The system information screen now identifies the software as Zepp OS 6. This was expected eventually, as the Active 3 Premium appeared on Zepp Health’s Zepp OS 6 rollout schedule, but the new firmware suggests the rollout has now started.

More than an OS update

Firmware 6.2.204.3 also adds support for compatible rowing machines over Bluetooth FTMS. This allows equipment such as the Concept2 RowErg to send metrics including power and distance directly to the watch during a workout.

Pool swimming gets an improvement as well. Users can now manually mark rest periods during a session, allowing the watch to distinguish between swimming and recovery rather than treating the workout as one uninterrupted activity. Swim and rest segments then appear separately in the workout data.

There is also a new Always Lock option for the touchscreen during workouts. With it enabled, touch controls remain disabled while the watch can still be operated using its physical buttons. That should help with accidental touches during swimming, wet weather and other activities where touchscreen controls are not particularly useful.

Zepp Health has also tweaked terrain maps, with improvements to zooming and map interaction. It follows earlier navigation work on the watch, including changes introduced through previous Active 3 Premium firmware updates.

Zepp OS 6 rollout continues

The Active 3 Premium joins a growing list of Amazfit watches moving onto the latest platform. We have already covered the main Zepp OS 6 changes, so there is little need to revisit the entire feature set here.

What is notable is the way Zepp Health has introduced the upgrade. Firmware 6.2.204.3 does not advertise Zepp OS 6 in its release notes, even though the watch itself confirms the change after installation. As usual, Amazfit firmware releases roll out gradually, so version 6.2.204.3 may not appear for every Active 3 Premium owner immediately.

The post Amazfit Active 3 Premium update brings Zepp OS 6 appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

The filing gives away the important part

The FCC equipment authorization was granted on August 5 following an application submitted one day earlier. Garmin describes A05170 simply as a portable digital transceiver, but the accompanying SAR evaluation report explicitly calls it a wrist-worn device that supports no other use conditions.

Inside is a radio package covering LTE-M bands 2, 4 and 12, along with NB-NTN satellite bands 23 and 255. The device also supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ANT/ANT+ and NFC, according to Garmin’s antenna data sheet.

The report says LTE-M can be used for voice transmissions, while the satellite connection is limited to data. That points to phone-free calling when cellular coverage is available and satellite-based communication when it is not, although the documents do not spell out the features Garmin plans to offer.

Garmin tested the device with silicone, heathered black nylon and vented titanium straps. That combination makes a premium outdoor or multisport watch much more likely than a small fitness tracker, but the commercial product name remains absent from every public document.

There is no GNSS transmitter listed, but that does not mean the device lacks GPS. Location receivers generally do not transmit and therefore would not necessarily appear in this part of the FCC filing.

Enduro 4 or Fenix 9?

The filing does not reveal the watch’s commercial name, but Enduro 4 and fēnix 9 are the two most plausible candidates. Our Garmin Connect 5.26 teardown found an Enduro 4 entry with internal ID 5179, although nothing in the app connected that watch directly to LTE or satellite hardware.

A05170 now confirms that Garmin has another wrist-worn device using both technologies, but it does not link the regulatory model to Enduro 4. The similarity between the numbers 5170 and 5179 is interesting, but Garmin’s FCC model numbers and app identifiers do not necessarily match.

Fēnix 9 is just as credible, and perhaps the more natural fit. Garmin introduced LTE calling and inReach satellite communication with the fēnix 8 Pro, so carrying that hardware into the next full fēnix generation would make sense. If A05170 is Enduro 4, it would be the first Enduro with this capability.

What remains hidden

Garmin says the tested unit has the physical, mechanical and thermal characteristics expected from production hardware. That suggests development is well advanced, although it does not confirm that manufacturing has started or that a launch is imminent.

The external photos, internal photos and owner’s manual are being kept confidential until February 1, 2027. Garmin could announce the watch before then, release the documents early or request an extension, so that date should not be treated as a launch deadline.

For now, there is no reliable information on the display, case size, sensors, battery life or price. The solid takeaway is narrower but still interesting: Garmin has another phone-free LTE and satellite watch in the pipeline, and its identity is the only major piece still missing.

This article originally appeared on Gadgets & Wearables, the first media outlet to report the story.

The post Garmin’s next satellite-connected watch appears at the FCC appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

One of the first owners to post detailed impressions said setup was straightforward and that they were quickly using Index 01 to create shopping lists and reminders. More impressively, voice recognition apparently worked well in a noisy train station, which is a useful real-world test for a device built almost entirely around spoken input.

That lines up with what Pebble has claimed from the start. Index 01 is designed to be held close to the mouth, allowing the microphone to focus on nearby speech rather than the wider environment.

The core idea seems to work

Other early reports are positive too. One Android owner said the hardware and software worked smoothly, with commands interpreted quickly and accurately. They had already connected Index 01 to their own server through webhooks and started experimenting with custom actions.

An iPhone user also managed to create reminders through Apple Reminders and Google Tasks once Bluetooth permissions were enabled for the Pebble app.

That flexibility was one of the more interesting parts when Pebble first announced Index 01. The hardware is deliberately simple. Most of the useful stuff happens through the app, where recordings can become notes, reminders and other actions.

There are already a few rough edges, though. One owner found Android music controls noticeably slow, with around four seconds between a double tap and the requested action.

Software is the weak point for now

Several Android users have run into more serious problems. In the growing thread of early owner experiences, some managed to pair the ring but found that recordings were not appearing in the Index feed. One owner fixed an initial pairing issue with a factory reset, only to find that recordings still would not transfer.

Another user reported that onboarding never appeared properly after pairing. That is more annoying on Index 01 than it would be on most wearables because the battery cannot be recharged. Troubleshooting is not going to destroy the battery overnight, but every test still uses part of a finite resource.

Pebble has already warned buyers to expect early software bugs, so none of this is especially surprising. The first production units are effectively showing where the weak spots are.

Sizing may also be inconsistent. One early owner found the production ring much tighter than expected and was glad they had moved up a size. But another owner reported the opposite, saying their production ring felt slightly larger than the sizing model they had used.

That makes it hard to say Index 01 simply runs small. Pebble has advised buyers to size up when uncertain, and these first deliveries suggest that advice is worth taking seriously.

It is still far too early for a verdict. Only a small number of production units are in the wild, and people with problems are naturally more likely to post about them.

Still, the first owner reports answer one useful question. Index 01 does not appear to fall apart once it leaves the demo environment. Voice capture can work well, the integrations look genuinely useful and the open approach gives the ring plenty of room to grow.

For now, the hardware concept looks more convincing than the software supporting it.

The post Pebble Index 01 is finally on fingers and owners are finding some rough edges appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

Familiar hardware carries over

Anyone expecting a major redesign after last year’s Huawei Watch GT 6 series will not find one. The Watch GT 7 again comes in 46mm and 41mm sizes, with 1.47-inch and 1.32-inch AMOLED displays respectively. Both reach 3,000 nits of peak brightness.

The larger model measures 46 x 46 x 10.95mm and weighs 51.3g, while the smaller version measures 41.3 x 41.3 x 9.99mm. Those figures are effectively identical to the previous generation. The standard GT 7 also keeps its stainless steel front case, 5ATM and IP69 water resistance, NFC, microphone and speaker.

GT 7 Pro steps things up with a titanium case, sapphire crystal and ceramic rear. It has a 1.47-inch AMOLED display and weighs 55.5g without the strap. ECG hardware and a depth sensor are also reserved for the Pro, which supports freediving to 40 metres.

Interestingly, there is no sign of the X-Tap sensor Huawei introduced on the Huawei Watch 5. Huawei’s GT 7 Pro specifications list the usual rotating crown and function button rather than the fingertip sensing system found on its more expensive Watch line.

Sports tracking gets more attention

Sports tracking is where Huawei has put most of the work. Running power is now available as a native metric, joined by vertical oscillation and left-right ground contact balance. Offline maps remain available for outdoor training.

Cycling gets climb planning, elevation profiles and sharp-turn warnings. Some of this builds on features introduced with GT 6, which already put a much bigger emphasis on cycling, but Huawei is continuing to broaden the amount of information available during a ride.

Skiing has received an even larger update. Huawei says positioning accuracy has improved through its upgraded Sunflower positioning system and an AI-XDR inertial navigation algorithm. The watches can record turn type, turn count, turn frequency and G-force, while indoor skiing has also been added.

Huawei says maps are available for more than 3,000 ski resorts across 59 countries. That is particularly interesting given that earlier GT 7 leaks pointed towards Huawei putting more emphasis on skiing across its 2026 wearable lineup.

GT 7 Pro also expands its golf features. Users get access to more than 17,000 course maps, along with slope compensation, custom pin positioning and rotatable green views.

Readiness joins Huawei’s health toolkit

Huawei is also introducing a body readiness feature. It combines recent physiological data to give users a morning assessment of how prepared they are for training and recovery. It puts the GT series closer to the readiness-style metrics already offered across Garmin, Oura and several other platforms.

Sleep tracking moves to TruSleep 5.0, with Huawei promising more detailed analysis of sleep structure and stability. The company is also expanding several research-based health features in China, including vascular health and respiratory assessments.

There is also a high blood sugar risk feature, although this should not be confused with direct glucose monitoring. The watch analyses trends in existing physiological data to estimate risk rather than measuring glucose from the wrist.

Battery life improves

Headline battery figures remain up to 21 days for the 46mm GT 7 and GT 7 Pro. Huawei quotes 12 days under typical use and seven days with the always-on display enabled. The smaller 41mm GT 7 reaches up to 14 days, or seven days under typical use.

The more interesting improvement is GPS endurance. Huawei says the larger watches can now reach up to 51 hours in trail running mode, while the 41mm model manages up to 32 hours. GT 6 was already strong here, but the extra endurance should be useful for long hikes, ultras and multi-day outdoor use.

China gets them first

Huawei Watch GT 7 starts at CNY 1,588 in China, while Watch GT 7 Pro starts at CNY 2,688. That represents a modest increase over the launch prices of the GT 6 generation.

The standard GT 7 is expected to go on sale in China on August 14, with GT 7 Pro following on August 28. Huawei has not yet announced international pricing or a global release date.

The post Huawei refreshes Watch GT line with GT 7 and GT 7 Pro appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

8.1

Design 8.0/10

Ease of use 8.0/10

Use of information 8.5/10

Value for money 8.0/10

Pros

• – Continuous ECG recording during exercise
• – Detailed heart rate, HRV and breathing data
• – Up to 30 days of battery life
• – Useful vibration alerts during training
• – More affordable than earlier Frontier devices

Cons

• – Several useful features require Frontier Premium
• – No ANT+ connectivity
• – No built-in GPS

Frontier X review: Design & hardware

If you have seen the Frontier X or X2, there are no surprises here. The Frontier Zone looks virtually identical. The pod is the same size and shape, the button is in the same place and it attaches to the elastic chest strap in exactly the same way. Even the section on the front where the display used to sit is still there. The difference is that it no longer lights up.

Personally, I think that was the right thing to remove. When I reviewed the original Frontier X, I found the display useful for checking things such as battery life and recording status, but not much else. By the time I tested the Frontier X2, I was questioning why it was there at all. Once the device is strapped across your chest, usually underneath a shirt, you cannot really see it while exercising anyway.

So the Zone keeps the same basic design but simplifies it. That works for me. I would much rather Fourth Frontier put the emphasis on battery life and the app than a tiny screen that I rarely looked at.

Wearing it is much like wearing any other heart rate chest strap. The pod snaps firmly onto the two connectors and the elastic band can be tightened or loosened to get the fit right. It needs to sit snugly around the chest for the electrodes to maintain good contact, but I have found the Zone very comfortable. Once I start running, I quickly forget it is there.

That was also one of the strengths of the earlier devices. The pod is a little bigger than what you get with a basic Polar or Garmin chest strap, but the difference feels much less significant when it is actually being worn. It does not bounce around, it’s lightweight and the strap keeps it firmly in position even when the pace picks up.

One thing to watch is the orientation of the pod. The button needs to face down when you are wearing it. It is easy enough once you know, but because the design is fairly symmetrical I can see someone getting this wrong at first.

Build quality feels good. The casing is plastic and very functional looking, rather than something designed to win beauty contests, but it feels tough. My old Frontier devices have taken plenty of use over the years, and there is nothing about the Zone that makes me think this one will be any different.

Control is still handled by the single physical button on the underside. That keeps things simple. You can switch the device on, start and stop recordings and mark events without reaching for your phone. The button is perhaps not as responsive as I would like it to be, so you have to make sure to press hard. There are also LED indicators and vibration feedback to tell you what is happening.

Water resistance remains at IP67. That is more than enough for sweat, rain and everyday training, and Fourth Frontier also lists swimming among the activities the Zone can track. For swimming, the company recommends wearing it under something tight fitting to keep the pod firmly against the chest.

Overall, Fourth Frontier has mostly stuck with a design that already worked well. The Zone stays firmly in place, it is very comfortable to wear and the controls are simple enough to get used to quickly.

If I could change one thing, I would have liked Fourth Frontier to make the pod a little smaller now that the screen has gone. The current size is not a problem and I barely notice it once I start exercising, but a slightly more compact body would have made the redesign feel a bit more complete.

Setup and everyday use

Getting started with the Frontier Zone is very easy. Pairing it with the Fourth Frontier app takes only a few minutes, and after that I have found daily use simple and seamless.

As before, there are several ways to use it. You can pair the Zone with the iOS or Android app and control your workouts from there, or leave the phone behind and let the device record everything to its onboard memory. Once you are finished, the session syncs back to the app.

My favourite option remains using it as an external heart rate monitor. The Zone can broadcast heart rate over Bluetooth to compatible watches, bike computers and other fitness equipment, while continuing to record its own more detailed data in the background. This means you can see your heart rate on a Garmin or another device during the workout, then open the Fourth Frontier app afterwards for the ECG and other analysis.

You can connect the Zone to a smartphone and up to two other devices at the same time. That is probably more than most people will ever need, but it gives you plenty of flexibility if you use a watch alongside other training equipment.

Frontier Zone

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View on Fourth Frontier

There is still no ANT+ support, so everything runs through Bluetooth. That is unlikely to cause problems for most newer watches and fitness equipment, although ANT+ would still be useful for cyclists and anyone with older training gear.

Also there’s no built-in GPS. But the device can piggy back on a connected watch’s GPS, or use the smartphone signal.

Battery life

Battery life is one of the areas where the Frontier Zone has taken a proper step forward. Fourth Frontier rates it for up to 30 days with typical use, compared with around 14 days for the Frontier X2. It also says a full charge can last up to seven days if the device is recording continuously.

In the month or so of use, my experience has been excellent. The long runtime means charging is something I rarely have to think about, which is exactly what you want from a chest strap. You can use it for multiple workouts, throw it back in your sports bag and not immediately wonder whether there will be enough battery left for the next session.

Of course, getting anywhere near the quoted 30 days will depend on how often and how long you record. Someone using it for an hour a few times per week will see very different results from someone recording long endurance sessions every day. Even so, the improvement over the previous generation is noticeable.

The move to USB-C also makes charging less of a hassle when you eventually need to do it. For me, the combination of much longer runtime and a more convenient charging connection is one of the most useful hardware upgrades on the Zone.

How it compares with a normal chest strap

If all you want is accurate heart rate during exercise, there is no real reason to buy the Frontier Zone. A good Polar, Garmin or other chest strap will give you very accurate heart rate for considerably less money, and some also give you ANT+ alongside Bluetooth.

The Zone earns its higher price by doing something quite different. As I found with the original Frontier X and later the Frontier X2, the interesting part is not really heart rate at all.

What makes the Zone unusual is that it continuously records your ECG while you exercise. From that signal, Fourth Frontier produces data you simply do not get from a normal chest strap. That includes Cardiac Strain, Cardiac Rhythm, breathing rate, HRV, Body Shock and Training Load.

Cardiac Strain is probably the standout. It looks at changes in the ST segment of your ECG during exercise and can alert you with a vibration when the reading crosses a threshold you have set. In other words, the Zone is looking at how your heart is responding to the workload, rather than simply telling you that it is beating at 160 bpm. That remains one of the most interesting things about Fourth Frontier’s approach.

Frontier Zone

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View on Fourth Frontier

Cardiac Rhythm adds another layer. After a session, you can go through your ECG and see sections classified as normal sinus rhythm or other rhythm. If something catches your attention, you can zoom into the ECG trace and look at what was happening at that point in the workout.

There is also a completely different way to use the Zone. You can start a long continuous ECG recording outside of exercise and capture up to 24 hours of data. If you feel something unusual during that period, pressing the button places a marker in the recording so you can find that moment later. ECG recordings can also be exported as PDFs, which makes them much easier to share with a doctor if there is something you want checked.

That is quite different from the ECG feature on most smartwatches. An Apple Watch, Garmin or Samsung watch typically asks you to sit still and deliberately take a short ECG reading. The Zone can simply keep recording in the background. If something happens unexpectedly, there is at least a chance it has already been captured rather than you trying to take a reading after the event has passed.

Body Shock is another metric I have always liked on Fourth Frontier devices. It measures the impact from each foot strike and plots how that changes during a run. If the numbers start climbing as you tire, it can be a useful indication that your form is beginning to deteriorate. Again, that is not something you are going to get from an ordinary heart rate strap.

That is really the buying decision. If you just want reliable heart rate on your Garmin, Polar or bike computer, save your money and buy a normal chest strap. If you want to dig much deeper into what is happening with your heart and body during exercise, the Zone offers a level of information that ordinary chest straps simply do not provide.

Other training insights and Zone 2

The clue is in the name. Fourth Frontier is putting much more emphasis on training zones with the Zone, and this is probably the biggest change in how the company is positioning the device. 

This training feature is one of the things I have enjoyed most about using the Frontier Zone. You are not limited to Zone 2 either. The same system can be used to keep you within other training zones, but Zone 2 is where I found it particularly useful.

In my case, my Zone 2 range was roughly 119 to 131 bpm. If my heart rate dropped below 119, the device would give me an occasional vibration, roughly every 30 seconds or so, reminding me to pick up my running pace. If I went above 131 and crossed into Zone 3, I would get two vibrations instead.

It sounds simple, but it works surprisingly well. After a while you stop thinking about pace or constantly checking your watch. One vibration and I would instinctively speed up. Two vibrations and I would ease off. It becomes almost automatic.

That was particularly useful for me because I am not naturally very good at Zone 2 training. I tend to start slowly and then gradually push the pace until I am running harder than I intended. With the Zone, I could concentrate on the run rather than repeatedly looking at my wrist and trying to keep my heart rate inside a narrow range.

Fourth Frontier is also doing more here than simply taking a percentage of your maximum heart rate and calling it Zone 2. Heart rate can gradually drift upwards even when your actual effort has not changed much, particularly during long runs or rides.

With Frontier Premium, the company estimates VT1 and VT2, the first and second ventilatory thresholds, using breathing information collected during exercise. Those thresholds can then be used to create more personalised training zones.

Beyond that, there is another way to use the alerts. Instead of keeping you inside a training zone, you can set them to warn you about unusual cardiac strain or breathing rate.

Cardiac Strain is particularly interesting. Fourth Frontier bases this on changes in the ST segment of the ECG, which can be associated with the heart working under increased strain and, in some circumstances, reduced oxygen supply to the heart muscle. The Zone can vibrate when the reading moves beyond a threshold you have set, giving you a real-time warning to ease off rather than only discovering it afterwards in the app.

There are other training features too, including VO₂ Max, readiness and oxygen-uptake analysis through Frontier Premium. Those are useful additions, but for me the vibration-based zone guidance is much more interesting. Plenty of watches can estimate VO₂ Max. Far fewer can quietly keep you inside a training zone without forcing you to keep looking at a screen.

Heart rate and ECG accuracy

Heart rate accuracy was one of the strongest points of the previous Fourth Frontier devices, and my experience with the Zone has been much the same. I compared the device with Polar OH1 and found very little difference between the two. Maximum heart rate was usually identical or within 1 bpm, while the average on the Frontier tended to come out only 2 to 3 bpm lower over a 5K run.

That is not particularly surprising. Unlike the optical sensor on the back of a watch, the Zone measures the electrical activity of the heart directly from the chest, which tends to hold up much better when intensity changes quickly or there is a lot of movement.

That contact point is worth keeping in mind. As with most electrical chest straps, I find it best to slightly dampen the electrodes before putting the Zone on, particularly if I am starting an easy session where it might take a while to work up a sweat. So that’s something to keep in mind.

The more interesting part, though, is ECG accuracy. The Zone records a single-lead ECG from the chest and Fourth Frontier says the signal resembles the V5 position of a conventional 12-lead ECG. That is a very different setup from the short ECG spot checks you get from most watches, because the Zone can continue recording while you run, cycle, sleep or simply go about your day.

I cannot independently verify the ECG against hospital equipment, and I said the same thing in my earlier reviews. What I can say is that I have compared the traces with other ECG-capable devices I own and the waveforms have always looked convincing and consistent. More importantly, the signal remains usable while exercising, which is where wrist-based ECG devices are of little help because they generally require you to stop moving and touch the watch with your other hand.

There is some useful outside evidence here, although it needs to be put in context. A published study on home-based exercise for people with pulmonary hypertension used the original Frontier X to continuously monitor single-lead ECG, heart rate and respiratory rate during remotely supervised exercise. Another published case report described a young competitive runner whose episodes of rapid heart rhythm were captured using a Frontier X after conventional assessments had failed to catch them.

IIt is also worth noting what has not been established. A 2024 expert consensus statement in Sports Medicine discussed the Frontier X2 as a potentially useful sports ECG recorder but said the authors could not find published studies confirming the reliability of its ECG recordings at the time. So while Fourth Frontier has done validation work elsewhere in its product range, I would not describe the consumer Zone as a replacement for a clinical ECG or Holter monitor. Fourth Frontier itself sells the Zone as a health and fitness device rather than a diagnostic product.

For normal training, though, I have a lot of confidence in the heart rate data. And the real advantage remains the same as it was with the other Fourth Frontier device: accurate heart rate is only the starting point. The ability to record the underlying ECG continuously while exercising is what makes the Zone interesting.

Frontier Premium, the app, web dashboard

The Fourth Frontier app remains a comprehensive part of the experience. There is a large amount of information available after a workout, including detailed charts, alerts, ECG data and workout summaries. You can also compare sessions and get plain-English feedback on how the workout went.

For me, though, the web dashboard is still the better place to dig into the data.There is simply more room to work with, particularly when looking through ECG traces and detailed charts.

Frontier Zone

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View on Fourth Frontier

The dashboard also gives you tools such as zooming and the caliper, along with the Health Trends section that starts to become more useful once you have accumulated a few weeks of data. The phone app is great for quick checks, but if you enjoy digging into numbers, the web dashboard is where the Frontier platform really comes into its own.

The lower price of the Frontier Zone comes with an important catch. Fourth Frontier has moved some functionality that was included with the earlier devices behind its Frontier Premium subscription. In the US, this currently costs $14.99 per month or $119.99 per year, with a seven-day trial.

The basic Zone still gives you plenty without paying anything extra. Continuous ECG recording, heart rate, breathing rate, HRV, Training Load and Cardiac Strain are all there. So this is not a case where the hardware becomes severely limited if you decide not to subscribe.

Premium is where the newer training features come in. It adds VO₂ Max, Readiness Score, oxygen uptake analysis, VT1 and VT2 zones and sleep-stage analysis.

There is an important difference compared with the Frontier X2, though. Live ECG streaming, downloading and sharing ECG reports, and Garmin Connect integration were standard features on the X2. With the Frontier Zone, you need Premium to access them.

I am a little less enthusiastic about that part of the subscription. When I reviewed the original Frontier X, being able to share an ECG recording or have someone monitor it remotely was one of the more unusual features of the device. Garmin integration is also genuinely useful if, like me, you already do most of your training with a Garmin watch.

On the other hand, the Zone costs considerably less to buy than the earlier Frontier hardware, so there is a trade-off here. You can buy the device and use all the core heart-monitoring features without a subscription, then add Premium if you want the more advanced training and sharing features.

The post Frontier Zone review: ECG training without the premium price appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

The latest information comes from a full specification sheet published by Dealabs, along with leaked marketing material. Of course, the Google has not announced the watch yet, so these remain known leaked specifications rather than confirmed final details.

Pixel Watch 5 is expected to debut at Google’s August 12 event, with earlier information pointing to pre-orders on August 13 and a retail release on August 20. We previously covered the expected Pixel Watch 5 release date and pricing, but the new material gives us a much clearer idea of what buyers will get for their money.

The hardware story is small but not empty

The processor is not quite the straight carry-over it first appeared to be. The new specification sheet names it as the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 Accelerated, paired with a Cortex-M55 coprocessor.

Qualcomm has not announced a chip under that name, so the word “Accelerated” is doing a fair amount of work here. An earlier Google Play Console listing showed the same SW5100 platform, four Cortex-A53 cores running at 1.7GHz and Adreno 702 graphics at 1GHz.

That suggests Google may be using a tuned or revised version of the existing platform rather than a different chip architecture. It could still bring better performance, but there is not enough information yet to say how much faster it will be.

The more straightforward upgrades are RAM and storage. Pixel Watch 5 reportedly moves from 2GB to 3GB of RAM, while storage doubles from 32GB to 64GB.

The extra RAM could prove more useful than the storage increase. It should give Wear OS 7 and Gemini Intelligence more room to operate, particularly when the watch is handling workouts, music and background health tracking at the same time.

Battery capacity also rises slightly. The 41mm model moves from 325mAh to 332mAh, while the 45mm version increases from 455mAh to 465mAh.

Despite those larger cells, Google still quotes 30 hours with the always-on display enabled for the smaller watch and 40 hours for the larger model. Battery Saver remains rated at 48 and 72 hours respectively, so this does not look like a meaningful endurance upgrade.

There is another hardware change hiding in the box. Pixel Watch 5 comes with a second-generation Sport Band made from HNBR, replacing the fluoroelastomer Active Band supplied with Pixel Watch 4.

HNBR is commonly used where resistance to heat, oils, sweat and ageing is important. That sounds sensible for a watch band, although we will need to handle it before knowing whether it feels softer, stiffer or more comfortable.

Most of the remaining hardware stays familiar. Pixel Watch 5 retains the 41mm and 45mm sizes, the 3,000-nit Actua 360 LTPO AMOLED display, 5 ATM and IP68 protection, Bluetooth 6.0, Wi-Fi, NFC and UWB.

The physical design also looks virtually unchanged from the Pixel Watch 5 renders that leaked in July. Google is sticking with the domed display, rounded case, digital crown and side-mounted charging contacts introduced with Pixel Watch 4.

Google’s official Pixel Watch 4 specifications confirm just how much has carried over. Watch 4 already includes Bluetooth 6.0, Wi-Fi 6, ultra-wideband, Satellite SOS, dual-frequency GPS and the same health sensor categories.

The Pixel Watch 5 document adds BeiDou and QZSS to the satellite positioning list. That could represent broader navigation support, although it may simply be a more complete description of capabilities that Google did not list on the Watch 4 product page.

Google is selling software

With the hardware barely changing, Google is making software the main Pixel Watch 5 story. Gemini Intelligence is pitched as a proactive assistant that can surface useful information and offer context-aware replies through a feature called Proactive Suggestions.

There are several catches in the small print. It needs a compatible Android phone with Gemini Intelligence, availability varies by country and language, and it is limited to users aged 18 or over. Google also says some features may require a subscription for extended use.

Sleep tracking gets the other big upgrade. Google says it has improved sleep-stage accuracy using an algorithm validated against reference measurements and compared with its latest sleep tracking across compatible Pixel and Fitbit devices. The watch tracks sleep stages and breathing rate, then combines them into a personalised sleep score.

That data feeds into Morning Insights, which brings together wellness indicators, readiness, a detailed sleep summary and the weather. Google says the feature requires the Google Health app, and some information may appear in the app rather than directly on the watch.

Loss of Pulse Detection is also pushed heavily, with Google calling Pixel Watch 5 the only watch that can detect a loss of pulse and automatically call for help. It is not new to this generation, though, as Pixel Watch 4 already supports it in selected markets.

The higher price is the awkward part

The leaked US price starts at $399 for the 41mm Wi-Fi model, rising to $499 with LTE. The 45mm versions are expected to cost $429 and $529.

Pixel Watch 4 launched at $349 and $449 for the smaller Wi-Fi and LTE models. The larger watch started at $399 and $499, so Pixel Watch 5 appears to bring a $50 increase to the 41mm versions and a $30 increase to the 45mm ones. Google’s official Watch 4 launch announcement confirms those previous prices.

That makes the 45mm Pixel Watch 5 look like the better value within the new range. An extra $30 buys the larger display, the 465mAh battery and the longer 40-hour rating, while the gap between the two case sizes shrinks to only $30.

The early reaction on social media has been fairly predictable. Some users see the unchanged design and processor as another small annual refresh, while others say they would rather Google introduce a rugged model or make a meaningful jump in battery life.

That is probably the fairest way to frame Pixel Watch 5 before launch. It may become the better watch once Google explains its software changes, but the known hardware does not give Pixel Watch 4 owners an obvious reason to move.

The post Pixel Watch 5 vs 4: Leaked specs point to a costly small upgrade appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

There is little doubt over the identity of SM-R391. Samsung’s own FCC documentation repeatedly uses the name “FIT4”, while the current Galaxy Fit3 carries model number SM-R390. The filing received final FCC approval on August 4.

That takes the Galaxy Fit 4 beyond the rumour stage. Samsung has working hardware going through regulatory testing, and some of the documents give us a surprisingly detailed snapshot of what was sitting on the test bench in July.

The test unit looks fairly far along

An interesting detail comes from the EMC report. Samsung submitted hardware marked REV2.0 running software version R391XXU0AZG2. The test lab received the sample on July 15 and carried out its EMC testing on July 20, while Bluetooth testing followed on July 22 and 23.

That does not tell us Samsung has finished the retail hardware, but REV2.0 is at least consistent with a device that has moved beyond an initial engineering prototype. The timing also fits with earlier reports suggesting Samsung could launch the band in the coming months.

The new FCC drawing suggests Samsung is not tearing up the Fit3 design. The back again has a central optical sensor area, two charging contacts and release mechanisms for the straps. There is also a physical button along the edge. From what we can see, this looks much more like an evolution of the Fit3 than another big design shift.

That is probably sensible. The Fit3 already moved the range much closer to smartwatch territory with its large 1.6-inch AMOLED display and aluminium body. Its basic hardware still holds up reasonably well against inexpensive fitness bands from Xiaomi, Huawei and others.

Samsung is testing four charging bases

The deeper test reports also reveal something that has not received much attention elsewhere. The Fit 4 sample uses an EVE battery carrying model number HQ-8339EV. Unfortunately, there is no capacity listed, so we cannot yet tell whether Samsung has increased the 208mAh battery used in the Fit3.

Samsung also supplied four different charging bases for certification testing. They come from Shenzhen Pomagtor Precision Electronics, Huizhou Juwei Electronics, Saibao Jiangxi Industrial and Huizhou Washin Electronics. The report says every charging base was tested, although only the worst-case result was recorded.

That probably does not point to four different chargers being sold with the band. A more likely explanation is that Samsung has qualified several suppliers to manufacture the same accessory. Still, it gives us a little more evidence that the Fit 4 supply chain is already taking shape.

For comparison, the current Galaxy Fit3 has a 208mAh battery rated for up to 13 days. Battery capacity is therefore one of the specifications worth watching when more Fit 4 documentation appears.

Bluetooth 5.4 is confirmed but GPS is not settled

The main wireless upgrade is straightforward. Samsung’s SAR report lists Bluetooth 5.4 with BR/EDR and Bluetooth Low Energy support across the 2.4GHz band. The Fit3 uses Bluetooth 5.3.

There is no FCC evidence of Wi-Fi, NFC, LTE or UWB. All of the transmitting radios covered by the filing operate between 2402 and 2480MHz, so Samsung appears to be keeping the Fit 4 on the simpler side of its wearable range.

GPS is a different story. Some coverage of the filing has stated that the Galaxy Fit 4 does not have built-in GPS, but the FCC documents do not actually establish that. The absence of a GNSS transmitter listing is not enough to rule it out because satellite positioning is receive-only.

That leaves GPS as one of the biggest unanswered questions. The Fit3 relies on a connected phone for positioning, while some rival fitness bands now offer standalone satellite tracking. Adding it would make Fit 4 much more of an upgrad

More details are being kept under wraps

There is plenty Samsung is not ready to show yet. The external photos, internal photos, test setup images, quick-start guide and full user manual have all been granted short-term confidentiality. The FCC database currently lists January 31, 2027 as their public availability date. Samsung’s confidentiality request specifies a 180-day period from the equipment authorization grant.

That date should not be taken as a release date. Manufacturers regularly request the maximum confidentiality window and can have the material released sooner when a product launches.

For now, the FCC filing gives us a useful halfway point. The Galaxy Fit 4 is real, Samsung has REV2.0 hardware under test, Bluetooth 5.4 is confirmed and production components such as the EVE battery and several charging-base suppliers have already been documented. What we still do not know is arguably more interesting, particularly battery capacity, standalone GPS, sensor upgrades and whether Samsung plans to keep the Fit3’s aggressive pricing.

The post Samsung Galaxy Fit 4 leak reveals Bluetooth upgrade but leaves GPS unanswered appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

8.7

Design 8.5/10

Ease of use 9.0/10

Use of information 9.0/10

Value for money 8.0/10

Pros

• – Moves around the court
• – Reactive timing creates more natural rallies
• – Much more engaging than a conventional ball machine
• – Extensive control over placement, speed, spin and height
• – Useful shot maps and training statistics
• – Can also work as a stationary ball machine

Cons

• – Slightly awkward to transport over longer distances
• – Pricey

Design and setup

The Acemate S10 does not look like a normal ball machine. It looks more like a small tennis robot, complete with two camera “eyes” at the front and four chunky wheels underneath. The frog comparison is hard to avoid, although the design makes more sense once you see it sliding sideways across the court.

I have used quite a few ball machines over the years, including the Slinger Bag for a couple of years and, more recently, the PongBot Pace S Pro. The S10 is easily the most ambitious of them in terms of what it tries to do on court.

At 17.8 kg, the S10 is actually lighter than many other ball machines. If you are taking it to the court by car or another mode of transport, it will be an easy job. It is compact enough to lift in and out without too much trouble.

Where it gets a little awkward is moving it any real distance on foot. There is no telescopic handle, so I usually extend the poles slightly and pull it along that way. It works, but a proper suitcase-style handle would make life easier. You can also drive it using the app, although that is more useful for moving it around the court than getting it from A to B.

Once it is on court, the four Mecanum wheels come into their own. The S10 can move sideways, diagonally and forwards without first turning its body. Watching it in action for the first time is slightly surreal, particularly when it starts tracking a return and positioning itself behind the incoming ball.

The main unit feels very solid, although a few areas are less convincing. The removable hopper clips onto the sides and is easy enough to fit, but it does not feel quite as robust as the rest of the machine.

Then there is the optional catching net. Putting it together for the first time takes some patience. The telescopic poles also feel noticeably more delicate than the main machine, and this is one part of the S10 I would be careful with. I quickly learned to hold each section near the bottom while extending or collapsing it rather than simply pulling from the top.

The good news is that you do not need to dismantle the entire structure after every session. The poles retract, and the frame folds down into something much easier to transport. Once I had done it a couple of times, setting up the net took less than a minute.

Acemate tennis robot S10

At checkout use code “G&W01” for a $50 discount.

View at Acemate

With the net extended, the S10 becomes a fairly substantial presence on court. It also attracts attention. I have had people on neighbouring courts looking over to see what it is doing, which is hardly surprising when a tennis robot suddenly starts racing sideways across the baseline. I have even seen passers-by stop to take photos. People tend to look slightly mesmerised by it.

That said, you can use the S10 without the net. In that configuration it is much more low-key and looks closer to a conventional ball machine.

As far as the device itself – there are very few built-in controls. There’s a power-on button, LED indicator and below it a little display that shows the battery life. That’s pretty much it. So you need the smartphone app while on court in order to communicate with the device.

The software setup is straightforward. You need to download the Acemate app, connect it to the robot and install any available firmware updates before getting started. That was pretty seamless for me.

Unboxing and attaching everything for the first time takes a bit of effort, especially if you try to work it out without help. The official Acemate setup video on YouTube makes the process much easier. With that playing beside me, I had the S10 assembled, connected and ready to use in around 15 minutes.

Battery life, noise

Official specs rate battery life at around 90 minutes in rally mode and up to two hours when the S10 is used more like a conventional ball machine. Which does not sound like very much.

But in practice I found the S10 used roughly 40% of its battery per hour. That is because you are not hitting continuously. There are pauses to collect stray balls, change drills, adjust settings and take a breather.

Based on my testing, I think you could get around two and a half hours of practice without much trouble. Which is plenty. In the month or so that I have been testing the robot, I never felt constrained by battery life.

Charging can be done by plugging the charging cord into the port in the machine. The other option is to open the hatch and remove the battery and plug it into the charging cord. Once refuelled, simply return the battery to its home.

When you power it on, one of the first things you notice is how quiet the S10 is. The motor makes almost no noise, and I could barely hear it while it was feeding balls. You mainly hear a slight whooshing sound as the balls come out, which is far less intrusive than I expected from something this large and mechanically complex.

The wheels are a little louder once the S10 starts moving around the court. The sound is similar to pulling a suitcase on wheels, especially when it slides sideways or accelerates towards a return. Even then, though, it is not particularly loud. I would have no concerns using it on a court next to other players.

How the Acemate S10 works

So what makes the Acemate S10 different from other machines? Plenty.

The basic idea is quite simple. Instead of standing in one place and firing balls at fixed intervals, the S10 watches where the ball goes, moves across the court and sends the next one back at a more natural moment.

There are two 4K cameras on the front of the robot. These track the ball, recognise the court and work out where your shots are heading. The four Mecanum wheels then allow the S10 to slide sideways or diagonally, and it is surprisingly quick once it is moving.

Before starting a session, you place it around the middle of the opposite baseline and let the app check its position. This only takes a few moments, and I found the cameras are very quick to recognise the court and confirm that everything is lined up correctly.

The clever part is the timing. The robot does not immediately fire another ball as soon as yours crosses the net. It waits until roughly the point where another player would make contact. A slower return gives you more time, while a harder shot brings the next ball back sooner.

That might sound like a small detail, but it changes the whole feel of the session. With a normal ball machine, you quickly fall into a fixed rhythm because you know when the next ball is coming and exactly where it is coming from. It can get repetitive pretty quickly.

With the S10, I found myself recovering, split-stepping and preparing for the next shot in a much more natural way. And because the device itself moves, the next ball is not always coming from exactly the same position on the other side of the court.

Most importantly, with stationary tennis machines it feels like work after a while. Here it feels like fun. And that is perhaps the most important difference.

As an added bonus, when the catching net is attached and the feature is enabled in the app, the robot tries to collect your return and feed it back into the system. Which is interesting in itself.

It still does not feel exactly like playing another person. The shots are generated by software, and there is no disguise or improvisation. Even so, the combination of movement and reactive timing makes it feel far less mechanical than what you get with a traditional ball machine.

Training modes and custom drills

The S10 gives you three main ways to train. There is a drill mode for working on specific shot patterns, a rally mode where the robot tries to keep the point going, and a conventional ball-machine mode where it stays in one place and feeds balls at fixed intervals.

I spent most of my time in drill and rally modes because those are what separate the S10 from a normal ball machine. In drill mode, I could choose where the robot sent the ball and define the area I was supposed to hit in return. The app then scored the session based on how accurately I found that target. This was particularly addictive. I found it pushed me to repeat the same drill in order to try and improve the score.

Rally mode feels less structured. Instead of repeating a fixed pattern, the S10 moves around its selected area and reacts to where I hit the ball. It tries to keep the rally going.

Acemate tennis robot S10

At checkout use code “G&W01” for a $50 discount.

View at Acemate

The standard ball-machine mode is more familiar. The S10 stays in one position, and you can set the direction, pace, spin, height and time between feeds. It is useful for working on one stroke repeatedly, and it also gives the robot a fallback role when I do not need the cameras or movement.

There are around 50 pre-installed drills in the app, covering forehands, backhands, volleys, baseline patterns and changes of depth. They are fine for getting started. The default feeds are also mostly flat, so I quickly moved on to creating my own drills.

The customisation is one of the stronger parts of the S10. You can build a sequence of up to 10 different balls, then adjust the landing position, speed, spin and height for each one. It takes a little trial and error because a setting that looks right in the app does not always produce the exact ball you expect on court.

You might find it easier to create the basic drill at home, then fine-tune it once you are actually playing. A ball might arrive too high, land too short or carry more than expected, so you can stop the session, adjust the individual feed and try again. Once saved, the drill is ready for future sessions.

The on-court experience

What surprised me most was how quickly the S10 stopped feeling like a gadget I was testing. After a few minutes, I was simply playing tennis and trying to keep the rally going.

The timing makes a bigger difference than I expected. Because the next feed reacts to my return rather than following a fixed interval, I had time to recover, split-step and prepare properly. With a conventional ball machine, it is easy to fall into an artificial rhythm. The S10 felt much closer to the timing of hitting with another player.

Once the novelty wore off, I found myself concentrating less on the robot and more on my footwork, recovery and shot placement. That is probably the biggest compliment I can give it. The S10 soon felt like part of the session rather than a device sitting at the other end of the court.

As a mid-intermediate player, I found the pace more than adequate. It could give me comfortable warm-up balls and then make things much harder once I increased the speed, depth and spin. The heaviest settings still do not reproduce the weight of shot from a strong tournament player, and the differences between some spin levels are not always dramatic, but there was more than enough variety for my level.

The sessions were also far more engaging than working through a hopper of identical feeds. I spent more time trying to build longer rallies, recover into position and find specific areas of the court. The target zones and scores added a competitive element, which is hard to get when training with a traditional ball machine.

Another thing I noticed is that I did not experience a single ball jam with the S10. That has happened occasionally with other machines I have used, so it was good to see.

What did happen, perhaps once an hour, was the S10 stopping because it thought there was an obstacle on the court. I play in the middle of a park where leaves regularly fall onto the surface, so my guess is that these occasionally triggered the warning. Fortunately, it did not happen often and was more of a minor interruption than a real problem.

Does the ball-catching system work?

What about the ball catching system? I think you should look at it as a bonus rather than the reason to buy this robot.

It works, but don’t buy this device expecting it will capture 100% of your returns. When the feature is enabled in the app, the S10 moves towards the incoming ball and tries to collect it in the net before feeding it back into the hopper.

The success rate of this depends heavily on the pace, height and direction of returns, as well as the type of drill you are using. For me it was anywhere between 30% and 50%, depending on the training mode and playing conditions.

Alternating between backhand and forehand crosscourt shots resulted in very few balls being caught because the robot had much more ground to cover. It performed better when I was hitting repeatedly towards one area, such as a forehand or backhand target near the centre. Wider shots, deep topspin balls and harder returns often passed beside the S10, bounced into its body or flew over the net.

If you start off with 80 balls in the hopper, you should get the equivalent of more than 100 balls when you factor in the caught balls. Which means you will spend a bit less time walking around the court collecting balls. Which is always a good thing.

Make no mistake, you will still need to pick up plenty of balls – just not quite as often. For me, the big selling point of the robot is that it moves around the court and has the built-in cameras which follow the ball, react to where you are hitting and help create a much more natural rally. The catching net is useful, but it is really just a bonus on top of that.

App and training analysis

As mentioned, there are almost no controls on the robot itself. Which means you need to use the Acemate smartphone app. Which is easy enough, and the connection to the S10 was stable during my sessions. The main screens cover training, saved data, device settings and firmware updates without burying everything in complicated menus.

After each drill, the app saves a surprisingly detailed breakdown of what happened. I could see where my shots landed, how many stayed in bounds, my longest streak, average and maximum ball speed, and how high the ball cleared the net. There is also an overall score out of 100, which gave me something simple to compare between sessions.

The court map was the part I found most useful. It quickly showed whether I was consistently finding the intended area or spraying balls across the court. I would not treat every plotted position as perfectly precise, but it was accurate enough to reveal obvious patterns in my play.

AI analysis is also there. It produces a long assessment of the session, along with recommendations and suggested follow-up drills, but much of it feels fairly generic. Running the analysis again can also produce slightly different conclusions, which makes it slightly difficult to take the player-level assessment too seriously. But it is useful in providing a direction of what needs work in your game.

For me, most of the analysis value lies in the recorded numbers and shot map rather than the AI coaching. The app gives me useful evidence of how a session went, but I still trust my own feel, and the view of an actual coach, more than its automated conclusions.

One feature I would like to see added in a future firmware update is session recording. The S10 already has two cameras watching the court. Being able to download the footage after a session would make it much easier to review technique alongside the shot data. Perhaps an idea for the next version of this robot?

Who is the Acemate S10 for?

I think the S10 makes the most sense for recreational and intermediate players who want solo practice to feel less repetitive. That is where its movement, reactive timing and scoring features add the most value. As an intermediate player, I found it challenging enough without feeling overwhelming.

Beginners should also get plenty from it, especially through the simpler drills and target-based sessions. The app makes practice feel more structured, and the scoring adds a useful sense of progress even when there is no coach on court.

Acemate tennis robot S10

At checkout use code “G&W01” for a $50 discount.

View at Acemate

It could also work well for coaches who want to add something different to individual lessons. The S10 is engaging, easy to customise and gives students immediate feedback after a drill. I would be less convinced about using it for back-to-back sessions all day, mainly because of the setup, transport and battery demands.

Advanced tournament players may find the maximum pace and spin less demanding than they need. Anyone who only wants repeatable feeds from one position can also spend less on a conventional ball machine. The S10 is for players who value realistic rally timing and a more interactive training experience, rather than raw speed alone.

Price and value

The S10 has an MSRP of $2,499 in the US, although Acemate normally sells it for $2,199 rather than at full list price. The current promotion takes another $200 off, bringing it down to $1,999. At checkout, you can then use code “G&W01” for an additional $50 discount, reducing the final price to $1,949.

Slinger Bag typically costs $749, while the Pongbot Pace S Pro comes in at around $2,270. Granted, these are full prices and the Pongbot can often be purchased with discounts. Proton sells for $1,695.

Then you have the Lobster Elite Grand Four which is currently $1,999, while the Grand Five costs $2,249 and the Grand Five LE reaches $2,499. Those machines offer more raw speed, larger ball capacities and longer quoted battery life, but they remain stationary feeders. 

That is why I do not think the S10 should be judged purely against a feature checklist. You are paying for a tennis robot that reacts to your shots, moves around the court, catches some of your balls, keeps rallies going and records what happened afterwards. None of the conventional alternatives offer that same experience.

FAQ

Does the Acemate S10 return the same ball?

No. Its cameras track your return, while the launcher sends a different ball from the hopper. With the catching net enabled, it attempts to collect your return and recycle it into the machine.

How often does the Acemate S10 catch the ball?

As an intermediate player, I found that it caught somewhere between 30% and 50% of my returns. The success rate depends heavily on the speed, height and placement of the shot. Sometimes it was more than that range, sometimes less.

Can the Acemate S10 work like a normal ball machine?

Yes. Its standard ball-machine mode keeps it in one position and feeds balls at fixed intervals. You can adjust the speed, spin, height and landing position.

How long does the Acemate S10 battery last?

During my testing, it used roughly 40% of its battery during an hour of normal practice. Allowing for stops to change drills and collect balls, around two and a half hours should be realistic.

Is the Acemate S10 suitable for advanced players?

It is best suited to recreational and intermediate players. Very advanced players can still use its custom drills, but some may want greater top-end pace and heavier spin.

The post Acemate tennis robot S10 review: As close as it gets to a real hitting partner appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

Until now, the connection worked mainly in the opposite direction. Google Health could read information stored in Apple Health, including data from an Apple Watch and other connected apps, but it could not write Fitbit data back.

That changes with the latest iOS update. The Google Health version history now lists “Sync to Apple Health” among the additions in version 5.05, which began rolling out on August 2.

Google Health now writes data to Apple Health

Google says users can share exercise records, sleep, vitals, steps and more from Google Health to Apple Health. The company has not published a complete list of supported categories yet, so the exact selection may depend on the device and the permissions enabled on the iPhone.

To set it up, users first need to install Google Health 5.05 from the App Store. Inside Google Health, the controls should appear under Connections, Apps and services, Apple Health and Manage data and access.

The permissions can also be checked from Apple Health. Open the Sharing tab, select Apps and then Google Health to choose which information the app can read and write.

Some early users report that the new write permissions do not appear until the Google Health app has been fully updated or restarted. That could explain why the feature is visible for some people but initially appears to remain one-way for others.

A long-standing Fitbit limitation disappears

This is a useful addition for anyone who wears a Fitbit but prefers Apple Health as the main repository for their health information. It also allows compatible Fitbit data to become available to other iPhone apps that use Apple Health as their data source.

Previously, users often relied on paid third-party apps to move Fitbit information into Apple Health. Those services may still offer advantages such as wider historical imports or support for additional data fields, but many users will no longer need a separate bridge for basic daily data.

Google had already started moving in this direction. Earlier this year, the company added source-level tracking to Google Health, allowing users to view information from Fitbit, Apple Health and other connected platforms separately inside the app.

The flow can now work in both directions. Apple Watch and iPhone data can enter Google Health, while compatible Fitbit information can leave Google Health and appear inside Apple Health.

That also gives Fitbit Air owners more flexibility. The screenless tracker relies heavily on its phone app, something that became clear during our Fitbit Air review, so being able to use its data elsewhere makes the hardware less dependent on Google’s interface.

HRV and older data may be limited

The new integration does not appear to export everything. Early testing suggests heart rate variability is not currently among the information Google Health writes to Apple Health, despite HRV being available inside both platforms.

That may relate to differences in how Fitbit and Apple calculate and store HRV, although Google has not provided an official explanation. Proprietary Google metrics such as Cardio Load and Readiness are also unlikely to transfer because Apple Health does not provide direct equivalents for those scores.

Historical syncing is another area that remains unclear. Some users report receiving only recent information at first, while others say that reconnecting the service and leaving both apps open brought across more of their history.

Google’s existing support page still says the app cannot write data to Apple Health and that the capability will arrive later in 2026. The release has therefore moved faster than the documentation, which should be updated once the wider rollout settles.

Version 5.05 follows last month’s Google Health 5.04 update, which restored custom foods and improved sleep and exercise tracking. That release rebuilt features that Fitbit users previously had, while Apple Health syncing adds something many have requested for years.

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GRMN reached an intraday high of $304 on July 29 before ending the week at $293.78. Even after pulling back slightly, the company is up around 20% over the past five trading days and roughly 42% over six months.

From $187 to $304

It’s quite a remarkable turnaround.

Garmin shares closed at $187.10 on November 20 last year, after falling as low as $186.67 during the session. At the time, we covered the sharp decline as Garmin lost billions of dollars in market value following concerns around Outdoor growth and the timing of its Fenix launches.

From that November low to last week’s $304 peak, the stock has climbed about 62%. Even using Friday’s slightly lower closing price of $293.78, Garmin is still up roughly 57% from that trough.

That recovery did not happen in one go. By February, the stock had already climbed back towards $238 following Garmin’s full-year results, extending a rebound that had started around the holiday period. The share price then continued higher through the spring before breaking decisively through its previous record last week.

Before the latest move, Garmin’s previous all-time high stood at $273.32. The July 29 rally took the stock well beyond that level.

The company is now valued at around $56.7 billion based on Friday’s closing price.

Earnings provided the final push

The immediate trigger was Garmin’s second-quarter report on July 29. We have already gone into the wearable side of those results. The short version is that the underlying business remains strong enough for Garmin to increase its guidance, and investors responded far more enthusiastically than they did after several previous earnings reports.

There is an interesting contrast with last October and November. Garmin was still posting record revenue then, but weaker expectations around Outdoor were enough to send the stock sharply lower. Investors were paying more attention to what might happen next than to the numbers Garmin had already delivered.

This time the forward-looking message worked in Garmin’s favour. Management raised expected 2026 revenue from $7.9 billion to around $8.05 billion and increased its adjusted earnings forecast from $9.35 to $10 per share.

A very different Garmin from 20 years ago

The all-time chart also puts Garmin’s transformation into perspective.

Garmin went public in December 2000 at $14 per share, equivalent to $7 after its subsequent stock split. The company then became closely associated with standalone car navigation, and its nüvi products alone accounted for around 64% of total revenue in 2008.

That could easily have become a problem once smartphones made dedicated navigation devices far less important. Instead, Garmin gradually built sizeable businesses around fitness, outdoor products, aviation and marine electronics.

Wearables now sit at the centre of that shift. Garmin’s Fitness division generated $757 million in revenue during the latest quarter, while the company continues to expand beyond traditional GPS watches with products such as CIRQA and its growing training ecosystem.

There will inevitably be more swings in the share price. Garmin went from around $260 to $187 in little more than a month last year, so the recent run is a useful reminder of how quickly investor sentiment can move.

But $304 is now the number to beat. For the first time in Garmin’s history, the company has traded above $300 a share, completing a rather dramatic recovery from where things stood only last November.

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