In a fresh comparison, the Fitbit Air continues to deliver precise step counts and impressive battery life at a lower price, while Garmin Cirqa faces challenges with elevation and heart-rate tracking during a simulated walk in Seattle.
Tom’s Guide has put the Fitbit Air and Garmin Cirqa through another direct walking test, after a previous comparison was complicated by a data problem on the Garmin side. Both are screen-free fitness trackers aimed at people who want sleep, activity and general health monitoring without paying a subscription, but the Garmin costs $199 while the Fitbit is priced at $99.
For the rematch, the reviewer wore the Fitbit Air on one wrist and the Garmin Cirqa on the other for a 5,000-step walk in Seattle, Washington, while also tracking the route with Strava on an iPhone and counting steps manually with a tally counter. The result was close across the board: Garmin recorded 5,006 steps, Fitbit 5,009 and the manual count came in at 5,000. Strava logged 4,992 steps, which also suggests both wearables were highly accurate on this metric.
The main weakness for Fitbit was elevation. Tom’s Guide said the Air once again undercounted climb data, while Garmin and Strava produced nearly identical ascent figures. This was not a one-off problem, as the publication said the same Fitbit model had previously missed altitude gain in other comparisons, including tests against the Apple Watch 11 and Pixel Watch 4.
The Garmin also stumbled in one unexpected area: it failed to capture any heart-rate data during the walk. Fitbit did record heart-rate information, and the numbers were broadly in line with what the reviewer expected from previous tests. Battery use was light on both devices, with Garmin showing no drain and Fitbit dropping by 2%. On balance, Tom’s Guide said the Fitbit Air still stood out for its low price and strong step accuracy, even though Garmin offers deeper insights, optional advanced features through Garmin Connect+ and a more expansive ecosystem.
Disclaimer: This content is intended for informational purposes only. Readers are advised to exercise their own judgement, conduct due diligence, or consult a qualified expert before acting on any information provided.
