Garmin Cirqa Hands-On: Everything You Need to Know! - DC Rainmaker

What the report says

DC Rainmaker’s Ray Maker reported on July 21, 2026, that Garmin has introduced the Cirqa, a screenless wearable aimed at users who want Garmin-style health and fitness tracking without a watch display. The device is priced at $199 in the U.S., with listed prices of €199, £179 and CAN$279, and Garmin claims up to 10 days of battery life. Maker said Garmin provided a media loaner for hands-on testing, while noting the article was not yet a full in-depth review.

According to the report, Cirqa includes many of the wellness and training metrics found on recent Garmin watches below the $500 range, but omits some hardware such as built-in GPS, an altimeter/barometer and ECG. It tracks daily activity, sleep stages, naps, HRV, skin temperature, SpO2, respiration, stress, women’s cycle metrics, training readiness, acute load, recovery time and VO2 max estimates. GPS-based workout tracking relies on a connected phone app.

The hardware consists of a detachable pod worn under a fabric band, available in four colorways and two size ranges. A separate biceps band option is also available. Unlike some screenless rivals, Cirqa has a physical button that can manually start workouts, snooze alarms and enable heart-rate broadcasting over ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart. Maker reported that the device uses Garmin’s older Elevate Gen4 optical heart-rate sensor rather than the Gen5 module used on some higher-end Garmin models.

The launch matters because it places Garmin more directly into the screenless fitness tracker market, competing with products from companies such as Whoop, Fitbit and Amazfit. DC Rainmaker emphasized that Cirqa does not require a subscription, although Garmin Connect+ can add some features, which may be a key distinction for buyers comparing ongoing costs.