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

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide) Forget the Oura Ring 5; I just got my first look at the new Circular Ring 3 Pro and Circular Ring 3 Slim at IFA in Berlin, and they just might be the smartest smart rings... well, ever.When I reviewed the Circular Ring 2 a year ago, I praised it for great battery life, lots of wellness insights, and heady features like ECG monitoring with AFib detection. However, a buggy app held it back. (Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)Since then, Circular has completely overhauled the companion app and, perhaps more impressively, doubled down on supported smart features for the new rings.With that in mind, here are the three biggest ways the Circular Ring 3 beats the Oura Ring 5 (the best smart ring of 2026 so far).1. Haptic feedback (Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)While the original Circular Ring had haptic feedback, the brand ditched the feature in the Circular Ring 2. Well, apparently folks missed it, because it's back in both the Circular Ring 3 Pro and 3 Slim.Haptic feedback can be used as an alarm, a medication reminder, or to guide you through built-in breathing exercises. You can also set the Circular 3 to vibrate for vital health alerts, like a low heart rate.Down the road, the list of haptic functions will likely expand to include other customizable options.Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. (Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)How strong are the vibrations? I tested the haptic feedback on the Circular Ring 3 and found it subtle but noticeable; I'm especially curious if it's powerful enough to wake a deep sleeper.Either way, haptic alerts are a feature that seems to be slowly appearing in more wearables, like the Fitbit Air and RingConn Gen 3, and one I'd love to see Oura knock off.2. NFC payments (Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)Up until recently, most smart rings didn't offer all that much "smartness" outside of health and fitness insights. Now, Circular is upping the ante with onboard support for NFC payments, another feature I got to demo on the IFA show floor.Simply hold the ring on an NFC surface and wait for a small vibration to confirm your payment was successful; that's it! Better yet, the Circular Ring 3 Pro and 3 Slim support both Visa and Mastercard.3. Slimmer, lighter design (Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)Finally, the Circular Ring 3 Slim — which lacks some of the more advanced health features and heady battery life of the Pro — is both narrower and lighter than the Oura Ring 5, which recently set the standard for smart ring comfort.That said, the Oura Ring 5 is ever-so-slightly thinner than the Circular Ring 3 Slim, but much thinner than the Circular Ring 3 Pro.What are your thoughts on the latest Circular Ring 3 Pro and Circular Ring 3 Slim? Do you think they give Oura and the competition a run for the money? Let me know below. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Alternatively, you can read our content on the Tom's Guide app available now for iOS and Android. More from Tom's GuideI’ve worn the new Oura Ring 5, and it really is tiny: Here’s why I think it’s the wearable to beat in 2026We've tested the best Oura Ring alternatives and there's one I'd recommend over all the rest right nowI walked 5,000 steps with the Fitbit Air vs Garmin Cirqa — Round 2: We have a new champ Dan Bracaglia is the Tom’s Guide editorial lead for all things smartwatches, fitness trackers and outdoor gear. With 15 years of experience as a consumer technology journalist testing everything from Oura Rings to instant cameras, Dan is deeply passionate about helping readers save money and make informed purchasing decisions. In the past year alone, Dan has assessed major product releases from the likes of Apple, Garmin, Google, Samsung, Polar and many others. An avid outdoor adventurer, Dan is based in the U.S. Pacific Northwest where he takes advantage of the beautiful surroundings every chance he gets. A lover of kayaking, hiking, swimming, biking, snowboarding and exploring, he also makes every effort to combine his day job with his passions. When not assessing the sleep tracking and heart rate accuracy of the latest tach gadgets, you can find him photographing Seattle’s vibrant underground music community.