[caption id="attachment_85378" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] WatchFace: Polar Vantage V3 vs Garmin 965 vs Suunto Race[/caption] Garmin Forerunner 970/975 - buy the 965 now or wait for the 970/975? The next generation of Garmin's top-end triathlon watch is due in the first half of 2025 - I expect May. Garmin's ability to add genuinely new and useful sports features has been doubted over the last year. However, the recent launch of Garmin's meagre subscription service could signal some new sports features added behind the paywall to justify its price. The Forerunner 970 would be the perfect vehicle to introduce those and change the overwhelmingly negative sentiment around the worthlessness of Garmin Connect+. Here's some brief background and context, followed by a look at the possible software features in more detail. What Is The Forerunner 970? The Garmin Forerunner 970 will be Garmin's top-end triathlon watch, replacing the current Forerunner 965. I suspect it will be a smaller format watch to the expected 975 but with some other form of hardware difference to the 965 - eg MIP, LTE/5G or cheaper case materials. More: Garmin Forerunner 965 Review Here is the release history: Garmin Forerunner 935: 29 March 2017 Garmin Forerunner 945: 30 April 2019 Garmin Forerunner 955/Solar: 1 June 2022. $500 (945LTE and Covid-19 delay from 2021) Garmin Forerunner 965: 1 March 2023. $600 Garmin Forerunner 970: Likely May 2025 $650 Alternative New Products Likely, the next top-end Garmin Tri watch (successor to the FR965) will not be an incremental upgrade to the FR975. There could be smaller versions FR970, 4G LTE/5G RedCap versions, a solar version, and other unlikely options. Let's assume the incremental upgrade to FR975 - for this article, and leave it at that. What would be the attraction of an updated Forerunner 975 - hardware It will look highly similar to the FR965 - you know that. I don't see the display size getting any bigger, as it is already big for the case size. What else could Garmin tempt us with? ✅ Flashlight - yeah, it will probably get a flashlight for you to do one of those night triathlons you've longed to do for years, but don't bank on it. ✅Fenix 8 mic/speaker - I'm unconvinced that FR975 will get them, but there's more chance of this than the flashlight. ✅Battery life - yep. It will be better, but FR965 is already suitable for the slowest Ironman, so we don't really need this. ✅Gen 5 elevate sensor - bizarrely, there are no guarantees of the latest passive ECG sensor, but I would be astonished if Garmin cut costs and failed to add this. ✅synaptics GNSS chipset - at least as accurate as the Airoha before it but much more power friendly ❓Fenix 8 inductive buttons - these are good buttons/pressers, introduced for the dive features on Fenix 8. I'm not convinced FR975 will get them, but I would love them. ❓4G LTE/5G RedCap - Garmin must surely add cellular data to its range in 2025. But to which model? I bet this feature is added to Fenix 8 Pro, not FR975/970. New SOFTWARE Features to Attract You? It seems there are moves afoot at Garmin HQ to rationalise software development. Most of you probably won't know that Garmin's separate watch divisions implemented new features separately. This seems to have been changed recently, with the (old) Fenix/Outdoors team being the primary developers. Again, I don't want to delve into that here, but the implications are that: New Forerunner features are more likely to be those already on Fenix 8 Any wholly new software features that FR975 gets should already be close to going live on Fenix 8 These internal changes partly explain why some recent Garmin watch models have stopped getting new features - their software's particular branch of code is a dead end. Please comment below if you have other info on this Interface The Forerunner 970/975 will have the latest interface, first shown on the Fenix 8. It is an improved UI that you will prefer to the existing one, but it still needs some work. [gallery size="medium" ids="92846,92845,92844,92843,92842,92840"] These are the headline features from 2024, but your existing 965 already has them. Automatic Triathlon Transitions Lap Undo Feature Running Track Database expansions YouTube Music Support Heart Rate Dynamic Source Switching (oHR and a chest strap are in-workout backups to each other) Garmin Ride/Run Share App Strength, Sleep & Cycling Coach Improvements Garmin's CIQ System 8 will be supported out of the box. CIQ8 does not appear to add any notable new capabilities, and it should just give us more capable and complex CIQ apps - a good thing. New Sports Profiles The global growth of triathlon seems to be faltering. As it falters, a younger generation is tempted by multi-discipline events like HYROX and obstacle racing with Tough Mudder. Even the guys that run my local gym know this, so I'm certain Garmin knows it. Garmin will have seen the CIQ Roxfit app's popularity (50k downloads) and bemoaned missing out on being chosen as the official HYROX race watch. That honour went to Amazfit, which has some decent built-in HYROX functionality. Expect to see new multi-discipline sports profiles like HYROX. New Sports Features Whilst you can add a multisport event to your Garmin calendar, you can't manually assign it as your primary event, nor do Garmin's multisport planning/workout capabilities properly address multisport training with swim workouts, strength workouts and other supportive workouts. They will fill those gaps and put them behind the new paywall. Don't worry (ahem!...worry); you'll get 6 months of free access to cover this year's racing season. There will be no dive features or the 100ATM dive rating I hope to see the TIDES App and Glance - we all swim in the ocean, right? (well...) I also hope to see the LAP UNDO expanded to cover workout steps, allowing you to correct or repeat a step manually. That's doubtful, though. I expect Garmin will boost the group ride/group racing features to introduce richer leaderboard features over segments and hills (beefing up what's there already). These Live Group features are one area where Garmin could develop something interesting; they are the only hardware vendor with enough owners to make group features meaningful. These will not go behind the paywall. Also, expect more multisport analyses behind the Connect+ paywall. New Smart Features Potentially Big Changes Here - Garmin needs a strategic shift to support more smart features. Calls & Texts - You will be able to make and take calls on the watch with your connected smartphone. Voice command - This is a manually activated "OK Garmin" (which already exists). It will be added to make use of the new mic. The Voice Command feature is a pretty rubbish feature set on the Fenix 8 due to its limited scope, and it needs to be manually activated rather than voice-activated. It can't and won't be voice-initiated, as that will require much more battery to keep the mic permanently powered on. FR965 already has spectator messaging. I would expect Garmin to add more here behind the paywall. Perhaps your public profile could perform similarly to a WhatsApp group where all your contacts can cheer you on and interact. There are some privacy issues Garmin needs to tackle here before moving forward with live track improvements. No 5G/LTE on Forerunner 975 There will be new satellite/5G/LTE connected features from Garmin soon(ish). These will come to the Forerunner Series only if a smaller-format Forerunner is the test bed for new hardware and software ahead of the Fenix 8 Pro in September 2025 (like the 945LTE launch a while back for LTE). That said, a satellite antenna tech might be too big to fit on a smaller format Forerunner. New Physiology Features ECG - The ECG app will come with the Gen 5 ELEVATE sensor, provided your country allows it. Seeing Garmin add expanded ECG features behind the paywall wouldn't surprise me. I'm thinking of these 24-hour ECG track and report (like Fourth Frontier X2). Unusual events are highlighted for your GP. Live monitoring of heart events during exercise (chest strap) Over time, not necessarily at launch, I expect to see physiology features mysteriously improved. The improved version will only be available behind the paywall. Why? The Firstbeat Physiology features are an essential differentiator for Garmin, it adds value that people are prepared to pay for. Garmin Connect+ Subscription Expect Garmin to give you a free Connect+ subscription period with your new $650 watch. Let's say 3-6 months. Hmmm. Take Out - Is it worth buying FR965 now or waiting for FR970/5? If you need a bug-free watch for an important early-season race in 2025, then FR97/5 is best skipped - Garmin does not have a good track record with bugs on new products (F8, Edge 1050). Indeed I still get the Blue Triangle on the FR965 in April 2025. Not good. There are decent chances of revamped triathlon coaching/reporting, physiology, and HYROX support for those who want added sporty features. But what is there today on FR965 is excellent for triathlon. What would be more important for me (even as an active, competitive triathlete) are the smart features - I need to be tempted away from the Apple Watch when I'm not doing sport. Garmin is revamping this area of its capabilities - we don't know if the Forerunner series will benefit. (I think it will). The reality of what we might see is limited - slightly improved battery life, a new user interface, the current generation of Elevate (5, ECG) and maybe new buttons and flashlights. Is that worth the wait for you? Maybe FR975 will be slightly faster as well. That would be nice. Go for the FR965 now unless you want the latest, greatest tech like me. In which case, won't you buy regardless of when it's released and what it contains?
