What you should know
- Garmin watch face builders have noticed and leaked official references to new “Garmin fēnix 8 MicroLED” and “tactix 8 — AMOLED” watches.
- A earlier leak instructed Garmin was creating the Fenix 8 MicroLED and a brand new Fenix 8 Professional.
- Garmin solely just lately launched the bottom Garmin Fenix 8 on August 27.
Leaks counsel {that a} shock Garmin Fenix 8 MicroLED version would possibly arrive comparatively quickly. We have heard rumors for years that almost all main smartwatch makers wish to change OLED shows with MicroLEDs, so Garmin launching theirs earlier than Apple and Samsung can be a serious coup.
If this leak is correct, the timing may royally piss off Garmin Fenix 8 patrons. However the proof suggests Garmin will not pull off this win so simply.
Devices & Wearables posted a screenshot of a listing of “suitable units” for builders making new Garmin watch faces. The record contains all current Garmin AMOLED watches, nevertheless it has one exception: the “Garmin fēnix 8 MicroLED.” It additionally contains one other unannounced watch, the Garmin Tactix 8 AMOLED, which might ship in 47mm and 51mm case sizes.
Final month, Devices & Wearables posted one other alleged leak, exhibiting the Garmin Join app web page that seems if you add a brand new machine. The record contains the Garmin Fenix 8 MicroLED and the Fenix 8 Professional 47mm / 51mm. These units do not seem within the present app model, however they might have been eliminated.
MicroLED provider Vuzix introduced a partnership with Garmin in Could 2024 for a “subsequent technology nano-imprinted waveguide-based show system” with MicroLED tech, however waveguide shows are particularly for clear lenses like those in its Vuzix Defend AR glasses. Garmin makes a number of merchandise for truck drivers, and AR glasses with directional tech would match that description higher.
It is attainable that Vuzix would pull double responsibility and make MicroLED show tech for Garmin watches. We merely don’t have any proof that is the corporate’s space of experience, or that Garmin has one other MicroLED companion to make use of.
MicroLED show tech is supposed to match or beat the visible high quality and brightness of an AMOLED show while not having a backlight. Garmin watches are beloved for his or her lengthy battery life, however the firm’s pivot from battery-saving MIP to brighter AMOLEDs is controversial with long-time customers. MicroLED in all probability would not come near MIP for effectivity, however it might bridge the longevity hole.
An unimaginable MicroLED turnaround, if true
First, the positives: If (and it is a huge if) Garmin is promoting a MicroLED watch this yr or subsequent, it might be at a tempo that can make Apple and Samsung jealous.
Samsung allegedly “began to commercialize MicroLED know-how for smartwatches” in 2023 based on SamMobile, with “hopes to finish the event inside this yr.” Then one other report instructed Samsung needed to use a MicroLED show within the Galaxy Watch Extremely in 2024.
Both the reviews had been false or Samsung realized it could not affordably insert the tech into its watches but. It does promote MicroLED TVs…that value tons of of 1000’s of {dollars}. The Galaxy Watch Extremely is already costly sufficient with its present show, and the 2025 Galaxy Watch 8 ought to persist with AMOLED.
We have additionally heard competing rumors for years about Apple’s MicroLED plans. After analysts claimed it might arrive in 2024 or 2025, Bloomberg reported that Apple gave up on its MicroLED plans for the Apple Watch in March 2024. Simply this week, nonetheless, Appleinsider claimed that Apple intends to promote a microLED Extremely watch in 2026. The reviews make Apple sound indecisive in regards to the thought.
Google purchased MicroLED provider Raxium in 2022, with the belief that it might use the tech for AR glasses — probably the Venture Astra AR glasses we noticed at Google I/O 2024. However in principle, Google may comply with in Samsung’s footsteps and use MicroLED shows in a Pixel Watch.
The by way of line right here is that huge tech manufacturers see MicroLED as the way forward for smartwatch and AR glasses show tech, however are having bother implementing it shortly. If Vuzix had product-ready MicroLED tech for Garmin watches lower than a yr after its introduced partnership, that will be unusually quick.
Garmin JUST launched the Fenix 8
Let’s ignore the business proof that MicroLED in all probability is not prepared for any smartwatch, and that if Garmin had been to promote a Fenix 8 MicroLED, it might in all probability be prohibitively costly, possibly on par with its luxurious MARQ watches that value $2–3,000.
Suppose Garmin actually did pull off a coup and sells a brand new Fenix 8 MicroLED quickly. The timing can be brutal to everybody who spent wherever from $999 to $1,199 on a brand-new AMOLED watch, not realizing there’d be an excellent higher choice a couple of months away. (I assume the Fenix 8 MIP Photo voltaic patrons will not thoughts as a lot.)
This may additionally apply if the leaked Fenix 8 Professional arrives quickly, since Garmin normally waits a yr between a base Fenix and its mid-cycle refresh. Should you’re spending that a lot on a watch, you wish to really feel like you’ve the very best choice with each new software program function for a yr or extra, not a couple of months.
Other than a couple of minor launches just like the Lily 2 Lively, we in all probability will not see any extra main Garmin launches in 2024. However a spring 2025 launch of any new Garmin Fenix 8 would increase eyebrows and generate FOMO in Garmin’s largest spenders.
However I will return to my authentic level: Whether or not or not Garmin plans to promote a Fenix 8 MicroLED, I am skeptical it might probably pull it off shortly. And as a Fenix 8 proprietor, I would have some difficult feelings if Garmin bucks expectations.
