Garmin Unveils New Cirqa Smart Band with No Screen and No Subscription Fees

Garmin today introduced a new smart band called the Cirqa, designed to track advanced fitness and wellness features without a screen. This design choice eliminates distractions and allows the battery to last up to 10 days between charges.

Similar to competing products like the Whoop 5.0 and Google's recently announced Fitbit Air, the Cirqa uses a combination of heart rate, blood oxygen, skin temperature, and motion sensors to monitor health and activities around the clock. However, unlike many rivals, the Garmin Cirqa comes with no subscription fees.

The Cirqa is available now through Garmin's online store for $99.99. It comes with an adjustable fabric strap in several colors that can be worn on the wrist or as an armband. For comparison, Google's Fitbit Air costs $99 with an optional $99/year annual Google Health Premium subscription that unlocks advanced features, while Whoop's latest hardware is only available with subscriptions starting at $199/year.

The smart band can track more than 80 different activities such as running or yoga, selectable through the Garmin Connect app or using its single side button as a shortcut to a favorite activity. Through the app, users can monitor training progress including workout effectiveness and whether the body is ready for the next session or would benefit from a rest day.

When worn day and night, the Cirqa can keep tabs on health metrics including heart rate and blood oxygen saturation, which can help detect conditions such as asthma and sleep apnea. In the morning, it provides a detailed breakdown of sleep stages, breathing, and heart rate that contribute to an overall sleep score, allowing users to compare rest quality to previous nights. Women can also use the skin temperature monitoring to track menstrual cycles for better period predictions and past ovulation estimates.