Last week we got our first glimpse at Fitbit’s upcoming screen-less device, and while there’s a lot to get excited about, I’m far more interested in the competing wearable that Garmin is rumoured to drop any minute.
Even though Garmin has ruled the roost for quite a while for flagship wearables aimed at heavy-duty users like triathletes and ultramarathon runners, the humble Whoop Strap has offered a very compelling alternative.
With no screen or even any buttons to speak of, the Whoop Strap provides a distraction-free method of keeping tabs on your health, and it was one of the first wearables to really prioritise rest and recovery, and to emphasise their importance to a well-rounded exercise routine. It’s exactly why the wearable has found such a strong following amongst professional athletes like LeBron James and Michael Phelps.
Credit: Stephen Curry Instagram
As much as I love the Whoop Strap (I’ve worn one on and off for the last five years or so), the biggest barrier to entry has easily been the pricey annual subscription required to use it. Google’s new Fitbit, teased by Steph Curry (above) will supposedly get around this by letting users pay just a one-time fee like with most fitness trackers, and while it’ll likely be a solid option for beginners, I think the wearable that will truly give Whoop a run for its money will come from Garmin.
A new contender for the throne
Although little is known about this upcoming wearable, seemingly confirmed to be the Garmin Cirqa following a leak earlier this year, the brand’s previous efforts should speak to a certain degree of quality.
Garmin’s wearables are known for being tough and having a battery life that destroys the competition. Even the slimline Garmin Venu X1 (my Garmin of choice) is on the lower end of the longevity scale, but that can still go for up to 8/9 days on a single charge, which makes the day-long battery life of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 seem absurd by comparison.
Thomas Deehan / Foundry
Working in the Cirqa’s favour is the fact that the Garmin Connect app doesn’t really need all that much changing to accommodate for the newer tech. In not too dissimilar a fashion to Whoop, the app cuts out all of the fluff and lets you know how well rested your body is the moment you open it up.
The only thing that I want to see is for Garmin to clearly communicate to existing users what they can expect to get by wearing the Cirqa alongside their existing Garmin watch. Samsung tried to do the same when the Samsung Galaxy Ring came to market, but, to my mind, it didn’t go far enough.
For me, the obvious benefit is being able to consolidate all of my fitness data into one app (the process of constantly jumping between Garmin and Whoop software can be a pain to keep track of, especially when there’s sometimes conflicting information), but I recognise that I represent a niche use case there.
So where is it?
By all accounts, the Garmin Cirqa was supposed to arrive sometime in March, but it’s still awol. No real reason has been given by those who touted such a release as to why it’s been pushed back, but I do have to wonder if Garmin itself had a tip-off about Fitbit’s device and decided to hold fire.
After all, even though it is a popular device, the Fitbit brand carries far more name recognition than Whoop, and it’ll be Fitbit that Garmin has to contend with, especially when trying to lure in beginners at the start of their fitness journey.
Of course, this is purely speculation, but it would make sense for Garmin to wait until Fitbit reveals its position and then consider any last-minute adjustments that could be made to give it the upper hand.
Regardless of what the reason actually is, there’s a good chance that we won’t have to wait much longer to see what the Cirqa is all about and I can’t wait.