New Smart Bracelets Are Coming and Whoop Is Afraid.

I’ve identified smartbands as one of the tech trends for 2026 based on what I’ve seen, so it’s interesting to watch the release of the Fitbit Air and the hype around the (as yet unconfirmed) Garmin Cirqa. Whoop , which has long been the undisputed leader in this field, now faces a lot of competition. Here’s what I see and what I think we should expect in the future.

Fitness trackers have reached the limit of their evolution, and their world is being rebooted.

To explain how we got here, I’ll take you through a brief historical journey: what do we expect from a fitness tracker? Fitbit has been working on this issue for over 15 years, starting with simple digital pedometers that clipped to your pocket. As more advanced technology became more accessible, Fitbit devices added indicator lights, buttons, screens, and heart rate sensors—the more features you could fit into a device, the better. This evolution continued until some Fitbit models became full-fledged smartwatches. Frankly, until last year, I would have told you that there was no longer a significant difference between “smartwatches” and “fitness trackers”—they had merged into one product category.

Parallel to this evolution, smartwatches and fitness watches also acquired new features, then stagnated while fitness trackers caught up. Garmin started out as bulky GPS devices you could attach to your wrist; the Apple Watch was an extension of your smartphone that, coincidentally, could measure your heart rate. Over time, these categories merged into a single watch with an AMOLED screen, a heart rate monitor, and as many software features as the companies could fit. “Which do I prefer: the Apple Watch or the Garmin?” is a perfectly reasonable question, as the intersection between fitness watches and smartwatches is almost, but not quite, a Venn diagram.

However, smartwatches, fitness trackers, and fitness bracelets have all reached roughly the same conclusion: they have as many features as people need. In fact, they have even more features than people need. The world’s fastest marathoner seems quite happy with an older Garmin watch, which was the most basic model when it launched five years ago.

Tech companies can no longer grow by appealing to people who haven’t heard of smartwatches; almost everyone who wants one already owns one. Companies also struggle to convince people to upgrade their existing devices, as new models lack any unique features that older models lack.

These days, updates mostly boil down to adding more expensive features to affordable watches, which isn’t a sustainable strategy. While this brings us nice perks like the flashlight on the Garmin Forerunner 970 , it results in hardware companies like Garmin raising their prices and wondering how they can make money from something more profitable and long-lasting, like subscriptions. (Garmin also seems to be trying to leverage subscriptions, but that’s another story .)

Nowadays, anyone can install an app on their phone, so devices no longer need to be standalone. If a tech company already has all the features of a fitness tracker in an app, but customers aren’t thrilled with the new hardware, it’s better to go back to basics and offer a simple sensor on a strap. This is exactly what we’re seeing now.

How talented bands found their new niche

The “smart bracelet” category hasn’t existed in technological terms for very long. Until recently, there was only one major product in this space: the Whoop bracelet. The Whoop’s hardware was never particularly sophisticated—it was simply a heart rate sensor on a strap. The clasp and charger were (and remain) meticulously designed, with attention paid to everything but the electronic components. You get the device “for free”—it’s the app that supports your interactions with the device and makes you feel like you’re getting a $239/year value.

My review of the Whoop 4.0 (it’s no longer the current model) is worth reading if you want to see how things have changed over time. Over the two years I’ve had this tracker, its app has gained a ton of new features. Whoop markets itself as a device for athletes who want to track their recovery and optimize their sleep patterns, and the app has always provided a wealth of data, along with tools to highlight the most important areas to focus on.

But not everyone wants to pay a subscription fee or considers themselves athletes who over-optimize their training. For years, people have been asking on tech forums whether they can get a similar device without a Whoop subscription, but nothing has come of it.

But last year, things started to change. I’m not sure there’s a reason for the timing, other than that companies previously preferred to focus on expanding functionality, as I mentioned above. If it turns out there were any legal issues or technological complications, I’d love to hear about it. In any case, we got the Polar Loop ($199) and the Amazfit Helio Strap ($99)—both very basic devices that stream data to standard apps. The Garmin Index sleep tracker ($169) somehow ended up being even more basic, not even tracking exercise—despite apparently having the necessary internal components to do so.

All three companies already had their own apps compatible with smartwatches. Creating a smartband doesn’t require new software features, and the manufacturing process must be fairly straightforward for a company accustomed to making watches. Instead of building a watch with a sensor, you simply attach the sensor directly to the strap and send it out into the world. Given this, the Polar and Garmin bands seemed overpriced to me. The Amazfit was much more reasonably priced, and from what I can tell, demand seems to outstrip supply. Good luck finding an Amazfit Helio strap anywhere.

The Fitbit Air finally brings it all together, and Whoop has good reason to be scared.

Google just announced its own smartband, the Fitbit Air , and I think we’re witnessing a rare moment when Google has a good handle on the situation and is delivering exactly what people need. However, I say this with great skepticism—it all depends on how reliable the Health Coach app proves to be with the new app. My tests of an earlier version of Coach weren’t encouraging .

But if the Fitbit Air and its new app live up to Google’s promises, we’ll have a smartband that costs the same ($99) as the Amazfit Helio Strap, but has a much larger customer base and better brand recognition, and a fully featured app that provides analytics and recommendations, just like Whoop.

I’m not saying Google Health will be as good as the Whoop app, but if it’s nearly as good and you only have to pay $99 one time instead of $239 every year, then almost everyone except hardcore athletes will probably prefer Fitbit.

And this is where the next stage of evolution begins. Similar to the trend I observed with smart rings , smart band makers are realizing that hardware isn’t generating enough revenue, and people aren’t willing to pay for subscriptions. The money has to come from somewhere else.

Whoop has already begun repositioning itself as a healthcare company. You can schedule blood tests through the Whoop app , and the company just announced (somewhat defensively, just after the Fitbit Air announcement) that it will offer video consultations with medical specialists as a paid add-on service. Healthcare is a huge market, as American companies have virtually limitless opportunities to profit and address the flaws in our terrible healthcare system.

What would I buy in 2026?

So, right now—or in the near future—we have several smart bracelet options that are suitable. My favorites are the following:

• The current champion is Whoop . It still does a lot that other trackers don’t (like tracking recovery after strength training). If you want the best, I’d still go with Whoop. Upgrade to the Peak subscription ($239/year), as the more expensive Life subscription ($359/year) doesn’t offer any additional features to justify the cost.

• The new Fitbit Air , with the huge caveat that I haven’t tested it yet, and almost no one else has. It’s the most affordable smartband (on par with the $99 Amazfit Helio Strap) and comes with a fully featured app. It’s also compatible with the Pixel watch, so you can use both the smartband and the smartwatch, and they’ll both stream data to the same app for seamless analysis.

• The Amazfit Helio strap , if you can find one. It also costs $99 and is compatible with any Amazfit watch. It’s not as feature-rich as the two mentioned above, but it’s a good basic option.

I would n’t recommend the Polar Loop . It’s too expensive for what you get, and any of the three options above will provide a better experience. I also wouldn’t recommend the Garmin Index sleep tracker unless you’re a Garmin user who just wants something comfortable for sleeping and doesn’t mind the extra cost.

The Luna bracelet, announced at CES, hasn’t yet hit the market, its price is unknown, and there are no smartwatches in the US that work with the Luna app. The Garmin Cirqa bracelet—if it really exists and if it really is a Whoop-style smartband—is unlikely to replace any of my favorites. But I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

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