Garmin CIRQA, the official response to Fitbit Air and WHOOP without subscription

Garmin has officially unveiled CIRQA, its first screenless smart band. The new device enters the market of recovery-focused trackers, positioning itself in direct competition with direct rivals such as WHOOP 5.0 and Google Fitbit Air.

The distinguishing characteristic of this offering is the absence of an obligatory subscription to access basic metrics. The bracelet offers a battery life of up to 10 days, placing itself exactly halfway between Google’s 7-day model and WHOOP’s 14 days.

Garmin CIRQA is official, everything you need to know

The choice to remove the display is aimed at minimizing distractions for the user, while still maintaining constant performance monitoring.

Physically, CIRQA features a woven fabric strap and a single side button. The latter allows you to quickly start tracking your preferred physical activity with a simple press.

The bracelet has been designed to be worn continuously, regardless of whether on the wrist or higher up on the arm, via a dedicated optional accessory. To suit buyers’ aesthetic preferences, the company offers seven different colorways, including Black, French Gray, Captain Blue, Mauve, Citron Gray, Dark Olive, and French Blue.

Moreover, the product is marketed in two different sizes, specifically the S-M and the L-XL.

Continuous monitoring of performance and health

Inside the case lies the Garmin Elevate cardio sensor, which handles a wide range of fitness analytics features. The device is capable of recording over 80 sports activities, spanning from running to walking, up to yoga.

For outdoor workouts, CIRQA uses the smartphone GPS paired with it, whether it’s an Android device or an iPhone, and the LiveTrack feature to share your real-time location with family or friends.

On the health front, the tracker continuously measures the heart rate, the blood oxygenation via the Pulse Ox2 technology, the stress levels and the skin temperature. Notably, there is also attention to rest and recovery, with the detection of the sleep stages, naps and the respiratory rate, data that feed into the calculation of the Body Battery.

Women can also take advantage of the menstrual cycle and pregnancy monitoring, with information on nighttime temperature that syncs directly with the Natural Cycles app.

Long-term convenience

While using WHOOP requires a mandatory subscription and Fitbit Air relies on an optional monthly plan tied to the Gemini assistant, CIRQA provides all of its basic tracking features at no additional cost./p>

As Susan Lyman, Garmin’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Consumers, has emphasized, this tracker makes it easy and accessible to keep track of your health goals. For athletes who want even more in-depth analysis, the company still offers the Garmin Connect+ option at a cost of €8.99 per month or €89.99 per year.

All the data recorded by the wristband are easily accessible within the free Garmin Connect app. The device is sold at a fixed price of €199.99, with some selling platforms indicating the actual start of deliveries from July 24.