Meet the “world’s thinnest and lightest health ring”, the new Circular Ring Slim. This tiny wearable measures just 2.2 mm in thickness and only weighs 2 grams.
Not only is it the smallest smart ring in town, it’s also the first to come with a haptic navigation interface. You can tap on it to select various functions and the vibrations will give you feedback.
This wearable lands into a not very crowded ring of about, let’s say …3 smart ring makers all in all? You have the Oura, the Ultrahuman, the Movano and the Circular, from what I recall. Oh, and those wedding rings, but those aren’t really worth mentioning.
Of course, it’s no wonder companies aren’t rushing to put out smart rings, since there’s a lot of engineering involved in creating such a small wearable…and the market is probably also very small still.
How does it compare to an Oura 3rd gen, the most well-known smart ring? An Oura weighs between 4 and 6 grams, depending on size, so this one is at least twice as light.
It’s even lighter than the Ultrahuman Ring Air which, despite its bulky looks, weights just 2.4 grams. Still, percentage-wise, the new Circular ring does pull off some impressive engineering to drive the weight down.
So, we’ve seen how the Circular Ring Slim looks like and what it weighs, so what could possibly be under the hood of such a tiny device? Turns out, a lot.
The Circular Ring Slim has a suite of sensors that, according to the company, collect health data every 2 minutes.
“During the day, the ring captures activity, blood oxygen levels, energy levels, calories burned, heart rate, respiration rate, and chronotype, among other metrics, while at night, the ring ambiently tracks circadian rhythm and records sleep quality, heart rate variability, sleep disturbances, REM cycles, and sleep and wake times. Its sensors measure temperature variations during sleep, which, combined with other biometrics, can provide a clearer picture of immune systems and provide early detection of the onslaught of illness,” writes the company in their announcement.
That’s a lot of tracking in such a small device and, surprisingly, the battery life is up there as well, promising between 5 and 8 days of autonomy.
The Circular Ring Slim is available to pre-order now on Circular’s website for $245 in the US and £199 in the UK and will start shipping on December 15, after which the price will get a bump to $275 / £225. The good news though? There is no subscription fee for this wearable, unlike you know who.
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