Circular is expanding its smart ring lineup with two new models that push considerably further into smartwatch territory. The Circular Ring 3 Slim and Ring 3 Pro combine the familiar sleep and activity tracking expected from modern smart rings with features including haptic alerts and contactless payments, while the Pro adds ECG and blood pressure trend monitoring.
The Ring 3 Slim is the smaller option, measuring 5.9mm wide and 2.35mm thick. Depending on size, it weighs between 1.9 and 3 grams, with sizes ranging from six through 14. Circular uses titanium for the exterior and epoxy underneath, while claimed battery life reaches approximately 10 days.
Health tracking covers sleep, activity, heart rate and skin temperature, alongside glucose trend estimates. Circular is also bringing haptic feedback back to its rings after dropping the feature from its previous generation. Rather than mirroring smartphone notifications, the vibration system has more health-focused purposes, including medication reminders, health alerts and a silent alarm.
Contactless payments could be another meaningful differentiator. Circular says users will be able to tap the ring to make purchases through NFC, with Visa and Mastercard support planned. Important details remain missing, though: the company has not identified its payment partner or explained exactly how cards and payments will be managed through its app. Until those details arrive, the feature is more promise than finished proposition.
The Circular Ring 3 Pro takes the same basic concept and adds more substantial health monitoring. Its all-titanium construction measures 6.8mm wide and 2.78mm thick, with weight ranging between three and four grams. The larger body also allows Circular to claim up to 12 days of battery life.
Its headline addition is a single-lead, FDA-cleared ECG capable of detecting atrial fibrillation, accompanied by blood pressure trend tracking. Those features also appeared on the previous Circular Ring 2, so the Pro is more an evolution of Circular’s health-focused strategy than an entirely new direction.
There is also an unanswered question around subscriptions. Some Ring 2 health functionality appears to require a paid subscription, but Circular has not detailed whether the Ring 3 series will follow the same model or what any recurring fee could cost.
Pricing itself remains another unknown. Circular says availability, pre-orders and prices will be revealed in the coming months. For context, the Circular Ring 2 starts at around $350, putting the company in premium smart ring territory where established alternatives already compete aggressively on health insights, battery life and software.
That makes the Ring 3 series interesting but difficult to judge before Circular fills in the blanks. Ten-to-12-day battery estimates, payments, haptics and advanced health tracking create an unusually ambitious feature set for something worn on a finger. But payment support, subscription requirements, final pricing and real-world accuracy will determine whether that ambition translates into a compelling alternative to both smart rings and smartwatches.
