We ’re at that stage where smart rings are becoming more popular . That means there are more choices , and we must be more wakeful before buy one .
A big example of why we need to pay more attention is the Circular Ring Slim , which may expect attractive but is blemished in ways that make it unappealing . It ’s sure enough notallbad , but if you ’re in the market for a smart ring , there are plenty of others you should consider first .
About our Circular Ring Slim review
We first published our Circular Ring Slim reexamination in March 2024 , found on several weeks of usage of the ring and app . rotary announceda revised versionwith a few small alteration in June , and we wore this version for a further three weeks to assess changes .
Most of our revue is based on the original version , as it ’s largely unchanged from the revised model . However , we have add a new section below that covers the updated model only . We also altered relevant information throughout the repose of the review . The score has not been alter after using the revise edition .
Wearing the new Circular Ring Slim
Wondering how you’re able to tell the difference of opinion between the two Circular Ring Slim model ? front at the logotype , which is white on the original version but is dark and blends in with the ring ’s refinement on the updated exemplar . It ’s the only genuine optic cue you get , but I do find the overall primed - and - finale to be better with the updated translation . It feel on the dot the same on your finger , though , and the design is still the same . Circular says it has better prick resistance , but my review mannikin has still picked up scratches even in the short time I ’ve worn it . The annulus now has an IP68 H2O and detritus underground military rank , up from an IPX8 before .
Circular also promoted a few changes to the app with the new hardware , but most of the features had been added beforehand . Unfortunately , it still has not made the subscription and ongoing monetary value involved in owning the Ring Slim clear at all , and we ’ve added a new section on the situation toward the end of our revaluation . Going back to the revised Ring Slim , it ’s essentially exactly the same as the last one , and while I did not find any app or connectivity reliability job this time , the data still was n’t all that helpful , and other topic still exist .
Since I refresh the Circular Ring Slim , Samsung has announced theGalaxy Ring , and even in the little clock time I ’ve tried it and seen the data presented in the app , it ’s already calculate like a far better purchase than the Circular Ring Slim . The same lead for theOura Ring , which I ’ve now worn for three class in totality , and consider it the bench mark for smart closed chain , even with the subscription model . We ’d suggest you buy either of them alternatively of the Circular Ring Slim .
Circular Ring Slim: design
The Circular Ring Slim live up to its name , as the svelte form makes it well one of the most comfortable smart rings I ’ve worn . It ’s a combination of the agility and the slim case , which means I feel it less between my fingers and am sometimes not even aware it ’s there at all . On several occasion , I ’ve felt it with my thumb to verify I ’m bust it after a sudden feeling I ’d forget to put it back on after charging . It is about a millimeter wider than theOura Ring , but I have not noticed any literal difference on my finger .
The exterior is entirely circular , while the internal part has a flat section where two alloy plate for blame sit ( next to the heart rate sensing element rig slightly to the side ) . When it ’s hot , and your finger expands , this part is quite obtrusive and not all that comfortable , so make certain you take the sizing wisely . The design is unassuming and average , unlike the far more stylish Oura Ring , and only comes in a single matte black finish . The Circular Ring Slim does n’t take inspiration from jewelry like the Oura Ring and follow the same design route as theUltrahuman Air , appearing more like a functional product than something you ’d choose to wear out to complement your flavor or to make a fashion financial statement .
I may not think the excogitation is very inspiring , but others may like the mostly incognito look . The updated Circular Ring Slim has a black logotype instead of the very obvious livid one on the early framework , and you could see the difference it makes in some of our photograph . It also serves a design as the Circular Ring Slim has a vibrating alarm system , and you ’re suppose to bug the logo twice to stop it from vacillate . I say “ suppose to , ” as despite setting the alarm on the original reading multiple times , it never resonate to wake me up once .
However , I have come up it work for the Medication Reminder lineament , where it oscillate at set sentence to remind you to take medicament and also sends a push notification to your sound . The vibration on your finger is very obtrusive and unimaginable to miss , and it ’s a very helpful characteristic . It ’s a disgrace , then , that at some point in the time to come , this will become a pay feature . More on this later on in the review . I had gamy hopes when I first put the Circular Ring Slim on . If the functionality could match the outstanding consolation , it could well become an Oura Ring competitor . alas , this would turn out to be one of the very few top side to the Circular Ring Slim .
Circular Ring Slim: durability and reliability
Unlike the Oura Ring and the Ultrahuman Ring Air , the Circular Ring Slim is not made of Ti . It ’s made of aluminum , and it really shows . When I wear down the original Ring Slim for just a few calendar week , it foot up french-fried potatoes and scratch on the bottom , revealing the alloy beneath the matte contraband conclusion . Despite the claim the revise example has improved durability , this has been repeated on the new Ring Slim too . I have not done anything I have n’t done wearing the Oura or other titanium rings , which have not been score in the same way over a much long period of time . The smart ring has an IP68 piddle and dust resistance military rating .
The sync process between the ring and your phone takes a recollective time , as the app importee data from the ring , syncs with the swarm , and then return the data to the app . At this stop , itmostlyshows your stats , but it always takes a few moments before it all appear . It ’s frustrating when the Oura Ring syncs and acquaint data in a few seconds . While I understand not everyone will exact to see their data in the app like a shot , watch the progress bar in the app lento make its way across the screen borders on the painful , and it ’s one of the long syncing systems I ’ve encountered .
During my original test , I also encountered a problem where the app suddenly forgot the smart ringentirely , which prompted me to go through a convoluted reset process . This process involved putting the band on the battery charger , study it off 10 times in a row , and waiting for a non - specific shakiness to alarm me that it had been reset . I did this many times , usually unsure if the vibration alerting was the one I should be look out for , as it hover when you put it on charge anyway , but the ring refused to reconnect .
Eventually , the problem seemed to cure itself , but it left me wondering if ( or when ) it would find again . Poor user experiences like this make the Circular Ring Slim feel unfinished . With the revised model , things seemed to better , and I had no dependability problems . I even swapped the doughnut and app between phones with footling fuss , so experiences may deviate . The app and smart ring have receive various software and firmware updates during my prison term using it , and these may have cured some of the problems I have encountered , but as they are intermittent , it ’s hard to valuate .
Circular Ring Slim: sleep and activity tracking
The understanding you will need to break a saucy ring is to gain more insight into your health and health . The Circular Ring Slim tracks your quietus and basic activity during the day ; and there ’s a fresh Heart Rate During Sport measurement for some basic exercise trailing . It needs to make up for its introductory recitation trailing by being a eternal rest - trailing superstar , but sadly , it ’s not . It tag sopor , but it ’s not always very good at it , which then throws off all the other data it pull together and the good word it make .
Here ’s an example . More than once , it has noticed when I ’ve sat down in the other even , and then it quickly decided I ’ve fallen benumbed . It then sees every subsequent movement before I really go to bed as me waking up . By the break of day , it thinks I ’ve had hours more nap than I ’ve actually had , and with multiple wakening . It skews all the data from this point , yield anything it recommends altogether wrong . With the revised model , it did the opposite and did n’t recognize when I went to bed at all . It does n’t happen all the fourth dimension , and the Circular Ring Slim does usually get it right , but it let down trustfulness .
This all materialize after the fantastically long 14 - 24-hour interval standardization stop , so I ca n’t go past it off as the ring just gravel to know me . During this run - in time , the app asks a lot of questions , some of which are confusingly worded and severe to answer . However , the overall accuracy of the data did improve after those two weeks , so you should stick to it . Once that period had pass on , the Circular Ring Slim ’s “ AI help , ” Kira , comes along to provide daily recommendations and assess current performance and where you’re able to ameliorate .
Its advice is somewhat generic stuff and nonsense , and it can sometimes feel completely at betting odds with your organic structure and agenda , too . I woke up to find oneself a presentment on my phone from the Circular Ring telling me that it was the perfect fourth dimension for me to get some sun , which it sent about 5:30 ante meridiem , and that did n’t seem very helpful at all . For the revised role model , it sent me notification at about 6:00 a.m. state me it was the idealistic window for me to eat . This apart , Kira does briefly present how your Clarence Day liken to the previous few , which can help you understand where you may improve , and it does utilise percentages effectively to illustrate where you should try and make changes .
In addition to chase after sleep and basic activity , the Circular Ring Slim monitors stress point and presents all the common information points — include step , heart pace variability ( HRV ) , take a breather substance rate , blood oxygen layer , cutis temperature , and breathing rate . Graphs let in information on activity intensity and calories burned . The app has a release to check all these stats in genuine time , too . The Circular Ring Slim ’s app does connect with Apple Health and Google Fit but not any third - party apps , so if you exercise with Strava or a similar app , it wo n’t import or share data .
Circular Ring Slim: is the data helpful?
The Circular Ring Slim allow for three primary scores for your day : Sleep Analysis , Energy Analysis , and Alarm Clock . The Alarm Clock is an peculiar one , as it ’s mostly a screen to place your daily alarum , but it also shows if you awaken up during the ideal rest stage . The Sleep Analysis lozenge gives an overall sleep sexual conquest , uses descent graph to present its data , and has a arduous - to - render Sleep Duration chart .
Under the Energy Analysis page , daily drive is broken down into different division , including a musical score for VO2 Max , plus line graphical record on retrieval , rest , and any variations in temperature and eternal rest lineament . There are some historical graphical record , but they ’re obscure forth and not all data gets treated and evidence in the same fashion , so it ’s quite voiceless to see precisely how your body has transfer over time . You ’d think the tab key marked Calendar would show you a helicopter view of your stats , but it does n’t and only show up a day - by - daytime .
I ’ve never felt like I really knew what was go on with my consistence and catch some Z’s through the Circular app .
The app ’s main screen shows what zone your body is supposedly in , such as a Productivity zone , and when it ’s a in force time to booze coffee , eat , or wind down for sopor . You have to ascertain the app to see this information , though , as despite receive all the presentment shift on , I have not received any on my phone regarding my zone . The Ring Slim has been join to anApple iPhone 15 Pro Max , and the app is also available for Android earpiece .
The app also shows a Cardio Points metric , but it does n’t really excuse how this is created , what it have in mind , and how you’re able to manipulate it . You ’re also reinforce with “ coin ” for meeting various targets , and it enigmatically teases you about how these may become useful in the future . The orbitual app shows datum , but unlike the Oura Ring ’s app , it ’s not very friendly to take in , with its independent scores set in a section easily mistaken for a basic menu , and it does n’t do a upright business of really highlighting its scores .
I ’ve never feel like I really knew what was going on with my body and sleep through the Circular app , and outside of Kira ’s daily recommendation , there ’s not much motivation or advice . It ’s let down the app does n’t play up the core fig based on your data much , lead in an app that feels a little give together rather than specifically designed .
Circular Ring Slim: battery and charging
Circular claims the Ring Slim ’s barrage will last up to five Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . During my time with the smart halo , it has lasted between two and four years on a unmarried charge . This is several days less than the Oura Ring and the RingConn Smart Ring . There are two modes for the Ring Slim , Performance and Eco , and I ’ve been using it only in the Performance musical mode . Why ? Because Eco modality hobbles the heart rate sensor , does n’t record sleep stages , and minimizes other data point collection . If I ’m perish to wear a wellness and bodily function tracker , I desire it to track my wellness and body process . I ’m sure Eco would prolong battery life , but it ’s pointless if it ’s not doing much tracking .
The charger is one of the forged I ’ve used . It ’s about the same size as a USB thumb ride and has a USB C nag at one end and a twain of magnetic tangency at the other . The ring is confiscate to these contact to charge . It takes some wobbling about to seat the ring properly , and it ’s not all that secure once it ’s in place . But worse than that is the whole inconvenience of the thing .
Because it does n’t plug into to a USB cable , it has to plug in directly to a power adaptor plug into a wall socket , and rarely are these set in a very convenient stain . Other saucy band habituate a charging puck linked to a cable , so it can be aim on your bedside tabular array , quick to accommodate and charge the mob while you shower in the cockcrow . You ’ll have to fumble about next to the wad on the rampart to do this with the Circular Ring Slim . It seems to take about an minute to reload , and although I have seen one or two notification state me the ring is fully charged , most of the meter , it does n’t trouble let me know .
Circular Ring Slim: does it have a subscription?
Across its site , Circular will tell you the app is liberal to use , and there is no subscription , meaning once you ’ve paid for the smart tintinnabulation , that ’s it . Well , this is n’t only accurate . The first hint come when you see the Medication Reminder and Advanced Analytics sections are play up in the app as only being free for a modified time . When quizzed about the office , Circular told Digital Trends in an electronic mail :
“ Circular presently operates a buy - once model , where customers get full approach to its current feature film within the app . All basic measurements will always be free to the substance abuser ; however , the ship’s company is considering a premium model for modern features it will launch in the time to come , as well as the two late announced feature — advanced psychoanalysis and medicinal drug reminders — that are in today ’s app . There is no timeline or pricing uncommitted at present as it is still under retainer , however any changes will be communicated well in advance should they move forward with this model . ”
The speech used is confusing , as what constitutes “ basic ” and “ advanced ” feature of speech is n’t clear , and the company is unwilling to clarify any further . Changes have been made in the app since I last used it , too , as primitively , the Stress Levels Circle was die to cost extra , but now it seems to have been bring through from that fate . It allow you with a decision : grease one’s palms the Circular Ring Slim and wait to see when a subscription plan comes in , what it changes , and how much it costs — or just buy a unlike smart ring that ’s cobwebby about on-going costs from the beginning . It ’s simply unacceptable to commend a merchandise when we know some features will cost supernumerary in the futurity , but nothow much or when , or which other features the ship’s company may suddenly adjudicate to charge for , too .
Circular Ring Slim: price and availability
The Circular Ring Slim ’s pricing change , so be careful . When we first reviewed it , the Ring Slim be 259 euros , but the revised model islisted on the ship’s company ’s websitefor 294 euro at the clip of committal to writing ( July 2024 ) , which convert to about $ 321 . There ’s also a version without the vibration motor inside , which we have not test , that costs 204 euro , or around $ 223 .
What should you bribe instead ? TheOura Ringstarts at $ 299 and requires a subscription of $ 6 / calendar month to practice , while theRingConn Smart Ringis $ 279 and theUltrahuman Ring Airis $ 349 and are both subscription - loose . All three are better buys , but the Oura Ring stay the best . We have not fully review the $ 399 Samsung Galaxy Ring yet , but first printing are very good , and it does not have a subscription attached to it . Alternatively , theApple Watch Series 9andSamsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classicare great smartwatches that do much more than the Circular Ring Slim and are more reliable .
Circular Ring Slim: verdict
Rather optimistically , the Circular Ring Slim ’s information Thomas Nelson Page says it was “ counterfeit in Mordor , ” a reference to J.R.R. Tolkien’sLord of the Ringsseries . Well , you dead should not go on an heroic journeying to get the Circular Ring Slim , and it ’s extremely unlikely to become anyone ’s “ valued ” if one is obtained , either .
From the concerning enduringness and the poor charging system , to the unsatisfying bombardment life and questionable accuracy and reliability , the integral software lacks cultivation . Indicating certain features will cost money in the future , but not saying how much or when , is unfair to consumers . Circular as a company started life-time on crowdfunding platform , and although the Ring Slim was n’t launched this room , it unquestionably has the same aura to it . The concept is strong , but the instruction execution is n’t .
The Circular Ring Slim should n’t be on your shopping list .
My weeks testing the Circular Ring Slim have been turbulent . It has n’t been the tacit , true partner I bear a modern , jolly expensive health tracker to be , and have to put in so much sweat so early on does n’t bode well for me wanting to continue using it in the farsighted term . This is a Brobdingnagian trouble for a wearable gadget . My woe are not unusual either if thesubreddit on Circular ’s productsis anything to go by . If my overall sexual conquest seems harsh , it reflects how many aspects of the Circular Ring Slim need melioration before it becomes one to think about buying .
Smart band are still in their infancy , and as more models make their way out into the world , you require to be measured about which one to bribe . decently now , the Circular Ring Slim should n’t be on your shopping leaning . The Oura Ring remains the intimately impudent pack you’re able to get , andwe have a feeling the Galaxy Ring will be a very airless contender , or you’re able to choose betweenany of the top smartwatchesand get a far better product and service you ’ll require to channel on using for years .
