Circular unveils Ring 3 Pro and Slim at IFA, featuring contactless payment capabilities and haptic feedback alerts.

      Circular has unveiled the Ring 3 Pro and Ring 3 Slim at the IFA in Berlin, incorporating contactless payments and haptic notifications, although no pricing or release date has been announced. The Pro model includes ECG and atrial fibrillation detection, which the company claims is FDA cleared. However, the EU medical device regulations necessitate a separate conformity assessment that the U.S. clearance does not fulfill.

      At the IFA in Berlin, Circular revealed two new smart rings, the Ring 3 Pro and Ring 3 Slim, which feature contactless payments and haptic alerts, according to CNET.

      Currently, there are no details on pricing or release timelines. The company has indicated that both rings will be available in the coming months, along with information on preorders, but has not specified if either model will launch in Europe first.

      The Pro model includes the medical functionality, with capabilities for electrocardiograms and atrial fibrillation detection, described as FDA cleared by the company, while the Slim model does not have these features.

      This FDA clearance pertains to the U.S., while Circular, a Paris-based company, is launching in Germany. The difference is significant.

      Europe has a distinct regulatory path for this. Under Medical Device Regulation, an ECG feature for detecting arrhythmia qualifies as a medical device that requires a CE mark.

      The intended purpose is what determines classification rather than the technology itself. The manufacturer's claims regarding the feature dictate the classification, from marketing down to interface design.

      FDA authorization does not influence this assessment. TNW previously covered the FDA-approved sensor in the earlier ring, and there have been no claims of CE marking since then.

      The less severe metrics bring up similar questions. Trends in blood pressure and glucose estimates are labeled as wellness features rather than diagnostic, which is a stricter distinction in Europe than in the U.S. If a claim suggests monitoring a condition, it cannot simply be classified as wellness and resolve the classification issue.

      The hardware is fairly standard, featuring titanium for the Pro and coated resin for the Slim, with battery life of up to 12 days for the Pro and 10 days for the Slim. The Slim measures 5.9 mm wide and 2.35 mm thick, comparable to Oura’s smallest ring.

      The commercial landscape appears less secure than suggested by the launch. Oura collects royalties on every Circular sale in the U.S. under a patent agreement, reported TNW.

      Circular claims that there will be no subscription fees. The Kira AI companion is provided, although some advanced medical features are marked in the app as “limited time.”

      This raises an unaddressed question regarding its status in Europe. A French company has introduced a medical feature in Berlin based on an American clearance, but its position in Europe has not been clarified.