Circular Ring 2 vs Circular Ring 3: What Changed and Should You Upgrade?

A smart ring might look like an ordinary piece of jewellery, but there’s a lot more going on beneath that tiny frame. It quietly tracks your sleep, follows changes in your heart rate and gives you an idea of how well your body is recovering. That’s something I found interesting while using the Circular Ring 2. But now, Circular is preparing its next-generation Ring 3 and things are getting a little more interesting.

With a slimmer design, upgraded sensors and NFC payments, the new generation brings some interesting changes to the table. So, in this Circular Ring 2 vs 3 comparison, I’ll look at what the Ring 2 already offers from my experience and what Circular promises with the upcoming Ring 3. The newer model isn’t available to purchase yet, but its announced features have certainly caught my attention. So, let’s take a closer look at what’s changed and what these two smart rings bring to the table.

Circular Ring 2 vs Circular Ring 3 Comparison Table#

Design and Comfort#

When we take a look at the physical aspects, then comfort becomes crucial when it comes to wearing the ring non-stop because it is designed to be always on your hand. Being a man who goes to the gym, types on a laptop throughout the day and uses the device while sleeping, I would say that I value very much the light weight of the older device. From my experience, the old ring is rather comfortable and weighs only 2-3 grams on my index finger. Also, it has the premium feel due to the titanium material and is quite thin with the size of 7.8mm width and 2.8mm thickness, which makes it not catch in the pockets. However, in case of Circular Ring 2 vs 3 comparison, physical aspects improve greatly.

Here the new generation is divided into two models, which are the Pro and the Slim. As people have different sizing requirements, this difference in Circular Ring 2 vs 3 comparison is highly important to take into account. In particular, the newer Pro generation becomes as thin as 6.8mm width and 2.78mm thickness, which is considerably thinner compared to my older model. However, the other one called Slim is extremely small with its unbelievable dimensions of 5.9mm width and 2.35mm thickness. Thus, for those who have small hands or simply prefer the most discreet device, the newer Slim model will sound perfect.

However, even with such dramatic miniaturizations, both generations are still very strong and waterproof up to 50 meters. Thus, you don’t need to worry about harming your valuable gadget when you shower, wash your hands or go swimming. Wearing my old-fashioned model, I do not need to remove it at all while showering in the morning, what makes my life much easier. Thus, in the design war between Circular Ring 2 vs 3, the older one has a good, reliable design, while the new ones are much slimmer.

Health Tracking Features Compared #

Core Sleep and Heart Tracking#

Throughout all of my years spent with the older device, I have been counting on its highly detailed tracking ability to help me maintain my health. For example, the Circular Ring 2 measures the stages of my sleep, my resting heart rate, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) and my heart rate variability (HRV) every single night. Moreover, the device even gives out cuffless blood pressure estimates, which I find very convenient for monitoring my cardiovascular system without having to use any extra equipment.

However, the Circular Ring 3 keeps everything that the older device has and adds some improvements to that set of features. As the Circular Ring 3 uses a totally new 6-axis accelerometer and more accurate optical sensors, it will be able to give measurements of these very same sleep and heart-related metrics, only with much better accuracy. Thus, when it comes to the Circular Ring 2 vs 3 baseline capabilities comparison, it can be said that the older version includes everything I need from a health tracker, while the new one makes those measurements even more precise.

The Addition of Glucose Insights#

However, when we move on to analyzing the upgrades between Circular Ring 2 vs 3, the future models are set to revolutionize biological tracking in a huge way. Although Circular Ring 2 does an excellent job in tracking your activity and managing stress, it does not feature any ability to track the changes in your blood sugar levels. In sharp contrast to that, the new generation brings some brand new features that will help you to reach your wellness goals. In particular, it is expected that both Pro and Slim versions of the Circular Ring 3 will provide you with new glucose insight features. Thanks to this revolutionary feature, the Circular Ring 3 will be a huge leap forward for those who want to track their nutrition or avoid afternoon drops of energy.

Advanced Cardiac Features and the ECG#

Besides, the Pro model of the new generation keeps all the advanced cardiac functions that I really love to use on my current smartwatch. Similar to the old one, the Circular Ring 3 Pro has an on-demand ECG and trusted AFib screening to control your heart rate. In contrast, the Circular Ring 3 Slim discards the ECG feature entirely to make its slim physical construction. Thus, when discussing the Circular Ring 2 vs 3 tracking health debate, one should consider which new model of this series he/she is going to order ahead of time. Personally, as an active person, the Circular Ring 2 has always been sufficient to maintain my daily routine and sleep regime under control. Still, the upcoming opportunity to track blood sugar levels along with improved sensors seems very attractive for health oriented people.

Sensors and Accuracy: Has Circular Improved Tracking? #

However, these sensors work behind the scenes in order to turn these devices into magic. It is because precise body metrics are crucial for any training. As far as my daily activity is concerned, as an active young man, making an ECG scan of only 40 seconds using the Circular Ring 2 seems to be something from science fiction to me. I have to position my finger properly and then keep completely still in order for one-lead ECG to perform effectively along with 3-LED PPG (photoplethysmography) optical sensor in order to map my electric heart activity. Moreover, the simple 3-LED sensor of Circular Ring 2 illuminates my skin with green, red and infrared lights in order to track the level of my blood oxygen and heart rate variability in a reliable way. Also, the digital temperature sensor in the old version performs quite well in order to track even slightest changes in my nighttime temperature.

On the other hand, after comparing these Circular Ring 2 vs 3 versions, it becomes obvious that new models have much more advanced and sophisticated hardware. Indeed, although Circular Ring 2 uses the traditional 3 LED configuration, Circular Ring 3 has a highly upgraded optical system that includes 2 red LEDs, 2 infrared LEDs and 2 green LEDs. Since this innovative optical system used in the Circular Ring 3 device is capable of measuring the user’s blood flow rate at the incredible speed of 25, 50 or even 100 Hz, it allows capturing thousands of additional points per minute and, hence, providing much higher accuracy as compared to the 25 Hz limitation of Circular Ring 2. Furthermore, while Circular Ring 2 measures the number of my daily steps and exercises in the gym with the help of an ordinary 3-axis accelerometer, Circular Ring 3 uses an advanced 6-axis accelerometer. Therefore, this Circular Ring 2 vs 3 sensor comparison clearly shows that the newer model can easily detect complex 3D movements and subtle wrist twists, whereas the older model mainly catches basic forward and side to side motions. 

Among the most promising sensor enhancements throughout the whole discussion of Circular Ring 2 vs 3 is the promised comeback of haptic feedback feature, however, it can only be used in the new Pro model of the Circular Ring 3. In contrast with my current Circular Ring 2 that doesn’t have any vibration motor at all and produces loud alarms using my smartphone, the Circular Ring 3 Pro is able to vibrate right on my finger. Thanks to its haptic motor, the new Circular Ring 3 is able to wake me up without any noise, to prompt my breathing exercises via vibrations and remind me about taking medications without even checking the information on any display. Thus, in the final Circular Ring 2 vs 3 fight on sensors, the old-fashioned but proven and trustworthy sensors in the Circular Ring 2 lose out to the innovative haptic vibrations of the Circular Ring 3 along with its precise clinical-grade data sampling.

Circular App Experience and AI Health Insights #

With smart rings, however, the experience through the app is more important than that through the hardware. The reason for that is the screen of your smartphone is the place where you get access to all of your biometrics. I use Circular app every day and it is a highly visual interface, full of technical information. At the core of the app, there is a health companion called Kira. It analyzes your metrics and provides you with clear-text instructions. For those men who simply need to know whether their body is prepared for intense training in the gym or they should have a rest day today, the text from Kira is extremely useful. The Circular Ring 2 features exactly the same app ecosystem as future versions.

Technically speaking, Kira doesn’t only take into consideration your daily number. Rather, the AI evaluates your biological pattern based on a 14-day rolling baseline of your HRV, resting heart rate and skin temperature to understand your own biology. Your daily data are then compared against the baseline and the Immunity Index, color-coded and indicative of your physiological state even before you become ill, is generated by Kira’s algorithm. While the Circular Ring 2 has been programmed with such a sophisticated algorithm for the analysis of your sleep and cardiac state, the current Circular Ring 3 is equipped with this more sophisticated algorithm to evaluate other deeper biological data. This is due to the fact that the new ring hardware is able to measure blood pressure patterns and glucose levels.

In addition to all of this, the app has recently got some of the app updates that help both rings in many ways. Specifically, the latest app update featured 5 times faster synchronization speeds and an extremely well-optimized offline mode. The offline feature allows the ring to save all of your health data in its own memory without constantly maintaining a Bluetooth connection with the phone. Once you eventually get to the app, the data is transferred seamlessly and fills up your dashboard. Therefore, no matter which ring you get, old or new, the software is always amazing. It is a technical tie in the Circular Ring 2 vs 3 software comparison, however, the new ring gives you more room for analysis in the app.

Battery Life and Charging Compared#

Battery is one of the most important reasons since smart rings are meant for continuous and seamless monitoring. Any removal from your finger means the data collection process will stop. When it comes to my Circular Ring 2 device, they guarantee a battery life of 8 days on Eco mode. In terms of my experience as an ordinary man, in terms of performance mode, which is more frequent, the battery lasts around 4-5 days until it needs to be charged. I just place it in the charging case when I take a shower and within 45-60 minutes, it gets fully charged. My Circular Ring 2 boasts such battery performance, but my Circular Ring 3 has such crazy battery potential based on the model.

The Circular Ring 3 Pro promises a massive upgrade, offering up to 12 days of battery life. This means you could go on a long vacation without ever packing a charger. On the other hand, the Circular Ring 3 Slim sacrifices battery for its tiny size, offering up to 6 days on a single charge. Because of these differences, battery life becomes a major deciding factor in the Circular Ring 2 vs 3 comparison. If you hate charging your devices, the Ring 3 Pro is the clear winner.   

Who should buy the Circular Ring 2?#

You should buy the Circular Ring 2 if:

• You want a smart ring with a wide range of health-tracking features.
• You need ECG, AFib screening and blood pressure estimates.
• You want sleep, activity, stress and recovery tracking.
• You prefer a smart ring without a mandatory monthly subscription.
• You want to save money while still getting advanced health insights.

Who should buy the Circular Ring 3?#

You should buy the Circular Ring 3 if:

• You want newer hardware and upgraded sensors.
• You prefer a slimmer design, especially with the Ring 3 Slim.
• You want NFC contactless payments.
• You need haptic alerts and longer battery life with the Pro model.
• You are buying your first Circular ring and can wait for the new models to become available.

Note: Choose the Ring 3 Pro if you need ECG and blood pressure tracking, as these features aren’t available on the Ring 3 Slim.

Final Verdict#

If I had to choose, I would go with the Circular Ring 2 because it offers a good mix of health-tracking features, including ECG, sleep monitoring, recovery insights and blood pressure estimates. I also like that I can access its core features without paying a monthly subscription.

For me, it covers almost everything I need from a smart ring, making it a useful everyday companion for keeping an eye on my health and understanding my daily health patterns.

FAQs#