Circular's Ring 3 Smart Rings Bring Tap-to-Pay and Haptic Alerts
Circular is rolling out its Ring 3 lineup, replacing last year's CES-debuted Ring 2 with two new versions: a Pro model that keeps the FDA-cleared atrial fibrillation detection and full sensor suite, and a Slim option that trims down health tracking for a smaller, lighter build.
Both rings gain new tricks this generation. An embedded NFC chip lets wearers tap to pay directly from their finger, skipping the phone or wallet entirely. They also add vibrating haptic alerts for alarms, medication reminders, and guided breathing sessions, turning the ring into a subtler notification device alongside its existing sleep and activity tracking. The Pro model additionally gets a slimmer physical redesign compared to its predecessor.
Why it matters: Smart rings have mostly competed on sleep and recovery metrics, but adding contactless payments pushes them closer to smartwatch territory while keeping the low-profile form factor that's their main selling point. If tap-to-pay rings catch on, it could pressure Oura and other rivals to add similar payment partnerships to stay competitive.