Overview
- Garmin announced the CIRQA Smart Band on Tuesday, July 21, positioning it as the company’s first wearable without an on‑device display and with shipments and retail availability starting July 24.
- The fabric‑strapped device is rated for up to 10 days of battery life and continuously records wrist heart rate, blood oxygen (Pulse Ox), skin temperature, stress, sleep stages and recovery metrics that appear in the Garmin Connect app.
- CIRQA auto‑detects activities and lets users manually start more than 80 workout types with a single side button while relying on a paired smartphone for GPS rather than offering onboard GPS or an ECG sensor.
- Garmin is selling CIRQA as a one‑time purchase with no mandatory subscription for core features, though optional Connect+ upgrades are available for additional coaching and mapping tools.
- By entering the screenless tracker market alongside Whoop and Google’s Fitbit Air, Garmin aims at users who want passive, distraction‑free monitoring and may increase pressure on subscription models in the recovery‑focused wearable segment.