Garmin are doing a great job of releasing a major product each month. July was the nice looking, but not earth-shattering, Garmin Edge 820.
What about next month’s release?
My bet would be something not so interesting. A lower key announcement such as a Garmin Swim 2.
Logic (aka rampant speculation) for 2016:
- There’s still a bit of open water swim season left in the Northern Hemisphere
- A bigger release could be planned for September/October at KONA (like the 920XT) and perhaps to counter whatever Polar might announce there (KONA is early October 2016)
- September is a better time to get some market traction started in the lead-up to Christmas and the big money season.
But. Just perhaps a pre-KONA announcement to counter the actual release of the awesome-looking Suunto Spartan ULTRA could be planned? That then brings us into Fenix 4 territory.
And please don’t question if there will be one. There WILL be. It might be called something else but it will be a Garmin Fenix 4 (possible features) in anything but name.
A little bird tells me there could be:
- Fenix 4 Sapphire (Thanks Dave!!) / Fenix 5S
- Fenix 4 HR / Fenix 5
- Fenix 4s HR (Sapphire) / Fenix 5
LEAK ALERT: Fenix 5 images
You can guess that the HR models are using Garmin’s ELEVATE optical technology.
Whatever the Fenix 4/Fenix 5 holds for us it will be interesting to see if it is evolutional (just mostly better hardware) or revolutional. I suspect strongly the former. The Fenix 5, and there IS one of those planned too apparently (edit: told you so!), might be more of a different move from the Garmin mainstream that we have become accustomed to.
Edit: September 2016 – Q1.2017 now looks more likely 🙁
I’m really not a fan of Garmin’s approach of releasing new products at random and it puts me off spending big sums of money on their products knowing my big new purchase might be superceded the next week. At least if I buy an iPhone in September I know it’s the latest model for 12 months. I’m looking to replace my 920XT with something a little more stylish but do I spend big on a Fenix 3 HR if the Fenix 4 could release at any time, or buy the 630 if a HR model could appear at any time.
Indeed so Matthew. There will be a 930 soon enough too. Or do you go for something like a Spartan Sport where you know you will get solid firmware and ecosystem improvements over the next 2 years AND with currently market-leading superior hardware.
I must admit I’ve not looked beyond Garmin since I got my 920 but I’ve had a quick look on the Suunto site for the Spartan Sport and I’ll keep an eye on it. It will need a unique hook because I’ve built up 18 months of data in Garmin Connect and I’d be a little loathed to start from zero again.
tapiriik, fitnesssyncer…movescount via a STRAVA account. data is no excuse these days! 🙂
S is Sapphire, just like it is now 🙂 I’m sticking with a January announcement for Fenix 4 but we might see the 930XT this side of xmas.
Just make the Fenix 4 a little smaller… my wrists are tiny. 😀
I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to help with that!!! 735xt?
The Fenix 4 will be annouced at CES in January and released in the spring like the last few models have been. No reason that will change
quite possibly, of course. So that would then mean a less profitable 930xt in sept and that 930 would also canabilise sales of the recent 735xt and the f4 would miss out on xmas sales. There could also be the ‘we can only release what’s finished’ argument.
The5krunner, what are your thoughts on the possible release of the FENIX 4 at the 2017 CES? I was wanting to purchase the FENIX 3 HR, but would absolutely hate to buy one and then see one released a few months later. Do you think I should wait or make the purchase? Also, how long can you wear a Garmin watch before it becomes obsolete and updating it no longer matters, i.e. (Using an iPhone model 4 or older is kind of pointless due to all the new hardware upgrades).
Q1.2017 is now highly likely for F4. Look also at the Spartan ULTRA…that will keep having improved firmware over next 3 years and is more advanced hardware. The F3 will not fully support CIQ so improved hardware is worth waiting for some people.
Awesome. I will look into the Spartan ULTRA. Thank you for your quick response.