I tested the Garmin Cirqa against a chest strap to see if its heart rate sensor is accurate — here’s the results
The Garmin Cirqa’s heart‑rate sensor was evaluated against a chest‑strap HRM to gauge its accuracy. The device uses Garmin’s Elevate Gen 4 optical sensor, which is older than the Gen 5 found in newer watches. Testing involved interval runs, an easy run, and a strength workout to compare readings with the chest strap.
- ▪The Cirqa relies on the Elevate Gen 4 sensor, which Garmin said was too large for a Gen 5 sensor in the strap design.
- ▪The author compared the Cirqa’s readings to a Garmin HRM 600 chest strap, considered the gold standard for heart‑rate measurement.
- ▪Testing covered multiple activities, including track intervals, a steady‑state run, and a strength session.
- ▪Results indicated the Cirqa’s optical sensor performed similarly to other Garmin devices that use the same Gen 4 sensor.
- ▪The article notes that the Cirqa cannot pair with an external HRM, making its built‑in sensor’s accuracy crucial.
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| Publication time | Wed, 29 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-07-29T08:01:42.047Z |
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Wellness Smartwatches I tested the Garmin Cirqa against a chest strap to see if its heart rate sensor is accurate — here’s the results Features By Nick Harris-Fry Published 29 July 2026 The bicep band could be an important accessory for strength work When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Future) Copy link Facebook X Reddit Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The heart rate sensor on the Garmin Cirqa screen-free tracker powers pretty much all the important stats you get from the device.
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