Garmin Cirqa and Fitbit Air Face Off in Screenless Tracker Showdown
Garmin's Cirqa and Google's Fitbit Air are both screenless fitness bands, with the Cirqa costing $200 and the Air $100.
Garmin has entered the screenless wearable market with the Cirqa, a $200 tracker that competes directly with Google's $100 Fitbit Air released earlier. Both units deliver core activity monitoring, sleep analysis and detailed heart-health data, yet share limitations such as a 50 m water-resistance rating and reliance on a phone-linked GPS. Battery performance favors the Cirqa with a claimed ten-day runtime, compared with the Air's seven days, though the Air can top up a day's charge in five minutes.
In terms of wearability, the Air is slimmer and lighter at 12 g, while the Cirqa is larger and weighs about 21 g with its standard band. Users can subscribe to Garmin Connect+ for $7 monthly to unlock guided breathing and workout design, whereas Google Health Premium costs $10 monthly and adds AI-driven coaching, workout plans and deeper sleep insights. The Cirqa includes a side button for manual activity start, a feature the Air lacks, relying solely on automatic detection. Overall, the Cirqa targets serious athletes with extensive training metrics, while the Air leans toward holistic wellness.
Why it matters
Consumers weighing fitness trackers need clear differences in price, battery life, size and subscription options.
In this story