610
2 months ago
Garmin might finally be launching its Whoop competitor as the Cirqa smart band leaks on its own webs
Summary
Eagle-eyed Garmin users managed to screenshot a leaked smart band
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Garmin's next product may well have just leaked, and it's not a sequel to anything on our best Garmin watches list, a cycling computer, an InReach messaging device, or any of the other hardware the company is famous for – instead, it could be the brand's long-rumored, screenless fitness tracker.
Spotted via Android Authority, eagle-eyed Redditors caught the appearance of a device called the 'Garmin Cirqa smart band' on Garmin's own website, and screenshotted it before it disappeared. The screenshot, embedded in the Reddit comment below, revealed that the band could be released in around '4–5 months', which would be May or June.
It lists two sizes and two colors, Black and French Gray, although what's conspicuously missing is pricing information.
Leaker site The5KRunner also followed up with a screenshot of some information indexed by Google before it vanished. This confirms that the band is designed to fit on the wrist, along with some grainy placeholder thumbnail imagery and a few sizing details.
It's quite clear from both of these screenshots that we've got a Whoop competitor on our hands. We previously thought the Garmin Index Sleep Monitor might have been it before its release last year, but that particular screenless tracker ended up being an armband designed for wearing in bed.
We've heard rumblings for a while that Garmin is working on something to rival the Whoop MG and Whoop 5.0. It's a simple design concept – a fabric band stretched over an optical heart rate monitor that passively records workout and recovery metrics, rather than being designed to be interacted with like a smartwatch – but one that's seen a surge in popularity over the last few months.
The Polar Loop and Amazfit Helio Strap have recently been released, with the Luna Band and Speediance Strap to come this year. It's no surprise then that Garmin might finally be throwing its hat in this ring – now it's a proven concept outside of Whoop, and this feels like the right moment.
Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
Unfortunately, Whoop isn't likely to be happy about the competition. Our sister site Tom's Guide reported that Whoop attempted to sue Polar over its Polar Loop band, citing intellectual property infringement, so it'll be interesting to see how the company reacts to Garmin getting in on the screenless-tracker action.
➡️ Read our full guide to the best Garmin watches1. Best overall:Garmin Venu 42. Best premium:Garmin Fenix 83. Best budget:Garmin Vivoactive 6
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course, you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube and TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too
Matt is TechRadar's expert on all things fitness, wellness and wearable tech.
A former staffer at Men's Health, he holds a Master's Degree in journalism from Cardiff and has written for brands like Runner's World, Women's Health, Men's Fitness, LiveScience and Fit&Well on everything fitness tech, exercise, nutrition and mental wellbeing.
Matt's a keen runner, ex-kickboxer, not averse to the odd yoga flow, and insists everyone should stretch every morning. When he’s not training or writing about health and fitness, he can be found reading doorstop-thick fantasy books with lots of fictional maps in them.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
TechRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
©
Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury,
Bath
BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.
Please login or signup to comment
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Garmin's next product may well have just leaked, and it's not a sequel to anything on our best Garmin watches list, a cycling computer, an InReach messaging device, or any of the other hardware the company is famous for – instead, it could be the brand's long-rumored, screenless fitness tracker.
Spotted via Android Authority, eagle-eyed Redditors caught the appearance of a device called the 'Garmin Cirqa smart band' on Garmin's own website, and screenshotted it before it disappeared. The screenshot, embedded in the Reddit comment below, revealed that the band could be released in around '4–5 months', which would be May or June.
It lists two sizes and two colors, Black and French Gray, although what's conspicuously missing is pricing information.
Leaker site The5KRunner also followed up with a screenshot of some information indexed by Google before it vanished. This confirms that the band is designed to fit on the wrist, along with some grainy placeholder thumbnail imagery and a few sizing details.
It's quite clear from both of these screenshots that we've got a Whoop competitor on our hands. We previously thought the Garmin Index Sleep Monitor might have been it before its release last year, but that particular screenless tracker ended up being an armband designed for wearing in bed.
We've heard rumblings for a while that Garmin is working on something to rival the Whoop MG and Whoop 5.0. It's a simple design concept – a fabric band stretched over an optical heart rate monitor that passively records workout and recovery metrics, rather than being designed to be interacted with like a smartwatch – but one that's seen a surge in popularity over the last few months.
The Polar Loop and Amazfit Helio Strap have recently been released, with the Luna Band and Speediance Strap to come this year. It's no surprise then that Garmin might finally be throwing its hat in this ring – now it's a proven concept outside of Whoop, and this feels like the right moment.
Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
Unfortunately, Whoop isn't likely to be happy about the competition. Our sister site Tom's Guide reported that Whoop attempted to sue Polar over its Polar Loop band, citing intellectual property infringement, so it'll be interesting to see how the company reacts to Garmin getting in on the screenless-tracker action.
➡️ Read our full guide to the best Garmin watches1. Best overall:Garmin Venu 42. Best premium:Garmin Fenix 83. Best budget:Garmin Vivoactive 6
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course, you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube and TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too
Matt is TechRadar's expert on all things fitness, wellness and wearable tech.
A former staffer at Men's Health, he holds a Master's Degree in journalism from Cardiff and has written for brands like Runner's World, Women's Health, Men's Fitness, LiveScience and Fit&Well on everything fitness tech, exercise, nutrition and mental wellbeing.
Matt's a keen runner, ex-kickboxer, not averse to the odd yoga flow, and insists everyone should stretch every morning. When he’s not training or writing about health and fitness, he can be found reading doorstop-thick fantasy books with lots of fictional maps in them.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
TechRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
©
Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury,
Bath
BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.
Please login or signup to comment
AI Description
The article discusses a potential leak of Garmin's new product, a screenless fitness tracker, which is speculated to be a competitor to Whoop. The leak was spotted on Garmin's website, hinting at a release in May or June.