t see it being useful in the long run for people. It’s another mini phone, and for the same features, invest a little more, and you’re better off with a smartwatch that can do all this and much more, like tracking your activity, workouts and sleep. While the concept and tech are compelling, I might be wrong, but I don’t see the usage.

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