2024 Sports Watch & Bike Computer Update: All new Models, Planned, Rumors + dates for all Garmin, Apple, Polar, Suunto, Wahoo

Sports Watch & Bike Computer Update – February 2024

V2.5.23 – 21 Mar 2024

This article summarises recently released sports watches and bike computers, and indicates which next-gen models are inbound ie Garmin (Edge, Forerunner, Instinct, Venu), Polar (Grit X), Coros (Vertix, apex) and more. There haven’t been any significant updates over the last 3 months.

Whilst I never include info here that contravenes NDAs, elsewhere on the site, there are LOTS of detailed hands-on reviews on virtually all of the key run/tri watches and bike computers that you can BUY NOW.

If you are here for the first time and interested in ‘future sports devices & feature sports tech developments‘ then this post discussing the future of individual technology features will be of interest.

The information here is usually based on high-quality leaks, dual-sourced rumours and the extrapolation of past product release cycles, wider technological changes & their availability. Almost all of these new product ‘predictions’ will happen but precise timings are never set in stone.

Recent Highlights of 2023 – A quick recap

2023 was a decent year for new products and we can expect more from 2024.

Fenix 7 Pro, Epix Pro Gen 2 and the Forerunner 965 have sold well plus we’ve seen significant products from Coros, Polar, Suunto and Apple. Things have been quieter for bike computers with only the Edge 540/840 getting anyone excited, less so Magene’s offerings.

Key Trend: The latest models of most key sports watches have been updated with the widespread use of AMOLED screens and dual-frequency, multi-constellation ‘GPS’ chipsets. Additionally, there’s a noticeable increase in the use of high-quality materials at more affordable price points. Most brands have transitioned to a newer generation(s) of heart rate sensors that can capture HRV/ECG/SpO2 and other peripheral wellness metrics, such as temperature, in a slightly more energy-efficient manner. The significance of sports physiology is gaining attention beyond Garmin/Firstbeat, although there have been very few noteworthy additions to the range of sports physiology features. It seems we have reached a stage of maturity in both technology and the functionalities sports watches offer.

 

optical hr Garmin 965 vs Suunto Race vs Polar Vantrage V3
Optical HR: Garmin 965 vs Suunto Race vs Polar Vantage V3

 

Prices haven’t kept pace with the inflation seen in other industries. This is because the sports watch and cycling computer industry is facing recession-like conditions in many places. Set against that the USA’s strong economic growth has balanced companies’ fortunes out a bit. Companies in this sector faced both challenges and advantages due to the lingering effects of the Covid years. Consumer spending was brought forward and peaked, but at the same time, research and development were delayed as staff stayed at home on furlough. Adding to the complications, there are high levels of stock, making entire supply chains appear unreliable. Despite this sometimes difficult situation, both Garmin and Apple have surprisingly shown strong financial performances in their published accounts.

Here are the headline releases from 2023:

Most of those are on 2+ year refresh cycles. So draw your conclusions on when you will see successors (Hint: 2025-26)

What’s Next From Garmin for 2024

  • ✔️Lily 2 (Q1.2024) plus ✔️ HRM-FIT
  • ✔️Forerunner 165 (14 Feb 2024)
  • Instinct 3 (Mar 2024 – date is speculation)
  • Edge 140 (Apr 2024 – date is speculation)
  • Edge 1050 or 1040 AMOLED (Apr 2024 – date is speculation)
  • Venu SQ 3 (Sep 2025 – date is speculation)
  • ? Forerunner 755 LTE aka FR965s – a new generation FR975 (MIP) is not likely
  • ? Enduro 3/2s (some rumours for Feb 2024 have already started but I have no concrete intel)
  • ? Refreshed Accessories (Q1-Q3) eg HRM-FIT
  • ? Fenix/Epix (Q4.2024 earliest, far from a certainty…answer the question: What would be the hardware bump that this product gets?)

The easiest cycling product to predict is the Edge 140. expect it to be unchanged in size from its predecessor and have improved hardware components over the 130+.

There have also been decent rumours about an Edge 1040 AMOLED (aka Edge 1050) for some time now, although why a bike computer needs an AMOLED screen escapes me. Perhaps instead we could see a ‘trendy’ Edge Explore 3 (non-performance navigation) variant with an edge-to-edge screen that would suit navigation and test out its new screen tech before the next generation of larger Edge models.

Key Trend: Expect this to be a trickle-down year where the software and hardware features we already know about are rolled down from the top-end models to the middle and lower-end ones. Expect more sizes for models that only come in one size and expect a thoughtful and selective introduction of AMOLED screens to ever-cheaper models. Finally, expect Garmin to continue to use premium materials to justify its price premiums on some models.

Forerunner Range

On the running/triathlon side of things, now that we have the Forerunner 165 there is no real gap beyond that in Garmin’s key offerings as everything has already been AMOLEDed (yes, that is a word). A smaller 965s, perhaps called a 755, is a possibility and that would probably include whatever Garmin chooses to do next with LTE. Don’t forget that the Forerunner 265s already gives the smaller format option to people who want a triathlon watch, perhaps Garmin has decided there isn’t the market for a top-end small format triathlon watch.

Another very good bet would see an Enduro 3 MIP-Solar for the Ultra community. Either that or an AMOLED version or an Enduro 2s Solar (small). The 645/655 product gap seems discontinued.

For adventure products, expect Instinct 3 rather than Fenix 8 in early 2024. There could be a gap in the Instinct range for an AMOLED version – I’m in two minds about that as one of the negative differentiators of Instinct is the poorer screen compared to Fenix, Garmin won’t want to cannibalise too many Epix/Fenix sales to Instinct

 

Fenix 7- this is the end – Fenix is dead, long live Epix

Going forward, my opinion is that Solar has its place only in MIP-screen watches and possibly on bike computers. The usefulness of SOLAR is restricted by the fact that sufficiently awesome battery lives are possible without solar. So do we need solar on Fenix watches going forward? I think not. That said, we will see solar Fenix models despite there not being a widespread need for them.

I guess we could see a Fenix 8/Epix 3 in Q4.2024 but early 2025 feels more likely and then after that follows all the Tactix/Quatix/Descent/MARQ etc variants and then a PRO version a year or so later.

Garmin has secured patents for SOLAR (AM)OLED in 2022, maybe that will be the new feature innovation for high-end watches that we see in 2024?

As I’ve said before (and was initially, universally ridiculed at the time), Epix will become the dominant outdoor watch for Garmin and will eventually overtake Fenix (unless Garmin renames them to maintain its investment in the Fenix brand!)

 

The problem with all my predictions there is that there aren’t enough of them. Garmin needs more new products than that in 2024 to keep the shareholders happy.

So there has to be a ‘next big thing’ in terms of a piece of tech that justifies a refreshed and renumbered model. The most likely of which in 2024 are micro-LED displays and more advanced LTE. The technology for the former (on watches) might just not be ready until 2025 and I’m still unconvinced Garmin can produce meaningful LTE features given its restrictive access to iPhone features. That said, December 2023 gave us insights into the new CIQ capabilities for 2024 and these give strong clues about the upcoming headline features for new watches and DO hint at new LTE capabilities.

Deep Dive: Decoding Garmin’s CIQ 7 Software – The Connect IQ Features That Will Power 2024 Watch Models

The current Elevate Gen 5 HR sensor is a recent innovation with ECG capabilities. That tech will eventually be rolled to most watch ranges over the next 3 (three) years in some form but I’m not at all excited by the prospect and suspect that much of the market won’t be as well. Wrist-based ECG is highly limited and nothing like what is offered by Fourth Frontier X2.

So where are the next-gen HR sensors that can sense novel biomarkers? Apple is supposedly lining up its new sensor package for 2025, so I guess it’s plausible that conservative Garmin could sneak ahead of cautious Apple on that front. Things will become clearer in the first half of 2024 *IF* the more aggressive Asian brands introduce new (sensor) technologies. Where they lead, Garmin and Apple follow soon after.

Next Gen Sports Sensors for 2023 and beyond – Lactate, blood pressure, hydration, creatinine

2024: I see fewer new products than the norm for recent years. It could be a bad year for Garmin FITNESS/OUTDOOR. It could be a turning point for the sports device market generally.

Suunto, Polar, Wahoo, Hammerhead, Coros & Other Sport-focussed GPS Watches

I don’t expect anything excitingly new here in the entirety of 2024 unless either Suunto or Polar re-enter the Wear OS market. Those companies have no other way to get support for payments and Spotify, so you would have thought they have to jump on the Wear OS wagon at some point in the next 5 years or be left a long way behind on the smart features they can offer. Set against that is the closing up of the WearOS market by Samsung/Google

These companies all have mostly predictable product ranges and refresh strategies although Suunto is the most likely to surprise us as evidenced in recent months with the excellent Suunto RACE and Shokz-like headphones (Suunto Wing). That said, Polar is taking a similar but distinct route by opening up its platform to Sennheiser’s optical HR earbuds…actually Suunto has opened up its app to Xiaomi too.

Coros

This is speculative information

  • Apex 3 AMOLED, Q3.2024
  • Vertix 3 + 3 AMOLED, Q3.2024
  • ? Pace 3 Pro (large)

Coros is likely to prove an interesting company to follow in 2024. They’ve taken Apex/Pace and Vertix as far as they need to with the product internals. The obvious omission is AMOLED which I would expect to see first with Apex 3 and then Vertix 3, with Pace 4 AMOLED following in 2025.

I don’t think we will ever see Solar on a Coros watch. Instead, like Garmin, I think the best we will see is a MIP version of Vertix 3 remaining alongside Vertix 3 AMOLED but the rest of the range will move to AMOLED, with an outside possibility that Coros could skip a generation of tech and go straight to micro LED screens.

Musing: I don’t see any new watch sub-brands from Coros. Instead, it makes more sense that we would see a larger version of Pace 3 (like Garmin Enduro). This would follow a similar theme to what the company has done with the Apex 2 Pro successor to its smaller Apex 2 sibling.

Polar

This is speculative information

  • Grit X2 Pro (Titan) – 20 March 2024
  • Pacer 2 AMOLED, 2 PRO AMOLED Q3.2024
  • Unite, Q2-3.2024???

Next up from Polar will be AMOLED versions of Grit X (adventure watch), Pacer (Pro) and maybe also the Unite (fitness) watch. I would expect Pacer/Unite much later in the year.

Set against that we could SPECULATIVELY say that Unite might be a poor performer in terms of profit generation and could be skipped or dropped.

Suunto

This is speculative information

  • new Suunto Vertical SOLAR, March 2024 (minor iteration)
  • Suunto 5 PEAK PRO AMOLED Q2.2024 or a RACE-branded version
  • Suunto 9 PEAK PRO AMOLED/VERTICAL AMOLED Q3.2024

I hope Suunto Race AMOLED is a success. If it is, it might give Suunto the confidence to price lower with new AMOLED versions of 9/9 Peak and 5/5 Peak. I don’t think we will see a Suunto 3 AMOLED fitness watch.

Wahoo

This is speculative information

  • Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT 3 Q2.2024
  • Wahoo ELEMNT RIVAL 2 – not happening
  • Wahoo KICKR Run super-smart treadmill Q3.2024 (USA) – Q1.2025 (globally)

Wahoo is now on a firm financial footing and BF 2023 sales have cleaned the company of Rival stock. I had hoped for a RIVAL 2 which was previously planned but a recent interview with DCR and Chip says no watch is due.

I would assume Bolt 3 is likely for Q2.2024, perhaps with ROAM 3 also in 2024 but more likely it would be Q2.2025. Expect a spec bump with better battery lives, a better GPS chip and a better colour touchscreen (perhaps larger but not AMOLED)

Hammerhead

This is speculative information

  • Karoo 3 Q2.2024

Gradually I see more of these on the roads.

A Gen 3 bike computer is highly likely for 2024 and my bet is for Q2.2024. An outside bet on there being a medium and large format version would be a good accumulator bet.

Apple

This is speculative information

  • Apple Watch – Q3.2024. Maybe…just maybe 😉
  • Apple Watch will feature updated algorithms to detect hypertension and Sleep Apnea
  • Either the Apple Watch SE 3 or the Watch X will be redesigned. I’m unsure if this will be a round screen, which would require significant changes to watchOS 11 announced earlier in the Summer.

We will see the Apple Watch X (10) and a 3rd generation SE but not an Ultra 3.

Don’t get excited by features the Apple-rumour sites want to see or the hardware upgrades they won’t get. Micro LED screens and super-sensors WILL come but that’s for 2025.

Google Fitbit

This is speculative information

We should see if Google plans to iterate PIXEL watch every year. I guess they will.

Perhaps the most exciting evolution will be to see what happens with the next generation of Fitbit VERSA 5/ Sense 3. Google will have set the direction for Fitbit and we will see those plans come to fruition with the next generation of Fitbit watches.

2024 again sees the sports tech brands & products at an interesting juncture.

The era of companies easily adopting advanced technology for continuously expanding global markets has come to an end. Significant technological advancements are now more challenging to achieve, and the certainty of ongoing economic growth in Europe is no longer guaranteed.

Global powers (countries) are making significant geopolitical moves to secure their positions for the rest of the Century. There’s a decline in birthrates, mass population migrations, and changing climates. Smartphones and smartwatches have reached a mature or peak stage of development. Thus, studying AI or robotics might be more promising than electronics if you’re thinking about your kids’ future. In my opinion, only the USA possesses the security, size, raw materials, population demographics, democratic structures, and growth potential necessary for a country to prosper. (Brit here, we’re stuffed as is the EU! 51st state anyone? #NAFTA)

  • Garmin has filled all the main product niches. Can a US-Taiwan-based company improve sales in its weaker markets like China? Probably not.
  • Polar still has no running track mode and once admitted it can’t compete in triathlon. Its web platform and app may well get a makeover, the first hints at that come as Flow Sync has entered sunsetting. Wear OS is still a possibility for the company.
  • Suunto seems to be moving in many of the right directions – aesthetics, price and on-watch apps. Its Chinese owners can likely make the Suunto brand sell more in Asian markets and hence have more confidence to expand the brand offering beyond what we currently see with Haylou (part of the same group). It will need more than 3rd party watch faces from its app store or a Wear OS model to become a key player.
Suunto’s other products

 

  • Coros has done very well in the last few years but it faces the dilemma of how to incorporate modern hardware coupled with highly competitive prices at its chosen price points. I don’t see it making much profit from Vertix/Apex; so it’s a small company that makes its profit in in the volume game with Pace 3/4. That volume game requires noticeably lower prices than Garmin and it requires Garmin not to care about it…or Garmin will crush it (FR165 🙂 ). Coros runs the risk of disaster if it makes one key mistake with its products.
  • Wahoo has many technological ways forward but the indoor bike training market must surely not be the cash generator it once was. There’s probably little scope for Kickr Move 2 to be any different to the current model (which isn’t selling that well in a deathly quiet market), the company is refocusing its online training services. So can it make a financial go of 2 new bike computers and a treadmill over 2024/25? IDK. It won’t be easy. Having great products only gets you so far.
  • Smaller companies like Sigma, Bryton, and Magene will continue to innovate but I can’t see any of them making much progress in Western Europe or North America. Magene is most likely to progress.
  • There are a large number of lesser-known smartwatch and sports watch brands emanating from SE Asia and India. It would just take one of them to get some financial backing and buy Polar to become a global player rather than a struggling regional player few in the West have heard of.

 

 

Garmin Fenix 7

 

Smart Fitness, Wear OS, WatchOS & Similar Smarts

As I’ve now said for several years that the end-game is: Apple’s watchOS vs Google/Fitbit/Samsung’s Wear OS vs Domination of low prices by Asian brands (China/India).

Proprietary sports platforms like Garmin, Polar, Suunto, Wahoo will still be here in 3 year’s time. But…how big will they be?

I would bet money that this year will bring ever-more competent SMART watches to eat into the traditional customer base of sports watches: high-end Fitbits/Pixel 3, Apple Watch 10, Apple Watch SE Gen 3 and Samsung Galaxy Watch7. EVERY year they get better.

The Wear OS bounce has happened and it’s apparent that Samsung and Google get first dibs at new versions of Wear OS before the likes of Michael Kors/Fossil to the point now where Fossil has decided to exist the Wear OS market.

Something big needs to happen to disrupt markets and change the medium-term trajectory. Be that a war over Taiwan or the EU forcing Apple to open up iMessage to a common API. Without such disruptions, the inevitable trajectory is for the Apple vs Google/Samsung showdown.

Coros Pace 1 vs Pace 3 vs Pace 2 – rear view

 

Huami (Amazfit/Zepp), Huawei, Realme, Redmi, TicWatch and others will continue in the battle of the budget smartwatches. Several of these have significant sales figures in some Far Eastern markets and some of the products might even be described as increasingly competent. Indeed what we are perhaps seeing right now are the Chinese companies building up significant competencies and sales volumes in their domestic markets before using that strength in other geographic markets. Many of them cannot be cross-sold with a top smartphone from the same brand. Even those that have a decent partner smartphone like Huawei face other issues (Huawei is effectively excluded from many Western markets for political/security reasons)

But then what happens if China/Taiwan tensions escalate into some kind of conflict? That’s the end of Chinese smartwatch companies exporting to the West. And, although large, the Chinese economy does not generate sufficient domestic consumption to keep all those companies going, it has to export…but won’t be able to. (And Suunto is Chinese-owned…hmmm..)

This is it. Image|Coros FB

Bike Computers – Hope or Hopeless?

Garmin holds a clear dominance in this sector, with Wahoo emerging as the main challenger brand. The long-term impact of SRAM/Hammerhead Karoo 2/3 remains uncertain, but it is viewed as a hopeful contender with realistic success potential. Lower-end brands, such as Lezyne or budget high-spec options like Bryton (Taiwan)/Magene(China), appear to face challenges to get even the smallest of footholds in non-Asian markets

Wahoo, adept at maintaining secrecy, is not expected to leak information; so keep on quietly hoping for exciting developments. Despite already offering medium and large-format performance satnavs, Wahoo seems to cover most commercial bases in the bike computer market. Apart from iterative model strategies, there are few gaps for significant profitable sales of bike computers. Perhaps Wahoo could make a Varia-like smart radar and light system.

While Apple, Google, and potentially Asian players in domestic markets may dominate the global watch market, Garmin stands strong in the bike computer domain. Many challengers exist to Garmin’s Edge Series but only Wahoo/SRAM-Hammerhead(Android) seem to be coherent challengers and whilst they lack in numbers of features they are catching up but it is very difficult. Will Bolt 3/Roam 3 be able to withstand an onslaught from Edge 550/850/1050? It’s an interesting market position to debate as Garmin Edge will NOT pull further ahead either in terms of features or market share as their tech is already well-advanced and their market position is too dominant. Catching up in each of those respects is MUCH easier than Garmin pulling further ahead.

Smaller companies face a challenging task in surpassing Garmin in cycling. The likelihood of a new product outperforming Garmin is higher if it’s Android-based, owing to the advantages of apps and a shorter development cycle, as seen with the Karoo. Stages, with its L200/M200, seems interested in this competition, despite being somewhat behind in its overall usage experience but possessing great features.

Garmin’s focus on higher price points may leave room for smaller companies like Bryton, Sigma, Lezyne, iGSport and CatEye to compete in the lower-priced, less profitable arena. Ancient rumours about Polar releasing a bike computer are ever-wishful thinking.

While there are well-featured bike computers like Stages M200/L200, Sigma ROX 12 EVO, and high-end Bryton models, they seem to lack the unique appeal that propels them to Wahoo’s level. Wahoo BOLT Gen 1’s enduring success beyond its fourth birthday suggests that riders may prioritize reliability, user-friendliness, or brand image over high technology. [Manufacturers, if you are reading that, re-read it and take action before you make a slightly better ClimbPro that no one needs. Just make your devices super slick and never, ever crash or lose a ride]

That’s all.

 


 

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16 thoughts on “2024 Sports Watch & Bike Computer Update: All new Models, Planned, Rumors + dates for all Garmin, Apple, Polar, Suunto, Wahoo

  1. It would be cool to see the Fenix screen and innards in the Instinct case, maybe call it the Destinct.
    An extra band that can provide you with ECG and blood pressure and maybe a few other data which can be worn in addition to any other existing Garmin watch. It would make SW updates for watches much easier and you could easily “upgrade” any Lily or Instinct or Fenix 6.
    A HRM armband based on the E5 sensor.

  2. In the Garmin releases, you say Garmin Forerunner 45, I am assuming that’s a typo and you meant Forerunner 65? How confident are you in an Instinct this month, I am hoping for basically a smaller version of the 2X haha (of course would not mind bonus features).

      1. the garmin leaks are very scant ATM
        there will prob be something next week and then in another 4/5 weeks after that

  3. Garmin rules and seem to control the marketing and with the quality of their products, it seems difficult to challenge them. I wish they made action cam’s.

    However, ergonomics can kill Garmin. = Apple can kill them, enlargening the marketing and making the product simple and understandsble tu use. I’d be surprized if more than 1% understand all the features.

    On side of ergonomics is delivering big screen for bike computers and even watches, attention! Much bygger. You can run or bike after 40.

    And need I say anything about Garmin connec? User ergonomics? Hire an ergonomics Guru, Now.

    Garmin is the unbeatable leader. But will they survive downsizing to à nice planer again? That’s were they will be in three years, despite perfektion. Sade.

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