Whoop just got competition. Real, direct competition from Garmin.
The company dropped the Cirqa Smart Band this week. It’s screen-free. It’s fabric-based. It looks almost identical to a Whoop strap. If the Oura ring spawned a legion of copycats, Whoop finally has its moment too. First came the Fitbit Air. Now, Garmin enters the ring.
How the Cirqa Smart Band Works
The device is built for constant wear. You put it on in the morning, take it off to charge, and repeat. Battery life hits 10 days. That’s a solid chunk of time for a tracker that doesn’t distract you with a screen.
All the data goes to the Garmin Connect app. You get the usual biometrics:
- Heart rate
- Body Battery energy monitoring
- Pulse Ox
- Stress levels
- Skin temperature
It tracks women’s health cycles, too. Garmin says it works with the Natural Cycles app, so you get insights into your cycle without needing a separate device for it.
Why No Screen Matters (And What You Miss)
There’s no display. No notifications. No quick glance at the time.
That’s the point.
The Cirqa uses a soft fabric band. It’s supposed to be comfortable enough to sleep in. You can wear it on your wrist or strap it higher up on your arm. There are two sizes: small/medium and large/XL.
Color options range from safe to specific. You’ve got citron gray, French gray, captain blue, dark olive, mauve, French blue, and standard black. It’s designed to be invisible. A ghost on your wrist.
Activity detection works automatically. The band figures out what you’re doing based on movement and biometrics, not manual logging.
Is the Cirqa Worth It Compared to Whoop?
Here is the killer feature.
No subscription.
Whoop forces you to pay a monthly fee to access your own data. The Cirqa Smart Band charges $199.99 upfront. That’s it. You buy the hardware, you get the full suite of features forever. No recurring costs. No hidden fees.
The Cirqa is the antidote to the subscription model plaguing fitness tech.
Garmin is banking on users being tired of paying rent for their health data.
It drops on July 24. If you’ve been waiting for a Garmin device that doesn’t scream “smartwatch” at you, this might be it.
But will the app experience match the hardware simplicity? Time will tell. For now, it’s just another option in a crowded market. One that doesn’t ask for your credit card every month.
