For a very long time, the trend with smartwatches has been toward bigger screens, brighter displays and better functionality. However, Garmin has chosen to be unique in its design with the Garmin Cirqa – a smart band with no screen that is intended for those who want their health monitored comprehensively but don’t need yet another display to check.
Instead of checking notifications or staring at charts on your wrist, Cirqa quietly records your health and activity throughout the day, then delivers all the insights through the Garmin Connect app. Think of it as a “wear it and forget it” fitness tracker.
Here’s everything you need to know.
What is Garmin Cirqa?
Cirqa by Garmin is Garmin’s first ever screenless activity tracker designed specially for health monitoring, fitness tracking, and sleep recovery.
It should be noted that this device does not have any display as opposed to other Garmin devices. On the contrary, this device collects health information all day long while keeping the user from being distracted. According to Garmin, its purpose is to make people healthy without having them to use one more display.
Why Did Garmin Make a Screenless Wearable?
As the wearable market increasingly moves towards minimalist wearables because of the rising desire to cut down screen usage but monitor health, another screen would not necessarily be required since most of the users have their smartphones, laptops, or even smartwatches with them all day long.
Cirqa was developed to meet the needs of such consumers. It is meant for individuals who use a Garmin watch for tracking fitness but prefer a more light and comfortable option when it comes to wearing it all day long or while sleeping. It is also targeted at consumers who prefer to monitor their health recovery rather than receive notifications.
Health Tracking Features
Garmin Cirqa comes loaded with various sophisticated functions for monitoring one’s health parameters. All the information is constantly recorded by the watch and is uploaded to the Garmin Connect application, which provides users with access to all the data about their health, fitness, and recovery.
Continuous Heart Rate Monitoring
Garmin Cirqa constantly records heart rate data both during daytime and nighttime and offers an improved understanding of the state of your cardiovascular system. The data collected allows tracking the resting heart rate, measuring the intensity of training, estimating the amount of calories burnt, and evaluating the process of recovery of the body after exercise.
Sleep Tracking
Sleep tracking is among the most distinct characteristics of the product. This smart wristband analyzes your sleep by measuring different parameters such as sleep phases, heart rate during the night, breath pattern, movement and sleep duration altogether. Having synchronized with the Garmin Connect application, users are provided with sleep score and recommendations aimed at improving their sleep.
Pulse Ox Monitoring
Cirqa also includes Pulse Ox monitoring, which estimates your blood oxygen saturation levels. While it isn’t intended to replace medical-grade equipment, it can provide useful wellness insights, particularly during sleep, while adjusting to higher altitudes, or when monitoring overall health trends over time.
Skin Temperature Tracking
Another useful functionality is skin temperature tracking. Instead of giving diagnoses, Cirqa observes skin temperature fluctuations over an extended period, which allows you to notice certain patterns and trends. Additionally, this data may be used to develop Garmin women’s health tracking features, such as menstrual cycles and ovulation tracking.
Stress Tracking
As most Garmin smartwatches and fitness trackers, Cirqa constantly monitors physiological indicators to calculate the user’s stress level. Analyzing these fluctuations, it shows a general picture of how stress levels change during the day. Users will be able to observe this data in Garmin Connect.
Fitness Tracking
Other than health tracking, Garmin Cirqa is an excellent fitness tracker as well. It has the ability to track over 80 types of activities like jogging, walking, yoga, indoor workouts, cycling, strength training, hiit, hiking, and much more. In some cases, automatic detection of certain sports activities is possible while for some sports activities users can manually start their tracking process by pressing the button on the band itself or in the Garmin Connect App.
Does Garmin Cirqa Require a Subscription?
Not really. In fact, this is one of the great strengths of Cirqa.
While other companies charge extra for premium health tracking through their monthly plans, Garmin offers all the basic health tracking free of any subscriptions. Garmin Connect+ is an optional service that does not affect the functionality of Cirqa. Garmin Cirqa launches at $199.99 in the U.S. (with regional pricing in other markets), placing it below the long-term cost of subscription-based rivals over time.
Garmin Cirqa stands out in terms of wearable tech trends in that it goes back to the basics instead of trying to pack in more features like applications. The device will allow constant health tracking, fitness analysis, recovery monitoring, and have an extended battery life. The product can turn out to be one of the most unique products from Garmin ever created.
Sources: Garmin and The verge.
