Oura might finally be tackling one of the biggest frustrations with smart rings — battery lifespan.
A newly surfaced patent shows the company experimenting with a modular design that lets you swap out the battery. This could potentially extend the life of its rings far beyond what’s currently possible.
Right now, devices like the Oura Ring 4 are sleek and durable. However, they’re also notoriously difficult, if not impossible, to repair. Once the battery starts to degrade, which it inevitably does, the only real solution is replacement. That is not ideal for a product designed to be worn every day.
The patent, filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and reported by Gadgets and Wearables, outlines a different approach. Instead of sealing everything inside a single unit, Oura proposes splitting the ring into two sections. One half houses the battery, which can be detached and replaced when needed.
From the diagrams, the process looks surprisingly simple. Small magnets hold the battery module in place, while metal contact points transfer power to the rest of the ring. This means no fiddly connectors or tools are required. It’s a neat solution that could make smart rings far more sustainable, and a lot less disposable.
However, there is no guarantee this will turn into a real product anytime soon. Early leaks around a potential next-gen ring don’t suggest this design is coming immediately. Therefore, it may still be some way off.
Still, if Oura does bring it to market, a replaceable battery would be a meaningful upgrade, not just for convenience, but for longevity. In a category where hardware is often treated as sealed and short-lived, that’s a pretty big shift.
