Garmin’s Screenless Cirqa Health Tracker Will Be Available This Week

Tech companies know we want less screen time, so they’re making new gadgets that track our metrics without forcing us to stare at a display. If you’re after a screenless health-monitoring wearable, you now have an abundance of options: the Whoop 5.0, Polar Loop, Luna Band, Fitbit Air and, most recently, Amazfit’s Helio Strap Pro. And those are just wrist-based devices. There’s a whole other screen-free category of smart rings. On Tuesday, GPS navigation and wearable tech company Garmin joined the crowd by announcing its Cirqa Smart Band, which can be worn on your wrist or upper arm. In January, Garmin accidentally leaked a product page and support pages for the product. Three months later, the device’s trademark filing was spotted. The Cirqa Smart Band will be available to order on July 24. Cirqa’s sensors shine light through the skin to track heart rate, blood oxygen and more. Garmin Cirqa tracks the usual According to a press release, the $200 Cirqa Smart Band uses light sensors on its underside to track everything you’d expect: heart rate, skin temperature, stress, blood oxygen and energy. For sleep, you’ll get a score, have access to a sleep coach and receive information about breathing variations, naps and how aligned you are to your circadian rhythm. When you work out, Garmin says the band automatically detects the type of exercise, or you can manually select it from over 80 different workout types. Also, you can monitor your step count, calories, training readiness, recovery and, with a compatible iPhone or Android smartphone, enable GPS tracking to see your distance and pace. Swimmers can use the device in water to a depth of 50 meters. By tapping the button on the side of Cirqa, you can select your favorite activity for tracking, which you preselect in the Garmin Connect app. If you menstruate, you can use Cirqa to track your menstrual cycle. If you’re pregnant, you can log symptoms, your due date and baby movement while receiving updates about your baby’s approximate size. With a subscription to the Natural Cycles birth control app, you can sync your skin temperature data in the app for additional insights into fertility. What sets Cirqa apart Unlike most screenless wearables that require a yearly subscription to use the device or access additional features, the Cirqa Smart Band does not require a subscription. If you purchase a Whoop 5.0 fitness tracker, for instance, its membership ranges from $199 to $359 per year. The company says this allows them to continue investing in and releasing new features. If you have a $100 Fitbit Air and want personalized weekly fitness plans, sleep summaries and access to the AI Google Health Coach, you’ll need an additional premium subscription that’s $10 per month or $100 per year. “We believe customers should get the full value of their device from day one, which is why Cirqa includes access to the health and fitness insights available through Garmin Connect with no subscription required,” a Garmin representative told CNET in an email. However, certain features do require a Garmin Connect Plus subscription, which is $7 per month or $70 per year. To access wheelchair mode to track daily pushes and see weight-shift alerts, along with AI insights, meditation, nutrition and Garmin Coach fitness training plans, you’ll need to pay for the Plus membership. Cirqa connects to the Garmin Connect app, for which there’s a free version with no required subscription. Garmin Battery life, compared To facilitate 24/7 health monitoring, Cirqa has a 10-day battery life. By comparison, the Fitbit Air lasts seven days, while the Whoop 5.0 can go without charging for about two weeks. Oura’s latest Oura Ring 5 lasts up to nine days, one day longer than the previous model. This puts the Cirqa Smart Band in the midrange for battery life. According to the owner’s manual, it can take Cirqa up to 90 minutes to charge. Garmin’s pri