I just went hands-on with the new Circular Ring 3 — and it beats the Oura Ring 5 in 3 big ways

I recently got my first hands-on experience with the newly released Circular Ring 3 Pro and Circular Ring 3 Slim at IFA in Berlin, and they may just be the smartest smart rings out there... ever. The Circular Ring 2 impressed me with its impressive battery life, a wealth of wellness insights, and advanced features like ECG monitoring.

However, a problematic app was holding it back. Circular swiftly addressed this issue by revamping their companion app and focusing on adding more smart features to their new rings. Here are the top three reasons why the Circular Ring 3 Pro and Slim outperform the Oura Ring 5, the current best smart ring of 2026.

1. Haptic feedback: Circular has reintroduced haptic feedback in both the Circular Ring 3 Pro and Slim, a feature that was absent in the Circular Ring 2. Haptic feedback can be used as an alarm, medication reminder, or guide for built-in breathing exercises. It can also be set to vibrate for vital health alerts like low heart rate.

Although I have not yet tested it, I anticipate that the list of customizable haptic functions will expand further. The convenience and usefulness of haptic alerts are gradually becoming more common in wearables, and I hope Oura will follow suit.

2. NFC payments: Most smart rings have previously focused on health and fitness insights, but Circular is elevating their offerings with built-in NFC payment support. By simply holding the ring on an NFC surface, a small vibration confirms a successful payment. The Circular Ring 3 Pro and Slim support both Visa and Mastercard. This feature could potentially give Circular an edge over Oura and the competition.

3. A slimmer, lighter design: The Circular Ring 3 Slim, while lacking some of the advanced health features and battery life of the Pro, is both narrower and lighter than the Oura Ring 5. Although the Oura Ring 5 is slightly thinner than the Circular Ring 3 Slim, it is significantly thinner than the Circular Ring 3 Pro. The comfort of smart rings is crucial, and Circular's slimmer design puts them ahead of Oura and the competition in this regard.