Pixel Watch 5 Drops to $299 as Early Black Friday Wearable Deals Spread

Q: Does the massive discount on the Oura Ring 4 hide a costly subscription trap that makes it more expensive long-term?

Yes — the $249 sale price on the Oura Ring 4 is attractive, but for many buyers the required membership materially raises the long-term cost. Oura’s membership costs $5.99 a month or $69.99 a year, and many of the ring’s most useful features sit behind it. With a subscription, users get detailed sleep analysis, 24/7 heart-rate insights, stress, temperature trends, cardiovascular age, resilience, and other advanced health metrics. Without it, the ring still records data, but access is sharply limited; reporting indicates users largely lose the deeper breakdowns and trend analysis that make the device valuable. That means the discounted Ring 4 is not really a $249 purchase if you want the full experience. Over two years, the total cost is about $389 with annual membership, or roughly $393 with monthly payments. Over three years, it rises to about $459. That can erase much of the headline savings from the $100 discount. Whether that is a “trap” depends on the buyer. For someone who specifically wants Oura’s strong sleep and recovery platform, the ongoing fee may be worth it. But shoppers focused on value should compare it with alternatives such as Garmin fitness watches or subscription-free smart rings like RingConn or Ultrahuman, which may cost more upfront or offer different strengths but avoid recurring fees. So the discount is real, but it does not tell the full ownership story.

3 articles · Updated · PCMag · Nov 13

$299.99 marks the lowest recorded price for Google’s Pixel Watch 5 41mm, a 25% cut that leads early Black Friday wearable discounts.
The pre-holiday markdowns also hit other editor-recommended devices, including the Oura Ring 4 at $249 after a $100 cut and the Garmin Vivoactive 5 at $168.99, down 44%.
$454.99 for Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra stands out in the rugged category, trimming 30% off the previous-gen model’s usual $649.99 price.
The deals arrive weeks before Black Friday as retailers push holiday shopping earlier, with the list expected to expand as more tech discounts appear.