Screenless tracker war: Garmin CIRQA, Polar Loop and Amazfit Helio all live

The screenless fitness tracker market has gone from a near-monopoly to a genuine battle in just over a year. Three devices — the Garmin CIRQA Smart Band, the Polar Loop and the Amazfit Helio Strap — are all now available to buy, each undercutting WHOOP's subscription-dependent model. A fourth, from Suunto, appears to be moving through regulatory approval and could arrive before the end of 2026.

How we got here

Until relatively recently, WHOOP was the dominant name in screenless wearables — a fabric band with no display that charged a monthly fee for access to its recovery and sleep data. That two-player market (WHOOP and, from early 2026, Google's Fitbit Air at $10 a month) has since expanded rapidly. The appetite for subscription-free alternatives has clearly caught the attention of the major sports-tech brands.

Garmin CIRQA Smart Band — £179.99

Garmin announced the CIRQA Smart Band on 21 July 2026, billing it as its first screen-free smart band, and it went on sale three days later. In the UK, it is priced at £179.99 via Garmin's own site.

The CIRQA tracks continuous heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep, stress, SpO2 and skin temperature, and can auto-detect more than 80 sport types. Battery life is rated at 10 days. There is no GPS, no ECG and, by design, no screen. The device weighs 20g, carries a 50-metre water resistance rating and connects via Bluetooth and ANT+. An optional bicep band costs $59. It comes in two sizes: small/medium and large/extra large.

Core features are free via the Garmin Connect app, with no subscription required. An optional Garmin Connect+ tier is available for $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year for additional insights.

"We purposefully created CIRQA Smart Band for those who are passionate about staying healthy and active. With its discreet design and trusted health and fitness tracking tools Garmin is known for, this smart band complements our lineup of popular smartwatches and wellness monitors, allowing users to transition smoothly between their Garmin devices throughout the day." — Garmin, 21 July 2026

Polar Loop — £149.50

Polar got to market earlier. The Loop launched in early September 2025 as an explicit, subscription-free alternative to WHOOP. At £149.50 in the UK, it is the cheapest of the three main new entrants.

The Loop is a 29g woven band using Polar's Precision Prime optical sensor, syncing to the free Polar Flow app. It tracks sleep stages, Nightly Recharge recovery scores and SleepWise alertness forecasting, and detects workouts automatically. Battery life is up to eight days, water resistance is rated at WR30 (3 ATM), and it charges via USB-C.

There are no ongoing costs for core features, though Polar does offer an optional Polar Fitness Program subscription — an adaptive training plan — for €9.99 a month after a free trial.

The Loop's arrival was not entirely smooth: WHOOP filed a lawsuit against Polar alleging the Loop's design copied its own band. That legal dispute is ongoing.

Amazfit Helio Strap — and the Pro

Amazfit, owned by Zepp Health, launched the original Helio Strap in June 2025 at $99.99 / €99.90. UK-specific pricing has not been confirmed by Amazfit, but it is the most affordable of the new entrants at its US price point. The Helio Strap is built around Amazfit's BioTracker 6.0 PPG sensor, supports more than 50 sports modes, can recognise 25 strength-training movements and offers real-time heart-rate broadcasting over Bluetooth. Battery life is rated at 10 days. No subscription is required.

In June 2026, Amazfit followed up with the Helio Strap Pro, priced at $199.99 (approximately £152 at current rates, though UK pricing has not been confirmed). The Pro adds a second sensor worn at the waist to capture core-body movement and stability — a configuration aimed squarely at hybrid athletes and Hyrox competitors, a market Amazfit has been targeting since a partnership with Hyrox in 2024.

"Helio Strap Pro introduces an innovative new approach to hybrid training by connecting upper-arm heart-rate data with waist-based motion sensing and smartwatch performance data." — Amazfit, 18 June 2026

Zepp Health has already confirmed a Helio Strap 2 is on the way later in 2026.

Suunto HR264 — the one to watch

Suunto has not announced anything, but regulatory filings suggest it is preparing to. A device listed as the HR264 — an optical, rechargeable band with no screen — appeared at Singapore's IMDA on 30 September 2026, at South Korea's RRA on 2 October, and was approved by the UAE's TDRA on 12 October under reference ER66304/26. Certification photos show a rectangular module roughly 4cm by 3cm with an optical sensor on the rear and four metal contacts. Pricing, battery life and subscription plans are all unknown at this stage.

What this means for UK buyers

If you have been waiting for the screenless tracker market to mature before spending money, October 2026 is a reasonable moment to take stock. The Polar Loop is the most affordable confirmed UK option. The Garmin CIRQA offers the deepest sport-tracking feature set and the reassurance of Garmin's established ecosystem. The Amazfit Helio Strap undercuts both on price in the US, though UK buyers should confirm local pricing before ordering. All three require no subscription for their core functions — which is the single biggest practical difference from WHOOP.

• Best for training breadth: Garmin CIRQA (80+ sport types, ANT+ connectivity)
• Best for price: Polar Loop at £149.50 confirmed in the UK
• Best for gym and strength work: Amazfit Helio Strap Pro (upper-arm HR, waist motion sensor)

Anyone tempted to hold off a little longer may want to keep an eye on Suunto. If the HR264 launches before the year is out, there will be five credible screenless options on the market — and competition of that kind tends to be good news for buyers on price.