ZDNET tested two sub-$300 AMOLED sports watches, the Garmin Forerunner 170 and Coros Pace 4, over several weeks of running, biking, and hiking. Both offer similar 1.2-inch displays and weight, but the Coros Pace 4 lasts roughly 19 days per charge versus 10 for the Garmin, with a similar edge during GPS use. The Garmin counters with a traditional five-button interface that some athletes prefer for reliability in bad weather or heavy sweat.
zdnet.com
· 2026-08-31
Garmin has launched the Cirqa, a $200 screenless health and fitness band that markets 24/7 monitoring without a subscription fee. A reviewer found the device technically solid but questioned its value, noting Garmin's software lags behind rivals in turning raw data into actionable coaching insights.
engadget.com
· 2026-08-31
A wave of screen-free fitness trackers—including the Garmin Cirqa, Google Fitbit Air, Polar Loop, Amazfit Helio Strap, and Whoop—are gaining traction by design: they collect health data continuously but require almost no daily interaction. Bloomberg reports Apple is reportedly exploring its own take on the format, signaling the trend could expand into mainstream smartwatch territory.
wired.com
· 2026-08-30
Garmin's CIRQA fitness tracker is experiencing Bluetooth heart rate broadcasting failures following the August 20 firmware 2.50 update, according to user reports on a Gadgets and Wearables forum thread. Affected users say Bluetooth connections cycle between connected and disconnected on Garmin Edge devices, while broadcasting fails outright on apps like Zwift, TrainerRoad, Rouvy and Strava, plus Bluetooth-enabled gym equipment. ANT+ connections remain unaffected, and a Garmin representative confirmed the issue has been escalated internally with no fix timeline given yet.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-08-28
Amazon has cut the price of the 47mm Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED Sapphire and Titanium edition to $849.99, a $250 reduction from its $1,099.99 list price. The discount ties the watch's previous all-time-low price set during a past Prime Day event.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-08-27
Amazon has cut the price of the Garmin Vivoactive 5 to $173, down from its $299.99 list price, marking the lowest price the smartwatch has ever hit. The device offers a 1.2-inch AMOLED display, built-in GPS, extensive health tracking features, onboard music storage, and up to 11 days of battery life.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-08-26
Garmin has introduced the Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro sports watches, including a solar-powered Pro variant that debuts the line's first titanium case. The Fenix 9 lineup brings brighter AMOLED displays, expanded storage, improved offline mapping, new training features and LTE, while the compact 43mm Pro adds satellite messaging via Garmin's inReach service. Pricing starts at $1,000 for the Fenix 9 and climbs to $1,200 for the solar Pro editions, with orders opening August 28.
cnet.com
· 2026-08-26
Garmin has launched the Fenix 9, 9 Pro and 9 Pro Solar smartwatches, arriving August 28th starting at $1,299 for the Pro model. The Fenix 9 Pro upgrades to a 1.5-inch AMOLED screen hitting 3,000 nits, roughly double the brightness of the Fenix 8 Pro's 1,500-nit panel, and adds a titanium watch case, 64GB storage and new ComfortFit woven bands.
zdnet.com
· 2026-08-25
Garmin unveiled its Fenix 9 rugged smartwatch series, led by a base model with an OLED display reaching 3,000 nits brightness, double that of its predecessor, plus more RAM and a faster map engine for smoother panning. The pricier Fenix 9 Pro, starting at $1,099.99, adds a titanium case, optional satellite/LTE connectivity, a larger 1.5-inch display on its biggest size, and solar charging that can extend battery life up to 57 days under ideal outdoor conditions.
theverge.com
· 2026-08-25
Garmin has unveiled its Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro smartwatches, featuring refreshed hardware and a new capability called Garmin Epic. This feature links together separate workouts or outdoor activities to give users a combined, more complete view of their overall physical exertion over a day or trip.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-08-25
Garmin unveiled its fēnix 9 series, including a base model and a Pro variant, each available in three case sizes with new ComfortFit bands. The watches gain a brighter AMOLED display, 50% more RAM, a faster map engine, and features like Perspective view and Garmin Epic for grouping activities. The base fēnix 9 starts at $999.99, while the titanium fēnix 9 Pro, which adds 3,000 nits of brightness and a green light mode, starts at $1,099.99.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-08-25
Amazon has discounted the Garmin Dash Cam Mini 3 to $99.99, down 33% from its $149.99 list price and below the $117.95 low seen over the past month. The car-key-sized camera records 1080p video with a 140-degree field of view and includes a Clarity polarizer to cut windshield glare, but has no built-in screen, relying instead on Garmin's app for settings and footage review.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-08-24