In this article I will share my experiences with Garmin CIRQA Smart Band. From a functional point of view I will see where it fits compared to the Garmin Fenix 7 Solar or Garmin Instinct 2X Solar. What updates have been performed in Garmin Connect. Will the Garmin CIRQA Smart Band allow me to use an analogue mechanical chronograph watch, while keeping all my foundational data measured.
Key features Garmin CIRQA Smart Band
On the product page of Garmin CIRQA Smart Band you can read the following description which highlights the most important features.
TRACK YOUR DAY. CHECK LATER
No screens. No distractions. This discreet smart band without a screen offers advanced 24/7 health monitoring and fitness features, no subscription required.
- Screenless design with long-lasting comfort
- Up to 10 days of battery life
- Sleep score, exercise fitness, stress tracking and more
- Health and fitness features
- Detects activities automatically
- Works with the Garmin Connect out of the box
- No subscription required
I’ve ordered the Garmin CIRQA in the color French Grey and size S-M, when it was available for order on 24-07-2026 in the Netherlands. The S-M strap will support a wrist circumference of 120-200 mm and the Garmin sensor has the dimensions of 27 x 47 x 9 mm. The 27 mm of width is very similar to the watch strap of the Gamin Instinct 2X Solar or Garmin Fenix 7 Solar. 47 mm length is very similar to the watch diameter of the Garmin Fenix 7 (so not super small). On my kitchen scales the sensor weighs 14 grams, and the strap 5 grams bringing the total weight to roughly 20 grams.
I was mostly surprised about the material of the strap, which is made of a highly comfortable and stretchy fabric. This is very different from the rubber plastic watch strap of the Gamin Instinct 2X Solar. So very comfortable to wear. The velcro closure makes it extremely easy to adjust and on the end of the strap there is a slightly wider plastic end, with the Garmin logo on it, that is a functional stop. So you will never accidentally drop the Garmin CIRQA from the wrist when taking off the CIRQA.
The Gamin CIRQA strap has a Garmin Quickfit like closing system that you will recognize from the watches. With you thumb you can basically open and close the locking-pin and connect or remove the Gamin CIRQA sensor/pod from the strap. I’ve done it a couple of times, so I could take the pictures. And when you alternate between the biceps strap and the wrist strap you will do this more often.
A lot has been written about the Gamin CIRQA sensor that includes Garmin’s Elevate Gen4 optical heart rate sensor, the Garmin charging port that is similar to the Fenix 7 and Instinct 2X watches and a hardware button that can be used to manually start a workout or activity. Much debate has been going on about the Elevate Gen4 or Gen5 heart rate sensor, but for most sports scenarios the ECG (medical-grade Afib detection) is not needed while it would also add some costs to the launching price point.
The hardware button has an easy to feel and grippy surface, with a clear click, so you can manually start an activity. When doing so you will notice haptic feedback through the vibration motor, same for when you stop the activity. This button is also needed to stop a smart wake-up alarm, which is a vibration on the smart band. On the other side (opposite of the button) you will see a notification LED that can give you some information without a screen. 🙂
Gamin Connect+ App and Garmin CIRQA Smart Band
With the Garmin CIRQA being a screenless device, the Garmin Connect App is extremely important for the experience as well as tracking and analyzing the data that the Garmin Elevate Gen4 optical heart rate sensor collects.
Initial setup Garmin CIRQA in Garmin Connect Google Android
You simply make sure the Garmin CIRQA battery is charged with the USB-C Garmin charging cable.
Than you open the Garmin Connect App (for Android on my Google Pixel 10 Pro) and select the devices menu in the upper right corner and select the option “add device” at the bottom of this pop-up menu. You also see that I have a couple of other Garmin devices already in there.
Garmin will guide you through a set-up wizard to make sure your Garmin CIRQA will run smoothly.
- Connect it
- Link your Device
- Primary Wearable
- Profile Details
- Confirm sleep schedules
- Where do you plan to wear your device
- Enable Auto Activity Detection (for this account)
- Device Software Update
- Tutorials
- Activities
- Alarms
- Additional Post Setup Steps
Connect it. Choose the “Connect it” option from the Ready to Connect screen of the wizard.
Link your device. Link your device to allow the find my device feature, receive notifications and more while the app runs in the background. Allow Garmin Connect to access the CIRQA Smart Band.
Primary Wearable. If you have multiple Garmin devices, you can set the Garmin CIRQA as your primary device. This means it is the main data sources for daily health metrics, sleep and more. The Garmin Instinct 2X Solar was my primary device, so I changed to the Garmin CIRQA to test all the smart band greatness.
Profile Details. There is an switch button to select if you are a wheel chair user, luckily I’m not. But it is very responsible that a company like Garmin takes this group of people into account. Well done !
Confirm sleep Schedules. Since the sleep quality is important for athletic performance the initial set-up wizard lets you confirm your sleep schedule. In my case it suggests 23:30 hrs – 07:00 hrs to have my required amount of sleep time. If your schedule is different, you can adjust it (also afterwards in Garmin Connect).
Where do you plan to wear your device. Since I’m wearing a watch on the left wrist, I’ve opted for the right wrist to wear the Garmin CIRQA. In the case that I will start using a Garmin CIRQA armband and wear the sensor on my biceps, this is an option to adjust in Garmin Connect. But for now in the initial daily driver testing the right wrist is the position I need.
Auto Activity Detection. This is a unique feature from Whoop bands (simplistically said). While I’ve opted in for this feature I was slightly surprised that this is a feature that is toggled on Garmin Connect Account Level. While it makes sense, this is a feature only available on the Garmin CIRQA and not on the Garmin Edge 840, Garmin Fenix 7 Solar or Gamin Instinct 2X Solar. So my brain tries to understand the account versus device approach. In a later section I’ve described how to turn off this feature, when you want to.
Device Software Update. In the first week after launch Garmin provided a firmware update, so also during this step of the initial setup the firmware was downloaded and pushed into the Garmin CIRQA device. With no screen available on the device itself, you can check the status and progress from Garmin Connect. You can also trigger the check for a firmware update in Garmin Connect and aslo check the current firmware versions.
Tutorials. At he end of the initial setup you will be able to watch two tutorials covering activities and alarms. The activities tutorials explains the use of starting and stopping an activity with the hardware button. The alarms tutorial explains the snoozing or stopping of an alarm.
Finish Setup Garmin CIRQA. Like with any Garmin device, there is an overall framework of setup steps that you need to go through. For Garmin CIRQA there are in total 7 steps. The grey steps have been completed, the blue steps from the screenshot above were still needed to be done.
- Record Activities
- Smart Wake Alarm
- Choose a Device Activity
- Set up Live Track
- Set Up Lifestyle Logging
- Allow Location Access
- Complete Initial Setup
I haven’t set-up the Live Track feature. While it can be helpful in some usage scenarios I don’t see any value in having this feature always on. I’ve also tested the Smart Wake Alarm, which is a vibration alert from the Garmin CIRQA at a specific time, just like a normal alarm clock. It is as effective as a normal alarm clock, but it will also get your spouse awake.
Record a CIRQA activity in Garmin Connect
In the upper right corner of the Garmin Connect “home screen” you will see a big + icon next to the picture of the primary wearable which is the Garmin CIRQA. When you click on the + the pop menu with the following options opens:
- Record Activity
- Weight
- Hydration
- Lifestyle Logging
- Blood Pressure
Recording an activity with the Garmin CIRQA can be done in 3 different ways:
- Auto Detection of an Activity
- Manual Start of Timed Activity from Garmin CIRQA Hardware Button
- Manual Start in Garmin Connect App (on Google Android)
Disable auto detection activity in Garmin Connect
Auto Detection is enabled on account level (and not a specific Garmin CIRQA setting). So in case you want to de-activate it beyond initial set-up that you would need to find the following menu item (6 layers deep).
- Profile Icon (upper left corner)
- Settings
- Profile & privacy
- Data
- Auto-Activity Detection
- Disable Auto-Activity Detection for this account
Manually starting an activity with the hardware button is as simple as pressing the button to start and pressing the button again to stop the timed activity. The status LED will light up when activity is started, during activity and when stopped. Please check the overview in the5runner article: Garmin CIRQA Button and LED Guide: What Each Does.
Starting an activity from Garmin Connect allows you to automatically turn on the GPS on your mobile phone, since the Garmin CIRQA doesn’t have a GPS chipset build-in. So that automatic action and bringing different data streams together is pretty cool. Per activity type this option can be toggled or not, as well as a couple of other settings.
Add Weight Data Point in Garmin Connect
Weight data points are directly synched from the Renpho Smart Scale into TrainingPeaks via the Fitbit API like I’ve described in the article: Renpho Smart Scale syncs metrics via Fitbit API to TrainingPeaks. While it is not a big deal to do a manual entry, it is something I don’t need to think about because the setup simply works like a charm (and flaweless).
Add Hydration Data Point in Garmin Connect
Hydration is not something I track daily, but after a training ride on my bike I log the amount of fluid that I used from the water bottles. It is a post ride wizard instruction on the Garmin Edge 840 cycling computer. For daily usage I’m thinking what the additional benefit will be, or that there are more automatic tracking options available on the market. I will start some testing with the hDrop Gen 2 Wearable Hydration Monitor.
Add Lifestyle Logging Data Points in Garmin Connect
In the lifestyle logging section, you can select some basics like alcohol intake, meals, illness, fastening, caffeine intake and vacation or holidays. The difference compare to the Whoop app is that you have to de-select the different lifestyle items. Although basic functionality this is good enough to track the most important things that would affect your athletic performance.
If you to need more detailed and advanced inputs for meals and nutrition than the Athletics Foodcoach App is something to investigate. It will sync with TrainingPeaks, Join, Intervals.icu but Gamin Connect and Wahoo Fitness.
Add Blood Preassure Data Points in Garmin Connect
Blood Pressure is a metric I hardly measure, but I bought an Omron Blood Pressure meter, that can connect with an app on the Google Pixel 10 Pro. So perhaps I can do an automatic sync, just like the Renpho Smart Scale. When I’ve found out, you will most likely see an article on this website.
Garmin CIRQA Smart Band Settings in Garmin Connect
When you select the Garmin CIRQA device in the upper right corner of the Garmin Connect App, you will see the following list of “settings that you can enter”. Some are the same than the initial set-up, some have been explained in a different paragraph of this review. So I will cover the most important ones.
- Record an Activity
- Workouts
- Alarms
- Activity Options
- Health & Wellness
- Notifications & Alerts
- Power Manager
- User Profile
- Safety & Tracking
- System
- Help & Info
- Tutorials
- Find my Band
Record an Activity. This is the option to start and stop the recording of a Garmin CIRQA activity in the Garmin Connect App of your smartphone.
Workouts. This is feature that requires a Garmin Connect+ subscription. But I don’t miss this functionality in the practical use, but my assumption is that you will get some form of structured work outs for specific activity types (but I could be off here).
Alarms. This setting option allows you to add and edit alarms on your Garmin CIRQA smart band. An alarm is basically a vibration on the smart band on a certain time. Just like on my Google Pixel 10 pro you can toggle the different alarms on/off.
Activity Options. You can modify the options for a specific activity. This consists of automatically switching on/off the GPS chipset on your smartphone and the wearing position of the Garmin CIRQA. But for example in strengths training you can show the rep count, in walking you see distance and laps.
Health & Wellness. This is another interesting settings area of the Garmin CIRQA, with the following options:
- Heart Rate Status
- Broadcast Heart Rate
- Pulse Oximeter
- Daily Steps
- Weekly Intensity Minutes
- Auto-Detect Activities
Broadcast Heart Rate is needed when you want to use TrainingPeaks Virtual or Zwift and let the Garmin CIRQA push the heart rate data into the Training App. However in practice I’m still using a cycling computer or a chest hear rate strap.
Pulse Oximeter. The Garmin CIRQA measures Pulse Ox during sleep, and you can do one-off measurements from Garmin Connect. If you want to learn more about Pulse Ox, that read through the following Garmin Technology content.
Pulse Ox compatible Garmin devices use a combination of red and infrared lights with sensors on the back of the device, which can estimate the percentage of oxygenated blood (peripheral oxygen saturation, SpO2%) available in your blood
Auto Detection can be switched on and off on a device level, but also on the in a different section described account level.
Notifications & Alerts. Similar to the Garmin Fenix 7 or Garmin Instinct 2X you can set-up the Garmin CIRQA to receive push notifications. With no screen present, this will be a vibration alert to notify you to check your phone. I’ve disabled that function, so I can minimize distractions during focus time.
Power Manager. There are 4 power settings you can adjust. Low Battery Alert and Battery Status (in Garmin Connect) are super useful and should b switched on. The Battery Fully Charged Alert can be helpful, but when you sort of understand the time it takes to charge the Garmin CIRQA Smart Band, I’ll basically check the battery status in Garmin Connect after x time. Battery Saver is only switched on when needed, but I hardly do.
User Profile. In this section of the settings you will find personal data like, height, weight, gender. fitness age and VO2 Max. But also come of the items from the initial set-up can be found here: Wearing location, wheel chair mode, sleep schedule and heart rate zones.
Safety Tracking. This section only consists of the live tracking feature, that I’ve described in one of the previous sections.
System. In this section you can set the format of time and units (metric and 24 hours), but also reset the Garmin CIRQA or simply power off the device in the Garmin Connect App. Also (soft and hard) resetting can be done from these system settings.
- Format
- Reset
- Software Update
- Power Off
- USB Mode
- About
- Diagnostics
A manual check if there is a firmware update can be done from the software update menu item. In the about section you can see firmware version, ANT/BLE version ad of course the serial number of the CIRQA. In the diagnostics setting you can change logging behavior.
Help & Info. Is nothing more than a hyperlink to the Garmin CIRQA support section on the Garmin website.
Tutorials. This section only consists of the two tutorials on using the hardware button for activities and alarms, that I’ve described in one of the previous sections.
Find my Band. Is functionality that you can use when you forgot where you have put the Garmin Device. It is very similar to Google Find Hub or Apple Find Me, but than in the context of a Garmin Device. You see a map and you can push a notification (in case of CIRQA a vibration) to the device. For a 24×7 wearable this is a feature I’ll hardly use.
How I use Garmin CIRQA in Practice
With the Garmin CIRQA I can wear an analogue mechanical chronograph watch again, while keeping all my foundational data measured. In some work occasions or personal festivities this is very welcome. With the right color strap the Garmin CIRQA looks even ok with a suit. 🙂 I’m happy to move from an either or scenario into having both the mechanical watch and my health metrics.
Since I own the Garmin CIRQA I’m more mindful in checking the sleep scores and sleep coaching. While I always checked the numbers and rough distribution of the different sleep stages on the Garmin Fenix 7 or Garmin Instinct 2X, I now look more into Garmin Connect for the relevant sleep data. The summary, sleep score factors and sleep metrics are insightful. Also the sleep coach information is cool to study and experiment with. In other words how will the guidance and coaching impact your feeling. This information was available before, but since the Garmin CIRQA, I work with this data more in Garmin Connect.
Although there is room for improvement I like the activity auto-detection, that results in more activity data that I normally wouldn’t log. I really like these additional pieces of data. Trying to understand the activity auto detection logic is something I will continue to keep an eye upon. In addition a fitness with strength training or a yoga/meditation scenario is also covered with the Garmin CIRQA smart band. I’ve never really used that on the Garmin Fenix 7 or Garmin Instinct 2X smartwatches.
I also gave the basic lifestyle logging a try, to see if I can find patterns in the data. For example when drinking light alcohol what is the effect on sleep and the energy levels the day after. I’m curious what other insights I’m able to gather. With the recent new Garmin Acquires Training Peaks & TrainHeroic I’m curious to learn if some of these events will be easier to sync between Garmin Connect and TrainingPeaks.
What I still want to figure out about the Garmin CIRQA ?
I have not ordered a Garmin CIRQA Armband to wear the CIRQA sensor on my biceps. There is a great the DC Rainmaker article: Garmin Cirqa Accuracy Deep-Dive Review (vs Whoop 5.0, Fitbit Air, Amazfit Helio, Polar Loop) that not just covers accuracy per device, but also compares the biceps or wrist locations.
Activity Auto Detection is still an area where Whoop is outperforming the Garmin CIRQA. I also understand the other side of the coin, it is tough to define conditional business logic on all activity types (that is one of the drivers for the hardware button, so you can manually start and record yoga session). Trying to understand the activity auto detection logic is something I will continue to keep an eye upon.
Bluetooth Heart rate Broadcasting to use in combination TrainingPeaks Virtual on an indoor ride. When I’m training on my Tacx Neo I normally always wear a heart rate strap like the Garmin HRM PRO Plus Heart Rate Monitor or 4iiii Viiiiva Heart Rate Monitor. So I see very limited value in this feature. But I will test this a bit later. For indoor cycling training please check out Lifeline Indoor Trainer Desk – The perfect Tacx Neo Companion
Concluding thoughts and wrap-up
The price point of the Garmin CIRQA Smart Band is € 199,– which is in between the price point of the Google Fitbit Air at € 99,– and a Whoop Band at $ 199,– or $ 239,– annual subscription fee. For me on of the most important aspect is that it is part of the Garmin ecosystem of devices and services, and to be fair I didn’t expect it to compete on the Fitbit Air price point and both are unique in their own way.
I’m using the Garmin CIRQA Smart Band for a bit more than a week, with and without another Garmin watch side by side. While I’ve never worn anything on my right wrist (on the left there is a watch since early childhood) I’m used to that feeling and I’m very pleased with the comfortable CIRQA strap. You almost forget you are wearing a device. 🙂
I’m more deliberate in looking at **and using the metrics** (for example sleep scores) that the combination of Gamin Connect and Garmin CIRQA give me on a daily basis. Being in Garmin Connect gives a bit more information than just checking this on your watch.
- Would you invest in a Garmin CIRQA Smart Band?
- Stand alone or in combination with other Garmin Devices ?
- Are you using another smartband fitness tracker?
Please let me know which brand and model in the comment section below.
Suggested recommended Garmin CIRQA reading
An interesting LinkedIn post from Collin Murray, Senior Industrial Designer at Garmin shows some insights of the hardware design process of the Garmin CIRQA. Also the Forbes got some initial questions answered by Garmin in the article: 7 Key Garmin Cirqa Questions Answered By Garmin.
In the DC Rainmaker article: Garmin Cirqa Hands-On: Everything You Need to Know!. there is an excellent comparison in a detailed table between Garmin CIRQA, Fitbit Air, Whoop, Polar Loop and Amazfit Helio. If you are interested in measurement accuracy than research the DC Rainmaker article: Garmin Cirqa Accuracy Deep-Dive Review (vs Whoop 5.0, Fitbit Air, Amazfit Helio, Polar Loop)
Finally download your Garmin CIRQA user manual in pdf-format from the Garmin website.
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