Garmin CIRQA, EU iPhone Perks, Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro: Weekly Roundup

Three stories moved the needle this week in endurance tech. Garmin quietly confirmed hardware discount codes inside Connect+, the subscription tier that launched in 2025 at around $6.99 per month. Pair that with two other Connect changes tied to a screenless device and the picture gets clearer: CIRQA, Garmin's rumored band, is close, and the subscription is being shaped to bundle with it.

On the regulatory front, Brussels handed EU Garmin owners two features that Apple Watch users have held for years. Reply-from-wrist and Live Activities both arrive via iOS 26.5, pending a Garmin firmware update. UK and US accounts get nothing, a direct result of the EU Digital Markets Act forcing Apple to open its iPhone APIs to third-party wearables. For an EU athlete running with a Fenix 8 or Forerunner 965, this is a real quality-of-life upgrade, the kind of friction removal that used to make Apple Watch the default recommendation for iPhone users.

The Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro is the most ambitious watch the brand has shipped in years. Titanium case, sapphire crystal, and a price that reportedly jumped fifty percent over its predecessor. Tested against Garmin, Polar, and Stryd references across running, cycling, and swimming, it signals Amazfit is targeting the same shelf space as the Forerunner 965 and Polar Vantage V3 rather than undercutting them on cost.

What these three stories share is positioning pressure. Garmin is tightening the Connect+ value loop ahead of a new hardware launch. EU regulation is eroding the iPhone ecosystem moat that made Apple Watch sticky for triathletes who need seamless phone integration. And Amazfit is proving that the mid-tier is crowding fast.

Watch this space. CIRQA, the EU firmware drop, and full Cheetah 2 Pro test data are all landing in the next few weeks.