Garmin has launched the Cirqa, a screenless fitness tracker aimed at rivalling Whoop, entering a market already occupied by Google's Fitbit Air, which debuted in May. Both devices track steps, sleep and workouts, and offer detailed heart health analysis, but the Cirqa costs $100 more than the Fitbit Air, prompting comparisons over whether the extra outlay is worthwhile. The two trackers share similar limitations, including a 50m water resistance rating suited only to light swimming and reliance on phone-connected GPS.

The Fitbit Air is cheaper at $100 against the Cirqa's $200, and is smaller and lighter at 12g with a band, compared with the Cirqa's 20.7g. However, the Cirqa offers longer battery life at 10 days versus seven, and includes a manual side button for starting workouts, which the Air lacks. Both offer optional subscriptions, Google Health Premium at $10 a month and Garmin Connect+ at $7 a month, though Garmin's core features work fully without a subscription while Google's service leans heavily on Gemini-powered AI coaching.