Garmin’s New Solar Tech Patent
Source: USPTO via TechRadar
Garmin has recently filed a new patent that seeks to add Solar charging to a touch-enabled OLED screen. This tech might see the light of day as soon as the Garmin Epix Gen 3 in 2023.
The current situation with Garmin’s Power Glass is that it is only available as an option on their lower-resolution MIP screen as found on the Fenix 7 series we saw last month.
Must Read: Garmin Fenix 7 Review
The gist of the new technology is that it is dispersed between two layers rather than as a single layer. The latter is currently the case with Garmin’s Solar Charging tech (Power Glass), and even the patents admit that the current Solar cell layer reduces the image quality on the MIP screen we see today.
…solar cell overlay degrades visibility of the display module. “Patent Application”
Moreover this could represent the next-gen Solar charging tech for Garmin that is used across many screen types that we’ve not yet seen from Garmin.
[0015] In various embodiments, the watch 10 includes a viewing area 104. The viewing area 104 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a thin film transistor (TFT), a light-emitting diode (LED), a micro light-emitting diode, a light-emitting polymer (LEP), and/or a polymer light-emitting diode (PLED). However, embodiments are not so limited. In various embodiments,: “Patent Application”
Last Updated on 8 October 2026 by the5krunner
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- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter: Charges your Garmin from any USB-C cable. Essential when travelling. I use one.
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. ID
On another note; any update as to Garmin running power for the (soon imminent) 955 launch? (Or more importantly; will epix2 get the feature through software update?)
no new news on 955/running power
epix 2 will definitely get such features, though it might take a month or two.
I think no Epix Gen 3 but Fenix 8 series with Solar-Amolded and no MIP any more (perhaps Enduro 2 with MIP).
(The Epix Gen 1 disappeared and the map technology was integrated into the Fenix 5X.)