Mobile payments are coming to your finger with the new Circular Ring 3 series. Unveiled at IFA, the consumer technology show in Berlin, the Circular Ring 3 Pro and Circular Ring 3 Slim push more smartwatch-style functionality into the smart ring category.
Both models add contactless NFC payments to Circular’s existing health-tracking capabilities and revive the haptic vibration feature from the original Circular Ring. As a result, the rings can buzz your finger for app notifications, medication reminders and health alerts without relying on a screen or a paired phone.
Screen-free wearables are drawing significant attention, with a wave of new rings and wrist trackers from Oura, Ultrahuman, Google and Garmin. These devices promise round-the-clock tracking of long-term health trends without the battery constraints and distractions of small smartwatch displays. Yet the absence of a screen has traditionally limited what these devices can do beyond gathering health data.
How Circular Sets the Ring 3 Series Apart
Paris-based Circular is carving out its own niche by adding more capability to the finger. Its FDA-cleared ECG feature and AFib detection, combined with NFC payments and haptic alerts, move the Ring 3 series closer to smartwatch territory while retaining the low-profile design that attracts ring buyers in the first place.
The trade-off is that Circular’s platform is less established than rivals such as Oura, Whoop and Google, which have had longer to develop health insights, coaching and broader ecosystems.
The Ring 3 lineup also broadens Circular’s health tracking with blood pressure trends, glucose trend estimates and advanced sleep metrics. Without FDA clearance, however, these remain wellness features intended for spotting trends and prompting conversations with a doctor rather than serving as diagnostic tools.
Ring 3 Slim vs. Ring 3 Pro: Key Differences
Both rings share Circular’s core health tracking, NFC payments and the returning haptic motor, but the hardware differs in several ways.
The Ring 3 Slim is considerably smaller in both height and width than the Pro and the previous generation, bringing it close to the ultra-slim Oura Ring 5. The Slim measures 5.9mm wide and 2.35mm thick, weighing between 1.9 and 3 grams depending on size. The Ring 3 Pro measures 6.8mm wide and 2.78mm thick, weighing 3 to 4 grams. The Pro is slightly shorter than its predecessor but has gained thickness, weighing the same as the Gen 2 ring.
On materials, the Pro uses titanium, while the Slim is built from a biocompatible resin with a titanium coating. Battery life also separates the two: Circular claims up to 12 days for the Ring 3 Pro and 10 days for the Slim. Only the Pro includes the ECG feature and blood pressure tracking.
Circular has built its following on a subscription-free model, giving owners full access to core health metrics along with its Kira AI health companion, a feature many competitors charge for even within their free tiers
