No mention of solar model in Garmin Forerunner 955 agency listing
A new database entry on the Singapore Government agency website lists the Garmin Forerunner 955, but not the solar model of the same. This and other evidence raises the question whether there will be a solar model when the device launches, reportedly in a few weeks time.
Just the other day we wrote about a similar mention of the Forerunner 255 on Singapore’s Telecoms Licensing System website. That one revealed four models of the 255 including a large and small variant. Both of these will come in a non-music (with Bluetooth and ANT+) and music (Bluetooth, ANT+, WiFi) option. The actual sizes of the devices are not yet known, but if Garmin follows Fenix 7 dimensions we could be looking at a 42mm and 47mm Forerunner 255.
Agency adds Garmin Forerunner 955 to its database
At the time we were wondering why the Forerunner 955 was not listed amongst the other Garmin watches. Rumours are that both the 255 and 955 will launch on the same day, reportedly on June 1st. This is according to a Redditor who spotted an email Garmin sent to retailers when visiting a German tech store.
Well, now the Singapore agency has finally added the Forerunner 955 to their database. The only detail revealed is that it will have support for ANT+, Bluetooth and WiFi.
What’s more interesting, though, is that there is just one model that is listed. So no mention of the rumoured solar variant of the same. Also, don’t be hopeful about multiple size options. Like on the current models, we are only getting one. For reference, the Forerunner 945 comes in a 47mm case, the 945 LTE in a 44.4mm case.
This actually tallies with warranty information we spotted a few weeks ago released by a local authorised distributor of Garmin products. Along with a few yet-to-be announced products such as Instinct Analog, Vivomove Trend and Austin, they mention the Forerunner 955 but not 955 Solar.
We may not get a solar model, at least not initially
So where did the information about a solar model come from? It turns out that the first mention of this was on a Swedish retailer website a couple of months back. The listing was briefly up before being pulled down. Not really very much evidence of the existence of that model, most would agree. The other mention was by the German Redditor.
All of this makes it unclear whether there will be a solar variant of the Forerunner 955. It might be the case that we will only see the Forerunner 955 in a few weeks time along with the four iterations of the 255.
In a way this makes sense. The 955 is a cheaper version of the Fenix. Pretty much the same thing but in a plastic case. If you really want solar you can always opt for the more pricey Fenix watch.
So far no device in the Forerunner line has the ability to convert the sun’s rays into electricity. It would be a first. If we do see a Forerunner 955 Solar, it might follow at a later stage. Perhaps even next year. That is the route Garmin took when it released the Forerunner 945 and 945 LTE.
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As far as specs we are expecting, the Forerunner 955 will reportedly get native support for running power, along with most of the advanced performance metrics already available on Fenix 7. And rest assured that any extras that it does get over the Fenix 7 or Epix 2 will trickle to these watches via software updates.
Not long to go now before the official reveal. No doubt, as June approaches more information will become available. There is a lot of anticipation as it has been about three years since the original Forerunner 945 saw the light of day.
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