The Circular Ring Slim is the "slimmest and lightest wearable in the world" according to its creators and at just 2.2mm and 2 grams, that seems likely. If you are looking for fitness tracking without interruptions, this is a powerful new contender.
I got a chance to see the Circular Ring back in January at CES 2023, and while it looked compelling, I still felt that it would prove too bulky for some users to adopt it over a smartwatch. After all at least some of the promise of a smart ring is that it is less intrusive than a smartwatch, so that means you have to be able to put it on and only think about it once a week when you charge it (officially 6-days of battery life).
So I was excited to see the message come in from Circular that they had a new slimmer and lighter model arriving and while I haven't gotten my hands on it or put it on my hand just yet, it certainly looks like they solved the problem as it looks no thicker than my wedding ring.
One ring to track it all
The Circular Ring Slim boasts everything you need to track your activity with a three-axis accelerometer, a surface temperature sensor, and PPG sensors for additional health data like heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen levels, and heart rate variability.
It is continuously taking measurements once every 2 minutes, which is great for most users. This isn't going to replace the Garmin smartwatch that you are using to track your ultramarathons or anything like that, but for daily fitness and health tracking it should deliver every bit of information you could want.
It also should be a far better solution for sleep tracking than any smartwatch. Not only due to its 6-day battery life meaning you aren't worried about charging it nightly like an Apple Watch, but it is far less obtrusive than having a watch strapped to your wrist while you sleep. The Circular Ring Slim will give you detailed metrics on every aspect of your sleep, which is a crucial part of your total health picture that is frequently lost as most smartwatches simply don't lend themselves to sleep tracking.
What's so smart about it?
While the lack of a display means you aren't going to be getting detailed notifications on your Circular Ring Slim, that is a feature not a bug for a lot of people. However, it can offer some notifications if you like using vibrations to wake you up, provide reminders, or even take you through guided breathing exercises.
Naturally no product released in 2023 can be without some AI component, for Circular Ring Slim that is Kira+. This is an "AI-powered conversational health and wellness assistant." Over your first 14 days with the Circular Ring Slim, it is taking all of the data it is gathering on top of asking you some additional questions in the Circular app to build a clear picture of your current health and a path to achieving whatever your health and fitness goals might be. If you like all of your data in one place, don't worry Circular is compatible with other health apps like Google Fit and Apple HealthKit so your data can be fed directly into those as well. Despite the "+" this is not a subscription service, Circular Ring Slim is a pay once and your done product, which is certainly a rarity these days.
The Circular Ring Slim is available for pre-order directly from Circular starting today (November 15) for a discounted price of $245/£199, and it will start shipping on December 15, after that the price goes to $275/£225.
We'll have a review of the Circular Ring Slim in the coming weeks, so keep your eye out for that if you are a fitness-tracking enthusiast who doesn't love having a watch strapped to your wrist all the time.
