The race in the world of screenless fitness trackers is heating up, but if a new rumour regarding the anticipated Garmin Cirqa band is true, then the band might already be lacking a key feature to help it fight back against the competition.
An official listing for an unnamed Garmin device has appeared on Singapore’s IMDA Integrated Regulatory Information System, which typically happens just before a launch. It could well be the Cirqa, but what’s interesting is that under the ‘Equipment Description’ tab, the device is listed as being Bluetooth compatible, and that’s it.
In the details – spotted by The5KRunner) – there’s no mention of built-in GPS tracking, which isn’t too surprising given that the features also can’t be found on the Fitbit Air and the Whoop Strap 5.0, but what is shocking is the absence of support for ANT+, the feature which allows Garmin devices to connect with heart rate sensors, treadmills, cycling machines and more.
Thomas Deehan / Foundry
Although ANT+ isn’t available on Whoop or Fitbit’s devices either, this would have been an area where Garmin could have had a big advantage over the competition, particularly as it’ll be an uphill battle to compete with their AI offerings.
It’s a missed trick if this turns out to be the case, especially when the Cirqa may be priced around five times higher than its rival from Google.
Garmin’s strategy
The AI-powered Whoop Coach has been on the market for several years now and has been refined over time, while the Fitbit Air is able to make use of Google’s AI behemoth Gemini, within the Google Health Coach. Garmin does offer AI-powered insights via the Garmin Connect+ platform, but that service is just over a year old.
From what we understand so far, the Garmin Cirqa can be used independently as a means of collecting data about your health, heart rate and recovery, but it’s being designed to work best in tandem with your existing Garmin watch (like how the Fitbit Air can work simultaneously with a Pixel Watch).
In a now-deleted Reddit post that surfaced last week, it seems as though the Cirqa will be better equipped to automatically track your workouts without the need for manual input on your part, something which current Garmin watches struggle with.
There’s still a lot that we don’t know about the Garmin Cirqa, but following the IMDA certification, it’s unlikely that we’ll have to wait much longer before Garmin officially pulls back the curtain.
from Tech Advisor
via Garmin Cirqa may give Fitbit Air an early win