The Garmin Cirqa has been out for 3 days now, so of course I'm qualified to write a not very comprehensive review. I want to go over why I bought the thing in the first place, the fit and finish, battery life, the software situation and whatever else I'll think of while writing this piece.
Over the past few weeks my consumerist brain started waffling again about getting something novel. I looked into the Garmin Fenix 8, I even looked at getting an Apple Watch Ultra but luckily I could persuade my brain that what I have now is good enough. It's good advice in general: before buying something new or replacing something that you already have, let it simmer in your brain for a while and look at what your current device can do for you. Anyway.
I've got a couple of "normal" watches that my wife gave me but I stopped wearing them when I got my first Apple Watch and later switched to Garmin. Since the Fitbit Air was released I started to think that maybe I could wear those "normal" watches again and I knew Garmin was about to come out with the Cirqa so all I had to do was wait for that to release. I bought it as soon as it hit the Garmin website and the next day it arrived at my house. Incredibly fast shipping!
I really like getting to wear those watches again as all they do is tell the time, it's quiet technology in a world full of devices that constantly need your attention. It's also arguably better looking than a bulky sports watch or a square Apple Watch. I like wearing affordable (anything sub €150,-) watches; I don't see the point of getting anything more expensive since they all serve the same function anyway. Probably a €500,- watch has a longer lifespan or some nicer materials, but I don't trust myself with nice stuff. Everything will eventually be beaten up.
Now the Cirqa itself.
As soon as I took it out of the box I noticed this device is lightweight. And I mean really, really lightweight. I did have to adjust the band a couple of times since it's easy to wear it too tight. I also think I could've gone for the larger option (I got the small-medium) but that leaves a lot of room on the velcro band. But in any case, it fits just fine. Another thing I have to get used to is wearing anything at all on my right wrist as I've never done that before. But I think it will eventually disappear into the background and I won't even notice I'm wearing it anymore. Won't be long because the band is super soft and comfortable right out of the gate.
Setting it up was super easy; just press the side button 3 times, the Garmin Connect app immediately recognized the device, installed a firmware update and that was it. Done in less than 2 minutes. Speaking of the side button, I think Garmin could've done a better job there since it's got multiple uses and it's very easy to get it wrong. For example, to stop an alarm you have to hold the button, if you press once it just snoozes the alarm. Something to get used to.
So far looking at battery life I think the stated 10 days is spot on. It's the same as my Forerunner 570 so no complaints there. I like how both devices have the same charging port so I can just reuse the cable that's on my desk, plugged into my monitor to sometimes top it up.
The fact that the Garmin Cirqa doesn't have a screen did bewilder me this morning because on my Forerunner I get a morning report that, among other things, tells me what the Daily Suggested Workout (DSW) for the day is. Garmin doesn't show the DSW in the Connect app at all, so in not wearing my Forerunner I've essentially cut myself off from that information. I guess I'll have to rely on Training Load and go by feel a bit more. I just wish Garmin would add DSW to the Connect app, because from now on fewer people will be wearing their Forerunners and Fenixes in day-to-day use, opting instead for a Cirqa and a normal watch.
I can't tell you much about the data it puts out otherwise, it does exactly the same thing as my Forerunner but with a slightly older sensor. I'm not planning to use the Cirqa for serious workouts so the older sensor doesn't bother me at all. Looking at the data it collected so far it seems to perform exactly like my Forerunner in day-to-day use and that's all that matters to me.
The Cirqa doesn't require an expensive subscription which is funny because I do see complaints about the price. But take a Whoop and factor in their subscription price, notice the difference there? $200 is a lot of money, but compared to a Whoop it's a steal. Yes, the Fitbit Air is less expensive, but do you really want to give that data to Google? There's quite a lot of complaining on Reddit about the design of the Cirqa, the dimensions of the device as compared to a Fitbit Air, the fact that you need Connect+ to show your real-time heart rate during a workout... It's obvious this device, like a Fitbit Air or a Whoop, isn't for everyone. For me however it's a great little device as it gives me all the data from my Forerunner while I can again wear my normal watches that have a lot of sentimental value.