Screenless fitness trackers are growing in popularity, with Garmin and Google both recently revealing their own models.
But how does Garmin’s screenless Cirqa compare to Google’s Fitbit Air? Is one a better fit for your fitness needs over the other?
To help you decide, we’ve compared the specs of the Garmin Cirqa to the Fitbit Air, and noted the key differences plus noteworthy similarities between the two. Keep reading to see how the screenless wearables compare and decide whether you think either stand a chance at making it into our best fitness trackers guide.
Want to see how the OG screenless tracker measures up? Visit our Garmin Cirqa vs Whoop and Fitbit Air vs Whoop guides too. Or if you’re not sold on a screenless device, I’ve discussed my experience with them and why I think they’re brilliant at keeping me motivated.
Price and Availability
The Garmin Cirqa is available to buy now and has an RRP of £179.99/$199.99. It’s available in a choice between two sizes (small to medium and large to extra large) and four colours (French Grey, Mauve, Black and Captain Blue), though you can purchase two additional bands separately in Citron Grey and Dark Olive.
In comparison, the Fitbit Air is considerably more affordable with an RRP of just £84.99/$99.99. The device comes in a choice between four shades, including Obsidian, Fog, Lavender and Berry.
Fitbit Air has a more discrete design
We’ll start with the most obvious, and noteworthy, similarity. Both the Garmin Cirqa and the Fitbit Air are screenless wearables, which means they can only be controlled via their respective smartphone apps. That might sound confusing, especially if you’re used to more traditional smartwatches that are equipped with a touchscreen display, but the screenless design means you can quietly track your health and workouts without being constantly distracted by notifications or stats.
With this in mind, if you want a device that allows you to use Google or Apple pay, receive notifications and follow maps, then one of the best smartwatches will be a better option for you.
Although both share the same screenless design, we should note that the Fitbit Air does boast a slightly more discrete finish, as its sensor is smaller and therefore blends in slightly better than the Cirqa’s does. It’s not a major issue, but something to keep in mind if you want a more sleek finish.
Both have optional subscriptions to unlock AI insights
Unlike Whoop which operates as a subscription model, you don’t need to sign up to a monthly or annual plan to use either the Garmin Cirqa or Google Fitbit Air. Without a subscription, you’ll still be able to track workouts, sleep and monitor the likes of your heart rate, blood oxygen and more.
However, signing up to both Garmin and Google’s subscription will unlock extra features that could be useful. For the Cirqa, there’s Garmin’s Connect Plus plan which will set you back either £69.99 annually or £6.99 a month. With Connect Plus, you’ll have access to nutritional tracking, and access to various workout types including cardio, strength, HIIT, yoga and pilates. In addition, you’ll unlock access to Garmin’s AI-powered Active Intelligence which provides personalised insights throughout the day.
For the Fitbit Air, you can opt to sign up for Google Health Premium. While it isn’t technically necessary, we should note that we were really impressed with the service and would strongly recommend signing up to get the most out of the Fitbit Air. Google Health Premium is driven by the Google Health Coach which provides AI-powered personalised insight, can explain what your metrics mean and create workout plans that are tailored to your lifestyle. For just £7.99 a month, or it’s included if you have Google’s AI Pro or Ultra plans, we’d seriously recommend opting for the subscription here.
Garmin Cirqa promises longer battery life
Unlike traditional smartwatches like the Google Pixel Watch 4, both the Garmin Cirqa and the Fitbit Air promise multiple days of battery before needing a top-up. However, the Cirqa boasts the edge with a promise of up to ten days of charge, whereas the Fitbit Air claims around seven days.
While Whoop has a clever PowerPack that charges the band while it’s still on your wrist, for uninterrupted tracking, unfortunately neither the Cirqa nor the Fitbit Air offers this.
Garmin Cirqa supports Natural Cycles
Earlier this year, Garmin announced it was partnering with Natural Cycles, a MHRA-registered fertility tracking app, and the Cirqa is one of the supported devices. This means that users can simply wear their Cirqa overnight (which you likely will anyway to make use of Garmin’s excellent sleep tracking) to record skin temperature, with the data then being fed directly into Natural Cycles – so no manual logging is required.
This is a welcome inclusion for the Garmin Cirqa as, although the Fitbit Air does include cycle tracking, many can find traditional tools to be generic and not personalised. Instead, as Cirqa specifically measures skin temperature, its partnership with Natural Cycles means you can see your fertile days. Just remember, you’ll need to pay for a Natural Cycles subscription which will set you back £12.99 a month.
Neither have built-in GPS
If you’re familiar with Garmin, and have used one of the best Garmin watches in the past, you might be surprised to know the Cirqa doesn’t have GPS built-in. Instead it uses Connected GPS which means you’ll need to bring your paired smartphone out with you in order to record the location of your activity.
Similarly the Fitbit Air requires you to keep your paired smartphone with you in order to record the location.
Early Verdict
As we’re yet to review the Garmin Cirqa, we’ll hold off from providing a conclusive verdict. However, with a promise of up to 10-days of battery life, Natural Cycles integration and Garmin’s health and fitness tracking tools, the Cirqa looks set to be a brilliant wearable for those who don’t want to be distracted by a screen.
However, the Fitbit Air is a really tough device to beat. Not only is it considerably more affordable, but its companion app is brilliant and it has a more discrete style for those who don’t want an overtly flashy wearable.
We’ll be sure to update this versus once we review the Garmin Cirqa.
