According to an alleged leak, Garmin is said to be working on a number of new features and two new top smartwatches in the premium training watch category.
Not much is known about these new watches, though according to a report published by The5KRunner, they would be in Fenix and Epix territory in terms of performance, which would make them one of the best best Garmin watches generally from a technical perspective.
The5KRunner suspects that they will be new versions of the Enduro (possibly a Garmin Enduro 3). As Garmin recently released the Garmin Fenix 7 Pro And Garmin EpixPro, it is unlikely that these rules will be renewed again anytime soon. Other than that, there are very few details about them floating around online.
In addition to the watches, Garmin also has a lot of other things in the pipeline. First up is Focus, a way to personalize the Garmin Connect app and avoid being drowned in options. There are many ways to use Garmin Connect (here are five of the best) but it’s a bit of a maze, too often presenting you with options that may not be relevant to your interests.
For example, if you’re signing up for general health monitoring, you might not care much about whether your workout readiness or high-level performance metrics are important. Focus reportedly lets you choose a specialization, such as Health or Performance, changing the way Garmin Connect looks for each person.
The5KRunner reports that the changes to Garmin Connect could go even deeper, as the leaker has seen something like the phrase “welcome to the new Garmin Connect.” It’s possible that Focus is part of a larger, top-down redesign of the app.
Other features mentioned in the report include SpO2 monitoring during sleep – a software upgrade, as this feature would use Garmin’s existing sensors to monitor SpO2 at night in compatible watches – and Self-Guided Plans, a new feature that allows you to create a personalized training plan in the Connect app based on certain disciplines and distances, such as running a marathon.
There’s no word yet on when these features and new watches are coming.
Analysis: Can Garmin Learn from Fitbit’s Problems?
The most interesting part of this news for me is the updated design of Garmin Connect and the new focus feature. Fitbit recently redesigned its app and has received quite a bit of backlash for it, hiding or removing certain features that are missed by the community. Garmin, with its Focus features, is also trying to limit the features immediately available to users and risks the same pitfalls.
Garmin, like Fitbit, sounds like it’s trying to slim down the app to create a more usable space, but some people will hate it and have to start searching at a glance for features they used to have access to. The saving grace for the rumors about Garmin’s approach to the problem is the customizable Focus feature. Do not you like it? You can change it.
There is also the matter of compensation. Garmin Connect is free to use, but to get the most out of Fitbit, you’ll have to pay for Fitbit Premium. Premium features are great and it’s one of the best fitness apps overall, but paying every month for an app that has your favorite features removed can easily discourage existing users.
Garmin Connect is free to use (except for purchasing a watch, of course), which may mean users are more sensitive to changes.