Advanced heart health features are becoming common in smart watches ever since the Apple Watch 4 added the ability to take an ECG (electrocardiogram) from your wrist on top of its other fitness tracking features. Until now, the health tracking in smart rings has been more basic, but the Circular Ring 2 looks to change that with the ability to take an ECG from your finger.
Like many of its larger smart watch competitors, the Circular Ring 2 has an FDA-cleared AFib (atrial fibrillation) detection algorithm to warn wearers of this potentially dangerous condition. This type of irregular heartbeat can be difficult to detect in a doctor’s office because it can come and go, and that’s what makes wearables that can take an ECG so valuable: they offer an on-the-spot test for irregular heart rhythm and can alert you if they detect signs of AFib. In some cases, this notification may be the first time you realize you have a problem, and the data your smart device collects can help your doctor diagnose you.
But most smart watches are still somewhat bulky devices, with a high tech aesthetic that not everyone wants on their wrist. Offering the same kind of heart health tracking in a non-intrusive smart ring makes it easy to keep tabs on your health. The Circular Ring 2 is a simple titanium band in gold, silver, black or rose gold, and it’s designed to be durable as well as elegant. Wearing it, no one will notice you’re carrying a high-tech health tracker.
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The Circular Ring 2 isn’t the first ring with AFib detection, but it offers the feature in a sleek package and without any extra fees. The Circul+ SST is another smart ring that offers advanced health tracking with ECG, but it’s focused on being a medical device and looks the part. The Ultrahuman Ring AIR is a great smart ring, and it can also detect AFib (though it does so by using light to monitor your heart rhythm rather than taking an ECG), but it requires a $4.90 per month subscription. If you aren’t very interested in its heart health features, the Circular Ring 2 may not be enough of a draw to sway you from the popular (and somewhat more economical) Oura Ring 4, but that ring also requires a $69.99 annual subscription. Costs can really add up with subscriptions,
Circular Ring 2 also offers improvements over Circular’s original smart ring, with an eight-day battery life, better durability due to its titanium housing, and an updated app that’s easier to use. The original Circular Ring Slim didn’t quite live up to competition in those categories, and it looks like Circular is working hard to address complaints with this second generation smart ring. Circular will also help you find the right ring size by using your smartphone, which is a welcome change from the many smart ring manufacturers who send you (or sell you) sizing kits to make sure you get a good fit.
The Circular Ring 2 is due out by March 30, 2025 for $380.
[Image credit: Circular]
Elizabeth Harper is a writer and editor with more than a decade of experience covering consumer technology and entertainment. In addition to writing for Techlicious, she's Editorial Director of Blizzard Watch and is published on sites all over the web, including Time, CBS, Engadget, The Daily Dot and DealNews.
