Take a look at our best Garmin watches guide and you'll probably find exactly the kind of sports watch or fitness tracker you're looking for. Unless, of course, you want one without a screen.
Screenless fitness trackers like the Whoop 5.0 and Oura Ring 4 seem to quietly be on the rise — Fitbit has just unveiled the Fitbit Air, and now it seems Garmin isn't far behind.
A Ukrainian retailer appears to have accidentally leaked the upcoming "Garmin Cirqa" screenless tracker. Spotted by Notebookcheck, this leak suggests the black tracker will be a low-key screenless fabric band available in two sizes: S/M and L/XL.
As expected, the Garmin Cirqa will monitor heart rate and passively document metrics like steps and calories, as well as sleep quality. So far, so good. But let's talk about that price.
A high price for minimalism
According to the listing (which, at time of writing, is still live), the most eye-catching thing about this minimalist piece of fitness tech is the price. It states the Garmin Cirqa will be available for 22,399 Ukrainian hryvnia, which roughly translates to $507 / £379. That's already more expensive than either the Oura Ring 4 ($349) or the Fitbit Air ($99). And if you throw in a $6.99 per month Garmin Connect+ membership, it gets even more pricey.
Whoop, which arguably started the screenless trend, doesn't charge up front for the band, but users still need to pay between $199 and $359 a year for an active subscription. So if this listing does prove to be true — and the pricing is carried across — Garmin is planning to release the most expensive screenless tracker on the market.
The natural caveats are all in place: this is an unconfirmed leak, and pricing could easily change in different regions. But at a time when many of us are trying to save as much as possible when it comes to our tech, it would be a bold move for Garmin to launch with a price so much higher than market rivals.
More from Tom's Guide
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- Forget the Whoop 5.0 — The new Fitbit Air is a screen-less, subscription-free fitness tracker for the masses
