- Garmin's next device may well be the Cirqa smart band
- That's according to screenshots taken by Reddit users of a leak on Garmin's website
- The new device is reportedly set to ship in '4–5 months'
Garmin's next product may well have just leaked, and it's not a sequel to anything on our best Garmin watches list, a cycling computer, an InReach messaging device, or any of the other hardware the company is famous for – instead, it could be the brand's long-rumored, screenless fitness tracker.
Spotted via Android Authority, eagle-eyed Redditors caught the appearance of a device called the 'Garmin Cirqa smart band' on Garmin's own website, and screenshotted it before it disappeared. The screenshot, embedded in the Reddit comment below, revealed that the band could be released in around '4–5 months', which would be May or June.
It lists two sizes and two colors, Black and French Gray, although what's conspicuously missing is pricing information.
Comment from r/Garmin
Leaker site The5KRunner also followed up with a screenshot of some information indexed by Google before it vanished. This confirms that the band is designed to fit on the wrist, along with some grainy placeholder thumbnail imagery and a few sizing details.
It's quite clear from both of these screenshots that we've got a Whoop competitor on our hands. We previously thought the Garmin Index Sleep Monitor might have been it before its release last year, but that particular screenless tracker ended up being an armband designed for wearing in bed.
Whoop, there it is
We've heard rumblings for a while that Garmin is working on something to rival the Whoop MG and Whoop 5.0. It's a simple design concept – a fabric band stretched over an optical heart rate monitor that passively records workout and recovery metrics, rather than being designed to be interacted with like a smartwatch – but one that's seen a surge in popularity over the last few months.
The Polar Loop and Amazfit Helio Strap have recently been released, with the Luna Band and Speediance Strap to come this year. It's no surprise then that Garmin might finally be throwing its hat in this ring – now it's a proven concept outside of Whoop, and this feels like the right moment.
Unfortunately, Whoop isn't likely to be happy about the competition. Our sister site Tom's Guide reported that Whoop attempted to sue Polar over its Polar Loop band, citing intellectual property infringement, so it'll be interesting to see how the company reacts to Garmin getting in on the screenless-tracker action.
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Source: TechRadar
