Garmin Forerunner 970 pricing could reflect new US tariffs

Garmin’s upcoming Forerunner 970 might land soon, but it may also arrive with a higher price tag. That’s not just speculation for the sake of it. The company has publicly stated it’s expecting to absorb $100 million in extra costs this year due to fresh import tariffs in the US. Other wearable brands are already adjusting their prices to match the new reality.

Tariffs start to bite for wearables

Withings has confirmed a broad round of price hikes across its US product catalog. Devices like the Body Scan scale and BPM Vision blood pressure monitor are jumping in cost starting May 7. The company was transparent, pointing directly at the tariff policy and explaining that they explored other ways to manage costs before deciding to pass some of that burden onto customers.

Eric Migicovsky, the man behind Pebble, is also bracing for impact. His upcoming Core 2 Duo smartwatch is being built in Shenzhen. To keep prices down, Core Devices plans to bulk import units to the US at factory-level pricing, but even then, a small increase is expected due to a hefty 27.5% tariff rate. That figure might shift again depending on policy changes.

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Garmin’s situation is slightly different. They produce most of their watches in Taiwan, a region that was initially hit with a punishing 32% import tax before it was scaled back to 10%. Even at that lower rate, Garmin says the added cost to its supply chain will be about $100 million in 2025. If the full 32% rate returns, things could get worse.

Forerunner 970 may be first to show the impact

Garmin CEO Clifton Pemble didn’t mention any model by name during the recent shareholder call, but he did make it clear that the company plans “mitigations” to deal with the new financial pressure. While he didn’t spell out what those would be, it’s easy to guess that price increases will be part of the picture.

“We are not ruling anything out, and we intend to be strategic and selective with these actions,” said Pemble.

The Forerunner 970 is looking like it will be the next major Garmin release. We’re expecting it in the weeks ahead, and it makes sense that it could be the first to carry a revised price tag. Its predecessor, the Forerunner 965, launched at $600. That was a 20% bump over the Forerunner 955, though the 965 did throw a bright AMOLED screen into the mix.

The 970 is expected to scale things back, returning to a more battery-friendly MIP display like the one used on the 955. That makes a price increase harder to justify purely on new features, especially since the only major upgrade we’re expecting is a refreshed Elevate heart rate sensor. Even so, if Garmin decides to offset the impact of tariffs, the 970 could land above the 955’s $500 launch price. Perhaps closer to $550 or a little more.

A $50 increase might not seem drastic on its own, but it sets a precedent. If Garmin applies a similar percentage bump across its lineup, higher-end models like the Fenix series could see much steeper climbs. That’s where the effect of a 10% or higher tariff starts to really add up.

More uncertainty to come

This all stems from a policy shift announced in early April. A blanket 10% tariff was introduced on all US imports, with steeper levies applied to dozens of countries. A temporary 90-day pause has delayed some of those charges, but not all. Garmin’s current financial planning is based on the assumption that Taiwan’s rate stays at 10%. If it reverts to the earlier 32%, the impact on pricing could go well beyond one watch.

For now, the Forerunner 970 may be the canary in the coal mine. If its sticker price comes in higher than expected, it will be a signal that Garmin’s pricing strategy has shifted. And that could ripple through to other product lines later in the year.

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