Garmin Cirqa: Fitness tracker without a distracting display
24-7-2026
Translation: machine translated
Fitness trackers without a display are trending. Garmin now offers its first model of this kind with the Circa. The collected sensor data ends up in the Garmin app on the smartphone.
What makes the Garmin Cirqa different from other fitness trackers? Not much, actually. Except that it hides its sensors under a fabric wristband and uses them to monitor your activities and sleep. However, the fitness tracker has to borrow GPS from your smartphone, but it lasts for ten days. The data is analyzed via the Garmin Connect app.
Subtle Tracking
The casing with sensors and electronics on the Garmin Cirqa is located under the wristband, raising it slightly. This means the technology is quite visible, and the device doesn't pass as a mere piece of jewelry even without a display. Nevertheless, the lack of a display doesn't prevent the fitness tracker from collecting the usual data.
The Cirqa's range of functions is very similar to other Garmin wearables. It counts steps, continuously measures heart rate, records your stress level, and calculates calorie consumption. Cycle tracking is also possible.
The Cirqa automatically recognizes and records a selection of everyday activities such as walking, jogging, or cycling. If something goes wrong, it can be corrected in the Connect app. Through the app, you can manually track over 80 activities. You can designate one of them as a favorite activity and start it directly via the button on the fitness tracker.
Since the Cirqa is designed to last ten days around the clock on a single battery charge, it also monitors your sleep and measures heart rate variability, among other things. If the sleep score is not good, the app offers a sleep coach. Garmin summarizes all values – as with its other trackers – in the "Body Battery" indicator. Depending on its charge level, you should take it easy or you can go full throttle.
However, Garmin has opted against integrated GPS for the Cirqa. Instead, the fitness tracker gets location data from the connected smartphone, providing reliable data for jogging, cycling, and similar activities. With the Live Track function, friends and family who have a Garmin account can see your location.
Price and Availability
With a recommended retail price of 189.90 Swiss Francs or 199.99 Euros, the Garmin Cirqa is about twice as expensive as Google's Fitbit Air.
Header image: Garmin
Jan Johannsen
Senior Editor
Jan.Johannsen@galaxus.deAs a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.
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