Garmin Cirqa Price May Be Far Higher Than Expected
A retailer has published a price for the upcoming Garmin Cirqa screen-free wearable, and it’s a lot higher than most predict the wearable will cost.
Ukranian website Stylus Store currently lists the as-yet unannounced Garmin Cirqa at 19,999 hryvnia, which is equivalent to around $450 based on today’s exchange rate.
The web page features a leaked image of the band, it lists the Cirqa as a pre-order and comes with the disclaimer “the price may differ at launch.”
Could this be a real indicator of the Garmin Cirqa’s eventual U.S. price? Several indicators suggest it’s probably not.
First up, Stylus Store is not a major Garmin retailer, and what it does list is not on there at a standard US-like price.
This retails does list a couple of other Garmin watches — not currently in stock — the Vivosmart 5 at 7,622 hryvnia and the Vivofit 3 at 2,459. That’s equivalent to around $173 for the Vivosmart 5, notably higher than the wearable cost in the U.S. even when it was released in 2022, for $149.99.
Garmin Cirqa Versus The Rivals
The listed price for the Garmin Cirqa will be eye-opening even if it’s vaguely in the right ballpark, though, as it is throughly out of kilter with the cost of its rivals.
Whoop charges for an annual membership at the outset rather than for its hardware, at $199 for the base Whoop One. At the other end, Google’s Fitbit Air costs $99.99 and does not require an ongoing subscription, although a $9.99 a month Google Health Premium sub will unlock additional metrics and insights.
Even if the Garmin Cirqa can do a whole lot without a $6.99 a month Connect Plus subscription, it will seem expensive if it costs anywhere near $450.
Garmin’s own back catalogue will prove that very point. A Garmin Vivosmart 5 can be bought today for $149.99, has a screen, and the Cirqa will presumably record fairly similar stats.
Screen-free wearables are designed to offer passive health tracking throughout the day, without demanding any attention. And its insights are reviewed in a phone app, rather than using the band itself.
Previous key Garmin Cirqa leaks include a patent filing and a brief appearance on a regional Garmin website, minus pictures. Recent changes to the Garmin Connect app also show Garmin is in the process of establishing a proper screen-free device category in its back-end system.
While no particularly strong release date rumors for the Garmin Cirqa have surfaced, the brief appearance on a Garmin website suggested the device could launch as soon as June.
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