Here’s circular Ring 3 arrives with 2 features I’ve been waiting for
A couple of new smart rings have launched at IFA 2026 to take on the likes of Oura and Samsung. Although the Ringconn Gen 3 looks decent, it’s the Circular Ring 3 which has particularly caught my eye.
Although Circular’s smart rings haven’t quite hit the mark in the past, the latest model importantly comes with two features which you typically can’t find elsewhere – especially if we’re talking about the big brands.
The Circular Ring 3 has NFC for contactless payments as well as a vibration motor for alerts and alarms.
Smart rings have been great at measuring your activity and health vitals for a long time, but these additions make the device more useful on a daily basis and make it more feasible to ditch your smartwatch.
Circular
Circular says the vibration feature can be used for “silent wake-up alarms, medication reminders, vital health alerts, guided breathing exercises, and more”, though it’s the integrated NFC chip which stands out, as even the Oura Ring 5 is missing this tech.
The downside here is that you’ll need a Mastercard or Visa card for it to work. The firm says the contactless payments are ‘secure’ but hasn’t detailed how, considering the same task on a phone or smartwatch requires PIN or biometric authentication.
I should mention that these apply to the Circular Ring 3 Slim model, while the Ring 3 Pro also adds blood pressure tracking along with an impressive 12 day battery life.
The Pro is bigger than the Slim at 6.8mm wide compared to 5.9mm. Each is made from titanium with a 50m waterproof rating and comes in gold, rose gold, silver, and black in US sizes 6-14.
Circular
“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,” said Circular CEO Amaury Kosman.
Circular is certainly doing its best to stand out in a crowded market, but there are key details yet to be revealed for the Ring 3 series, including prices and release date, though they are expected to launch early in 2027, which is when we might see the Samsung Galaxy Ring 2 finally arrive.
For now, you can read our Circular Ring 2 review.
