Circular unveils Ring 3 series with contactless payments and on-finger vibration alerts

Smart ring maker Circular on Thursday unveiled its upcoming Ring 3 series, which consists of a Pro model and a Slim option. Both of the smart rings will feature an integrated NFC chip for contactless payments, vibrating alerts for alarms and reminders, and more. The Ring 3 Pro features a slimmer design than its predecessor and comes with FDA-cleared ECG for Afib detection, blood pressure trend tracking, glucose tracking, advanced sleep analysis, and comprehensive biometric monitoring. The ring offers up to 12 days of battery life, up from seven days on its predecessor. The Slim option is thinner and lighter than the Pro model and features basic health and wellness tracking in a compact design, including sleep, heart rate, HRV, SpO₂, skin temperature, and daily activity. It features up to 10 days of battery life. The Circular Ring 3 series announcement comes amid a year of heightened competition in the smart ring market, following the launches of the Oura Ring 5 and RingConn Gen 3 . “We understand that not everyone wants every health feature,” Circular CEO Amaury Kosman said in a company announcement, shared with TechCrunch via email. “Many people simply want a beautifully designed, fashionable smart ring that delivers essential wellness insights and effortless contactless payments. That’s why we created Circular Ring 3 Slim—a lighter, more streamlined experience that retains the convenience of secure NFC payments while offering the core health tracking features many users want in an incredibly compact design.” The on-finger vibrations, which are available on both models, can be used for silent wake-up alarms, medication reminders, vital health alerts, and guided breathing exercises. Both of the Ring 3 models are made from titanium steel, feature 50-metre water resistance, and support wireless charging. The startup community will gather to answer a pivotal question: How do you build sustainably in the AI era?