A couple of years ago, Garmin seemed on a mission. The brand wanted to launch as many wearables as possible in the shortest time possible.
This was around the time the Garmin Forerunner 965 came out. Launched just a year after the somewhat disappointing (at least, for me) Garmin Forerunner 955, it was the perfect watch for athletes, full to the brim with superb training and recovery features.
It was also the first 900 Series watch to sport an AMOLED screen, which made all the difference. The larger, brighter display (and well-thought-out data fields) made it possible to read the watch face even in bright lighting conditions and without glasses (in my case).
Despite that large AMOLED screen, the Forerunner 965 has an incredible three-week battery life in smartwatch mode and a 31-hour GPS battery life. I don’t have to charge the watch more often than once every other week, which is brilliant.
It’s been on my wrist pretty much continuously since its launch, which says a lot, as I’m surrounded by the best smartwatches, triathlon watches and smart rings. For training, I don’t trust any other wearable but the Forerunner 965.
With the rumours of a new Garmin watch circulating online, all eyes are on the brand to see what new watches are being released soon. Many assume it will be the new Forerunner 275 or Forerunner 975, as those were launched a couple of years ago.
I, for one, hope it’s neither, as both watches are perfectly fine as they are, and I don’t think much can be added to them to enhance user experience.
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/ T3)
Garmin Forerunner 975: potential new features
What features does the Forerunner 965n not have that might be added to the new model?
The strongest contender is the new ECG-capable Elevate V5 heart rate sensor. The current watch is built on the previous-gen Elevate V4, which works perfectly fine.
However, I appreciate that the Elevate V5 has been out for a few years since the launch of the Garmin Fenix 7 Pro and has been used in all new models ever since. It has twice as many LEDs as the V4 and is generally more accurate (although, again, there is nothing wrong with its predecessor).
The Garmin Venu 3 introduced on-wrist calling and voice assistant via a built-in speaker and microphone. This was then inherited by the latest Garmin Fenix 8, so it’s safe to assume the company would include it on the new top-tier Forerunner.
One thing that’s unlikely to make it to the Forerunner 900 Series is the built-in flashlight. This feature seems to be reserved for Garmin’s adventure line, such as the Garmin Instinct 3. Even though I’m sure other athletes would appreciate it, too, I feel adding a flashlight would make the Forerunner 975 heavier than necessary.
New software features usually trickle down to older models, and the Forerunner 965 has most of these, including the Endurance Score, Sleep Coach, and others that were introduced since the watch’s launch.
The user interface of most Garmin watches looks the same, so I don’t assume that would change drastically on the Forerunner 975. If it did, these changes would make their way to the Forerunner 965, I’m sure of it.
(Image credit: Garmin)
A big IF
One reason that might change my mind about the necessity of a new Garmin is display tech. We are currently waiting on two breakthroughs: MicroLED and AMOLED+Solar.
MicroLED is more likely to arrive soon, as Garmin is reportedly working on the technology (so is Apple). MicroLED promises brighter visuals, better energy efficiency, and enhanced durability than OLED displays.
This would mean longer battery life and brighter, more expressive displays on new Forerunner models, which, combined with the latest sensor and potentially the built-in speaker and microphone, might sway me.
An AMOLED watch with PowerGlass technology would also be exciting. Currently – and as far as I’m concerned – no one makes solar-charging AMOLED watches, so if Garmin can develop that tech, it might be a game-changer for the brand.
And considering they’ve been working on PowerGlass for years, it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibilities to assume we might get a solar-powered AMOLED watch from Garmin soon. Whether it’s the new Forerunner or not is yet to be determined.
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
Do we need a new Forerunner?
I know the smartwatch world is highly competitive, and Chinese companies are after established manufacturers such as Garmin. BBC reported that global smartwatch sales fell for the first time due to iterative design not bringing much to the table.
From that perspective, I can imagine Garmin is keen on launching a new Forerunner to stay ahead of the competition. It’s getting harder and harder to justify the premium price tag of Garmin watches; the best way to go about it is to stay at the forefront of innovation, and Garmin is doing just that.
On the other hand, I wish companies could reduce the frequency of launching new products to every year or every other year. Most hardware doesn’t downgrade as fast as companies churn out new products, which inevitably results in some upgrading their wearables more often than needed.
Strangely, Apple, of all brands, is the one company to watch when it comes to extending the life cycle of its products with new features.
Last year, everyone expected a new AirPods Pro to be announced alongside the Apple AirPods 4. Yet, the company decided to ‘only’ add a new Hearing Aid function to the existing Apple AirPods Pro 2, turning the noise-cancelling earbuds into de facto hearing aids.
The Cupertino-based brand also refused to launch a new Apple AirPods Max despite the headphones being out for over four years. Apple’s track record with its watches isn’t as great, and the Apple Watch Series 10 was criticised for not bringing enough new features to the table to justify its existence.
Where does this all leave the Forerunner 975? I’d say it’s likely we’ll see it this year, but I’m not sure it’ll be revolutionary. It’s quite a tall order to expect companies to release breakthrough technology every other year. If only shareholders let brands work on projects for longer…
