Wearables shifting to recovery
Reports say Fitbit is testing a new 'Whoop‑rival' recovery band (Steph Curry spotted wearing a prototype), and Garmin is rumored to be developing a screenless Cirqa band that tracks sleep, HRV and readiness without a subscription. ( ) At the same time smart rings are being cast as serious 24/7 health monitors for sleep, heart rate and recovery rather than novelty items. (techtimes.com)
Wearables are moving away from step counts and tiny screens, and toward devices built to measure sleep, strain, and recovery around the clock. (techadvisor.com) The new pitch is simple: a screenless band or ring collects heart rate, temperature, and heart rate variability — the small changes in time between beats that companies use as a proxy for stress and recovery. Oura says its Ring 4 tracks sleep stages, resting heart rate, heart rate variability, and temperature trends continuously. (ouraring.com) That is the lane Fitbit now appears to be entering. Tech Advisor reported on April 16 that Steph Curry has been wearing an unreleased Fitbit band in public since January, and the device appears slimmer than a Whoop Strap 5.0 with app metrics including live heart rate, calories, and cardio load. (techadvisor.com) Garmin is being pulled into the same category by leaks rather than a launch. A trademark filing for “CIRQA” surfaced this month, after earlier references to a “CIRQA Smart Band” were reportedly found on Garmin web pages, pointing to a screenless product focused on sleep, training load, and daily readiness. (gadgetsandwearables.com) The business model is part of the story. Whoop still sells access through memberships rather than a one-time hardware purchase, with plans listed by the company at $239 a year for Peak and $359 a year for Life in the United States. (whoop.com) That pricing has opened space for rivals to argue that recovery tracking should not require a recurring fee. Tech Advisor reported that Fitbit’s band is expected to use a one-time purchase model, while RingConn says its Gen 2 ring offers 24/7 health monitoring with no subscription. (techadvisor.com) (ringconn.com) Rings are also helping push the category beyond athletes. RingConn markets sleep, stress, and sleep apnea monitoring in a ring form factor, while Ultrahuman says its Ring Air tracks sleep, movement, recovery, heart rate variability, and temperature without asking people to wear a watch to bed. (ringconn.com) (ultrahuman.com) The timing is notable for Fitbit and Garmin because both companies built their reputations on wrist devices with screens. Fitbit’s last dedicated tracker launch was the Charge 6 in 2023, and Tech Advisor reported in November 2025 that Google had confirmed new Fitbit hardware for 2026 after years of doubts about the brand’s future. (techadvisor.com) None of this makes watches disappear. It does suggest the next fight in wearables is over who can turn overnight body signals into a daily “readiness” score people will trust enough to wear all day — or all night. (techadvisor.com) (ouraring.com)
