Which Garmin sports watch to expect next?

Which Garmin or fitness tracker can we expect next? What about later in 2021? Read on for the results of a poll and our thoughts on the subject.

Poll on upcoming Garmin watches

A poll has been posted in a few popular Garmin related Reddit groups, gauging their members opinion on upcoming Garmin releases. Devices that are most likely to see the light of day in the months ahead are included as options, along with an “Other” category. Here are the results at the time of writing this article.

As can be seen from above, more than 300 votes from Garmin fans have been cast so far. Fenix 7 leads the pack with 129 votes, closely followed by Forerunner 955 with 97 votes. A new MARQ watch is in distant third along with Vivoactive 5 each at around 30 votes, followed by Vivosmart 5 with 7 and “Other” with 27 votes.

There are 3 days left so if you’d like to add your voice, the poll can be found on this link. An interesting discussion has also developed on Reddit discussing the results.

Our take on the subject

Are these results realistic? Perhaps not. They may be a mirror of people’s hopes rather than real-world expectations. The release dates of the current version of each of these devices are as follows:

• Vivosmart 4 – September 2018
• MARQ – March 2019
• Forerunner 945 – April 2019
• Fenix 6 – August 2019; Fenix 6/6s Pro Solar July 2020.
• Vivoactive 4 – January 2020

It might be worth adding the Vivofit 4 to this list. The current version was released way back in Q4 2017. It’s questionable whether we will see an update to this one as Garmin doesn’t seem to be that interested in dishing up a fifth generation.

The same is the case with Vivosport. The original was unveiled in Q3 2017 and it was one of the first fitness bands with built-in GPS. It has attracted much interest because of its small form factor and color display. So it is a bit of a surprise we have not seen Vivosport 2 yet. It looks increasingly unlikely we ever will.

Forerunner 955 or MARQ should be next, perhaps Vivoactive 5

The Fenix 7 leads in terms of votes in the poll. However, we are not really expecting it to land at least until this fall. Garmin more or less sticks to a two year gap between subsequent generations. With Enduro just out, it would not make sense to release Fenix 7 in the immediate future. After all Enduro is a Fenix 6X Solar if you take away the Pro features. So we can pretty much scratch that one off the list. At the earliest, Fenix 7 could land in late summer but fall is a more realistic possibility.

What about the Forerunner 955? That one is a much more likely candidate. It did not see an interim edition since it’s official reveal, and there have been a few leaks that an LTE enabled 955 is on the cards. March or April this year would fit nicely in with the two year release window.

Moving on to the Vivoactive 5, and in our view that one is unlikely for at least another 6 months. However MARQ is a realistic possibilty. That one came out before Fenix 6 so is rife for an update.

FCC registration

What adds an interesting spin to the subject is a recent FCC registration. The confidentiality clause on that one runs out on March 8th. Which means would could see a new Garmin watch on that date, although there’s always a possibility to company could extend that deadline.

Speculation is rife that this could be the Forerunner 955 or MARQ. Interestingly, the numbers accompanying the filing hint this is an update to Garmin Descent GPS diving watch, perhaps with a solar display.

Having said that, the documentation reveals the device will have a wide choice of bands. They include Silicone (Carrara White, Carrara White with Rose Gold Hardware, White with Black Hardware, Cerise, Black, Light Sand, Purple Storm, Spearmint, Shale Gray with Amethyst Hardware, Seafoam Blue, Black Silicone), Nylon (Heathered Black With Rose Gold Hardware, Heathered Black with Black Hardware), Leather (Shale Gray Suede), Metal (Rose Gold-tone Stainless Steel).

Why would you need such a wide selection of straps for a divers watch??? So perhaps we can look forward to the Forerunner 955 or MARQ next month. And who knows? We might even see an entirely new Garmin watch model!

Like this article? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and never miss out!