Fenix 9
CIRQA
Forerunner 170
Forerunner 70
D2 Mach 2 Pro
Quatix 8 Pro
Approach J1
D2 Air X15
D2 Mach 2
Venu 4
Bounce 2
Fenix 8 Pro
Quatix 8
Index Sleep
Venu X1
Forerunner 970
Forerunner 570
Vivoactive 6
Tactix 8
Descent G2
Approach
Instinct 3
Instinct E
Fenix 8
Enduro 3
Fenix E
Lily 2
Forerunner 165
Vivoactive 5
Venu 3
Descent Mk3
Fenix 7 Pro
Epix Pro
Forerunner 965
Forerunner 265
Instinct 2X
MARQ (Gen 2)
D2 Mach 1
Quatix 7
Tactix 7
Vivosmart 5
Fenix 7
Epix (Gen 2)
Bounce
Instinct 2
Vivofit Jr. 3
Forerunner 55
Approach S12
Swim 2
Vivofit 4
Amazfit Launches T-Rex Dual Solar, an AMOLED Watch With Front and Rear Solar
Garmin Marathon Series Completes Fourth Race in Toledo
Garmin Explains Why the Fenix 9 Pro Skipped MicroLED: Its 3,000-Nit AMOLED Is Bright Enough
DC Rainmaker Has Finally Put the Fenix 9 Through Its Paces
Garmin Tactix 9 and Enduro 4 Named in Russian Regulatory Filing
Garmin Acquires Applied Ballistics
Garmin Fenix 9 Pro inReach Is Already $200 Off at Amazon
Garmin Releases Fenix 9 and 9 Pro Series Stable Version 6.48
Garmin Birthday Sale Is Live With Discounts Across Current Watches
Apple Watch Series 12 “Most Accurate Heart Rate” Claim, Explained
Garmin Connect Names a CIRQA Smart Band Pro
Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 Close the Health Gap With Garmin
Garmin Releases Fenix 8 Series Stable Version 23.31
We’ve Rebuilt the Software Updates Hub
What to Expect From Apple Watch at Apple’s September 9 Event
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Amazfit T-Rex Dual Solar in Basalt Black. Photo: Amazfit.
Amazfit is calling it the first dual-sided solar charging system on an AMOLED smartwatch. The front collects energy through the display. The rear uses a glass-ceramic back plate that Amazfit says has more than twice the active charging area of the front. The company says the two surfaces do not charge at the same time. When the rear panel sees sunlight, the watch can enter a Solar Boost mode that locks the rest of the interface until you exit it.
That combination is the part Garmin has stayed away from. Garmin’s position has been that AMOLED plus solar does not make sense on power, and that the space is better used for a larger battery.
Hardware
The Dual Solar is built as a close twin of the T-Rex Ultra 2, with a few hardware tradeoffs:
- 1.32-inch AMOLED, 466 × 466, up to 3,000 nits, sapphire crystal
- 660 mAh battery, versus 870 mAh and a 1.5-inch display on Ultra 2
- Case 51.4 mm across and 16.9 mm thick including the heart-rate sensor; watch body 69 g
- Grade 5 titanium bezel and buttons, fiber-reinforced polymer frame, Grade 5 titanium and glass-ceramic back
- 10 ATM, with recreational dive support to 50 meters (Ultra 2 is 45 meters)
- White or red flashlight (Ultra 2 is white or green)
- Dual-band GPS, preloaded maps, route planning, 180+ sport modes
- Microphone, speaker, Bluetooth calls
- Low-temperature mode down to -30°C / -22°F
- Side USB-C-compatible charger that is not the same connector as other current Amazfit watches
- Color: Basalt Black
Amazfit official battery claims. Photo: Amazfit.
Official Battery Claims
Amazfit’s own compare table lists:
- Typical use: up to 25 days
- Typical use plus 3 hours of front solar: up to 34 days
- Typical use plus 3 hours of rear solar: up to 51 days
- Accuracy GPS mode: up to 41 hours
The solar figures assume three hours of sunlight at 50,000 lux.
The Dual Solar solar widget, split by front and rear input. Photo: Amazfit.
How the Battery Actually Behaved
Ray Maker tested a review unit in a September 22, 2026 hands-on at DC Rainmaker. His numbers are much smaller than the marketing claims.
Off the wrist in all-day sun, he saw about 2–3% of battery added. One day went from 53% to 55% between about 9:45 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. Another day the watch listed 2.8 days of smartwatch time, 8.4 days of battery-saver time, and 14 days of watch-only time, with repeated overheat warnings.
The rear panel is the bigger collector, but it also runs hot. In 80–90°F weather, Maker said it overheated in about 10 minutes, then stopped adding charge until it cooled. Amazfit told him cooler alpine temperatures should hold up better.
On the wrist with GPS, solar did not change the draw much. A night ride of 1 hour 20 minutes went from 45% to 42%, about 2% per hour, with no solar. A sunny one-hour run went from 43% to 41%, also about 2% per hour. A sunny 2-hour 12-minute ride went from 51% to 46%, and the watch showed zero solar during that activity. Amazfit is looking into that. One theory is that the watch selected the rear panel while it was against his wrist.
Maker did confirm the watch can restart from 0% on solar alone. He also said Amazfit’s solar widget is clearer than Garmin’s: it splits front and rear input, and it shows days gained in smartwatch, battery-saver, and watch-only modes. It does not subtract the power the watch is using at the same time.
His conclusion: Amazfit had to shrink both the battery and the display to fit the solar hardware, and the real-world gain on the wrist is small.
Official results from DRS Timing on RunSignup list 2,794 finishers across the four distances. The Blade covered the day as a rainy return to Toledo.
The Garmin Marathon Toledo full and half-marathon courses. Photo: Garmin.
The marathon, half-marathon, and 10K started at 7:00 a.m., with the 5K at 7:20 a.m. All four distances started and finished downtown near the Glass City Convention Center. Race morning was wet and cool. 13abc called for steady light rain and temperatures in the mid-60s.
Men’s Marathon Winners
The men’s marathon was won by Hung-Yu Chou of New Taipei City, Taiwan, who finished in 2:28:54 chip time. Richard Bower of Toledo finished second in 2:30:25, followed by Yu-Hsuan Huang of New Taipei City in 2:38:23.
- 1. Hung-Yu Chou — 2:28:54 chip time / 2:28:54 clock time / 5:41 pace
- 2. Richard Bower — 2:30:25 chip time / 2:30:25 clock time / 5:44 pace
- 3. Yu-Hsuan Huang — 2:38:23 chip time / 2:38:23 clock time / 6:03 pace
Women’s Marathon Winners
On the women’s side, Yi-Ning Chen of New Taipei City, Taiwan, won the marathon in 3:00:59 chip time. Keri Hajduk of Sylvania, Ohio, finished second in 3:03:17, and Erin Borden of Appleton, Wisconsin, finished third in 3:16:35.
- 1. Yi-Ning Chen — 3:00:59 chip time / 3:00:59 clock time / 6:54 pace
- 2. Keri Hajduk — 3:03:17 chip time / 3:03:21 clock time / 7:00 pace
- 3. Erin Borden — 3:16:35 chip time / 3:16:40 clock time / 7:30 pace
Full searchable results are on Garmin’s Toledo results page and RunSignup.
What Is the Garmin Marathon Series?
The Garmin Marathon Series is Garmin’s own running-event series. It includes marathon, half-marathon, 10K, and 5K events, giving Garmin a race platform tied directly to the running audience that already uses Garmin watches and Garmin Connect for training.
For Garmin, the series is different from a standard race sponsorship. Rather than simply appearing as a sponsor on an existing race, Garmin owns and produces the series itself. Garmin launched it in 2025 with inaugural stops in Toledo and Tucson.
Where Else Is the Garmin Marathon Series?
For 2026, there are three races:
- Durham, North Carolina — May 2, 2026
- Toledo, Ohio — September 20, 2026
- Tucson, Arizona — November 8, 2026
That makes Toledo the second Garmin Marathon Series event on the 2026 calendar, with Tucson still to come.
The Toledo Course
Garmin published the Toledo courses with Run Toledo. The routes are built to stay fast and mostly flat while running through Toledo, Perrysburg, Rossford, and Maumee.
Full marathoners, half marathoners, and 10K runners share the first three miles, heading south on Summit Street, then onto Monroe Street past Fifth Third Field, home of the Toledo Mud Hens. The marathon then turns north at the Toledo Museum of Art in Hensville, crosses the Maumee River on the Robert Craig Memorial Bridge, and continues through Glass City Metropark, past Hollywood Casino, and into Rossford, Perrysburg, and Maumee. The return north includes River Road, Toledo Country Club, and the Toledo Zoo before the finish near Maumee Bay Brewing Co.
Garmin lists no hills with more than 65 feet of elevation and a total ascent of about 590 feet, with a 6.5-hour cutoff. The finish-line festival is at Promenade Park.
Garmin Marathon Series Continues
Garmin Marathon Toledo is now in the books, with Hung-Yu Chou and Yi-Ning Chen taking the marathon wins. The event gave Garmin another completed race in its own Marathon Series, which now includes Durham, Toledo, and Tucson on the 2026 calendar.
Next up is Tucson on November 8. For Garmin fans and runners, the series is worth watching because it shows Garmin continuing to connect its watches, software, and running brand to actual race-day events.
Here is Garmin’s statement in full:
“MicroLED is an exciting emerging technology that continues to evolve. While it played an important role in the fēnix 8 Pro 51mm lineup, we’re excited for the opportunity to bring our brightest and largest 1.5″ AMOLED screen to fēnix 9 Pro 51mm. We will always monitor advancements in display technology and will look to bring those to the Fenix lineup when they make sense.”
Ray’s own experience backs the statement up. From the video:
“Here’s the thing: as someone who has actually worn that chunky, bright-display watch over the past year, there has been no real-world difference when I switch from that MicroLED version to the Fenix 9 over the last little while here, display-wise, in bright, sunny Mediterranean conditions. It’s been a complete and total wash.” — DC Rainmaker
Read past the diplomacy and the message is simple. Garmin is saying the Fenix 9 Pro’s 3,000-nit AMOLED is bright enough. That panel is rated at twice the brightness of the Fenix 8, and on the 51mm it grew to 1.5 inches at 466 × 466 without the case getting any bigger. Garmin isn’t calling MicroLED a mistake; it’s calling it “emerging” and reserving the right to bring it back “when it makes sense.”
What MicroLED cost the Fenix 8 Pro
The 4,500-nit MicroLED was the brightest display ever put on a watch, and it came with real trade-offs that the AMOLED Pros did not have:
- Thickness. MicroLED needs a separate touch layer bonded on top of the panel, so the MicroLED model measured 17.5mm against 16.5mm for the 51mm AMOLED Pro and 14.7mm for the regular 51mm Fenix 8.
- Battery. Smartwatch mode dropped from 27 days on the 51mm AMOLED to 10 days on MicroLED, and GPS-only from 78 hours to 44. We covered the reasons in why Garmin’s first MicroLED watch uses more battery than its AMOLED counterpart.
- Price. It launched at $1,999.99, a $700 premium over the 51mm AMOLED Pro and the most expensive Fenix Garmin had ever sold.
The Fenix 9 Pro went the other way on every one of those. The 51mm Pro AMOLED is 15.8mm thick, its titanium case shaved weight, and the brighter panel arrived without a MicroLED-sized battery penalty. From Garmin’s side of the table, that is the “when it makes sense” test, and MicroLED didn’t pass it this generation.
The price has come down, and you can still buy it
Garmin cut the MicroLED to $1,699.99 in February, and with the Fenix 9 Pro now on shelves, street pricing has fallen further. Amazon currently has it well under that. If you want the brightest watch display Garmin has made, and you can live with the thickness and the battery, this is the cheapest it has been.
For everyone else, Garmin’s answer is the Fenix 9 Pro, and the AMOLED there is a legitimate step up. Our Fenix 9 Pro vs Fenix 8 Pro vs Fenix 8 comparison has the full display, thickness and battery numbers side by side.
DC Rainmaker has finally received the box of Fenix 9 watches that was stuck in customs after launch. He and his wife have had enough time to put them through swim, bike, run, gym sessions, indoor rowing, and a 10-hour hike, and his in-depth review is up.
These are the points he kept coming back to after living on the watches.
He still thinks most people should start with an AMOLED, usually 47 mm, and treat Pro inReach as the add-on you buy if you actually want LTE LiveTrack or satellite messaging. Display type, size, then Base / Pro / Pro inReach is the order he uses. The Fenix 9 Pro 43 mm inReach is the one that mattered for his wife. The Fenix 8 Pro never came in 43 mm, which is why she skipped it last year.
On screens, he is done with the MIP-is-better-in-the-sun argument. After testing AMOLED and Solar side by side at night, sunrise, and midday Mediterranean sun, including on the water, he says there is no condition where the MIP panel is easier to read. Solar still wins on battery. On that 10-hour hike, with four identically configured watches, the 47 mm Solar lasted about twice as long as the AMOLED, helped by facing the sun. He is clear that winter in Seattle or Amsterdam will not look like that.
The Pro’s 3,000-nit panel versus 2,000 nits on the base Fenix 9 is noticeable, not necessarily noticed day to day, because those numbers are peak brightness. Garmin also dropped MicroLED this generation. He wore the chunky 4,500-nit Fenix 8 Pro MicroLED for a year and says switching to the Fenix 9 in bright sun was “a complete and total wash.”
Maps are a little faster than the Fenix 8 Pro, in line with Garmin’s 30% pan / 40% route-calculation claims, and harder to tell apart between Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro in his side-by-sides. Every Fenix 9 has more RAM, and the Pro gets a faster chip. Chase the Summit saw a bigger gap in Chamonix. His take is milder: better, not night and day.
LTE LiveTrack is the inReach feature he actually uses. His wife can leave the phone at home on night runs and he can still see her.
The bigger story, in his view, is not a single Fenix 9 spec. For the first time in this line, Garmin is sending almost all of the new sport software back to the Fenix 8 generation and the other watches on that platform, including the Forerunner 970. We covered that list at launch. It is not coming this year, and he thinks Garmin is sitting on it to sell Fenix 9s. It still changes the math if a Fenix 8 goes on sale: newer hardware and a 43 mm Pro inReach, or save the money and wait for the software.
He calls the launch solid. Garmin did not raise prices over last year’s Fenix 8 Pro. There were bugs and a couple of crashes, including one on a trail run, but nothing that ate a whole workout. He already bought his own 47 mm Fenix 9 Pro.
Garmin Fenix 9 Pro (47 mm)
47 mm AMOLED Pro with a full titanium case, sapphire lens, 3,000-nit display, faster maps, and 64 GB. No subscription radios.
$1,099.99
Get on Amazon
Garmin Fenix 9 Pro inReach (43 mm)
43 mm AMOLED Pro with inReach LTE and satellite. The size the Fenix 8 Pro never offered.
Get on Amazon
Garmin Fenix 9 Pro Solar (47 mm)
47 mm MIP Solar Pro with Power Sapphire and a full titanium case. Longer battery, no inReach radios.
$1,099.99
Get on Amazon
An EAEU Declaration of Conformity registered in Russia lists the unannounced Garmin tactix 9, tactix 9 Ballistics Edition, and Enduro 4 by name as flagged by Gadgets & Wearables.
The Russian EAEU model list, with Enduro 4 and tactix 9 circled. Screenshot via Gadgets & Wearables.
The document is declaration N RU Д-US.РА06.В.38875/26, filed for Garmin International. It is a long list of current smartwatches mixed with a few that have not been announced. Gadgets & Wearables says the July 23 declaration was later replaced, and that the same unannounced names remain in August 31 paperwork.
The current Tactix 8, which launched in February 2025. Garmin has not announced a Tactix 9.
Garmin is still selling the Tactix 8, and this is the first time we have seen tactix 9 mentioned. Listing a Ballistics Edition separately also matches how Garmin already splits that line.
The current Enduro 3. Enduro 4 had already shown up in Garmin Connect this summer.
Enduro 4 is less of a surprise. A reference to Enduro 4 appeared in Garmin Connect in June, and the watch was widely expected around the Fenix 9 launch. It did not appear on August 25, though it is expected to launch very soon.
Garmin has acquired Applied Ballistics, the Michigan company whose ballistic software already sits in select Tactix watches. According to Garmin, the deal brings Applied Ballistics’ research, projectile data, and solver technology in-house. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The current Tactix 8. Applied Ballistics software is already used in select tactix watches. Photo: Garmin.
Applied Ballistics builds ballistic solvers and radar-validated projectile models used by hunters, competitive shooters, and other long-range users. The deal also includes the Applied Ballistics Quantum app, which manages ballistic profiles and connected equipment. Garmin said the two companies have worked together for nearly 10 years.
That software is already part of Garmin’s tactical lineup. The Tactix 7 Pro Ballistics Edition includes an Applied Ballistics solver, and the Tactix 8 line uses it for long-range aiming solutions. On supported models, the software uses rifle, bullet, and environmental information to calculate elevation, windage, and time of flight.
The same technology also appears in products including the Foretrex 901 Ballistic Edition and integrations with the Xero C2 chronograph. Garmin said bringing the software, proprietary projectile data, and precision-firing technology in-house will expand its work across tactical, shooting-sports, and hunting products.
Garmin’s new Fenix 9 Pro inReach is already receiving its first notable discount at Amazon. The 51mm AMOLED model in Titanium with a Graphite/Black band is available for $1,099.99, down from its $1,299.99 list price. That is a $200 discount, or 15 percent off.
Garmin Fenix 9 Pro inReach (51mm AMOLED)
Titanium case, 1.5-inch AMOLED display, sapphire lens, and built-in LTE and satellite connectivity.
$1,299.99
limited in stock when checked Wednesday morning.
Get on Amazon
This is specifically the 51mm AMOLED inReach configuration, rather than a discount across the entire Fenix 9 lineup. It has Garmin’s larger 1.5-inch display, a titanium case, sapphire lens and the LTE and satellite hardware used by Garmin Messenger and SOS features. The full lineup, specifications and model differences are available in our Fenix 9 reference guide.
Amazon showed limited units remaining when we checked Wednesday morning and pricing and inventory can change quickly.
Changelog for Version 6.48
- Fixes Garmin Locate displaying confusing locations and times.
- Fixes Messenger Calls not coming through correctly when watch and phone are still BLE-connected.
- Fixes microphone not working if Voice Assistant is interrupted by an incoming call.
- Fixes potential battery drain issue for Pro devices with activated inReach plans.
- Fixes some watchface translation and layout issues.
- Fixes voice alerts coming through when in Silent Mode.
- Fixes volume increment/decrement.
Updates arrive automatically over Wi‑Fi or via Garmin Connect / Garmin Express. To check now, on the watch go to Main Menu › Settings › System › Software Update › Check For Updates.
Track every device on our software updates page, or see the complete Fenix 9 / Fenix 9 Pro history on the Garmin Wiki.
Garmin is having its birthday sale, with marked-down prices on current watches including the Venu 4, Fenix 8, Forerunner 70 and 170, and Vivoactive 6. Sale prices apply to select colors and models.
Lifestyle watches
Venu 4
AMOLED GPS watch with a built-in flashlight and Garmin’s current health and fitness tools.
$548
$549.99
Get on Amazon
13% off
Venu X1
Garmin’s thin 2-inch AMOLED watch with a titanium bezel and sapphire lens.
$699.99
$799.99
Get on Amazon
Venu 3
The previous Venu, with speaker and microphone support for calls and texts.
Get on Amazon
19% off
Vivoactive 6
Everyday GPS watch with a bright display and Garmin’s core wellness features.
$244
$299.99
Get on Amazon
33% off
Vivoactive 5
The prior Vivoactive, still an AMOLED GPS watch at a lower price.
$199.97
$299.99
Get on Amazon
Lily 2
Small fashion smartwatch with wellness tracking and optional GPS.
$249.99
Get on Amazon
Running watches
Forerunner 70
The new entry Forerunner with essential training and recovery features.
$249.99
Get on Amazon
Forerunner 170
The 170 side of Garmin’s new Forerunner pair, with optional music on some versions.
$299.99
Get on Amazon
Outdoor and multisport
25% off
Fenix 8
Current Fenix family, including AMOLED models and the lower-priced Fenix E.
$749.99
$999.99
Get on Amazon
16% off
Enduro 3
Ultraperformance GPS watch with maps and long endurance-focused battery life.
$749.95
$896.65
Get on Amazon
34% off
Instinct 3
Rugged Instinct 3 family, from Instinct E up through AMOLED and Solar.
$299
$449.99
Get on Amazon
Instinct Crossover AMOLED
Hybrid outdoor watch with analog hands and an AMOLED display.
$649.99
Get on Amazon
Tactical, marine, and golf
19% off
Tactix 8
Tactical Fenix-class watch with AMOLED or Solar options.
$1,049.99
$1,299.99
Get on Amazon
8% off
Quatix 8
Marine-focused smartwatch with chartplotter control and inReach options.
$1,099.99
$1,199.99
Get on Amazon
Approach S50
AMOLED golf watch with on-course GPS and optional wellness tracking.
$399.99
Get on Amazon
3% off
Approach S70
Garmin’s larger golf watch with a brighter AMOLED display and more course tools.
$632.56
$649.99
Get on Amazon
During the keynote launch of the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, Apple claimed both watches offer the most accurate heart rate sensing of any wearable. The backing for that line is an Apple-conducted study with more than a thousand people, a Polar H10 chest strap as the reference, and a head-to-head against six other current wearables, including the Garmin Forerunner 970.
Apple’s paper puts a tighter frame on the same claim. It says Apple Watch “offers users the most accurate heart rate sensing among the wearable devices evaluated in this study.”
How Apple ran it
Apple designed the study and approved the consent form in-house. Testing ran in July and August 2026 at five sites: two near Cupertino, plus San Diego, Austin, and Selangor, Malaysia. Apple ran Cupertino and Austin. A contract research group ran the other two, and 59% of the people in the final analysis came from those sites.
Apple enrolled 1,460 people and used 1,254 who produced at least one paired comparison. The group was 35% female, with a mean age of 39 and a mix of body types and skin tones, including 20% with darker Fitzpatrick skin tones (V or VI). Participants had to be 18 or older and able to wear a watch, a ring, and a chest strap. Apple left out tech-media workers, people on beta blockers, anyone who shouldn’t do intense exercise, and anyone with a tattoo or large mole under a sensor.
What they wore
Each person wore an Apple Watch on one wrist, another device on the other, and a Polar H10 chest strap. Wrist side was randomized, so the Apple Watch sat on the dominant hand about half the time. Staff fitted every device to the manufacturer’s recommendation and used the latest retail model from each brand.
The lineup was Apple Watch Series 12, Garmin Forerunner 970, Google Pixel Watch 4, Huawei Watch 5, Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, WHOOP 5, and Oura Ring 5 on a finger. Apple says those watch brands cover about 90% of worldwide smartwatch shipments, plus two screenless devices. Oura sat out strength training because Oura tells people not to lift in the ring.
Workouts ran 15 to 20 minutes: outdoor runs, indoor interval treadmill, outdoor cycling, HIIT, and strength. Apple picked those because they are hard on wrist heart rate — bouncing cadence, a loaded grip, fast arm motion. Everyday sessions were about 20 minutes of rest, desk work, meal prep, and walking. Workout mode stayed on for workouts and off for the everyday stuff.
How Apple scored it
Every reading was compared with the Polar strap. Apple used two error scores, RMSE and MAE, plus the average heart rate for the whole session. In plain terms, those first two numbers measure how far a device drifted from the chest strap, with RMSE punishing a few big misses more. Apple then compared each person’s Apple Watch error with the other device on their other wrist, and it treated a result as significant only if a 99% confidence interval stayed on Apple’s side. At least 50 people were required for each workout and each competitor.
Apple says it wanted the heart rate a user actually sees, at the highest rate the product offers. A lot of the other devices were logged over Bluetooth onto an iPhone. Apple Watch background heart rate only lands in HealthKit every 30 seconds, so Apple used an internal logger that grabbed the same 5-second number shown on the watch face and in the Workout app. Samsung’s everyday export also skipped a proper second-by-second stream, so Apple compared one exported number with the chest-strap average for that stretch.
| Device | Workout | Everyday use |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Watch Series 12 | Internal logger, every 5 s | Internal logger, every 5 s |
| Garmin Forerunner 970 | Bluetooth, 0.25–0.5 s | Bluetooth, 0.5 s |
| Google Pixel Watch 4 | Bluetooth, 2 s | Bluetooth, 2 s |
| Huawei Watch 5 | Bluetooth, 1 s | Bluetooth, 1 s |
| Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 | App export, 1 s | App export, 60 s (1 s while walking) |
| WHOOP 5 | Bluetooth, 1 s | Bluetooth, 1 s |
| Oura Ring 5 | HealthKit, 5 s | HealthKit, about every 5 min |
| Polar H10 (reference) | Bluetooth, 1 s | |
What Apple reported
On the overall workout and everyday scores, Apple says Series 12 was more accurate than every other device on both error measures. Session-average heart rate went Apple’s way in 11 of 12 of those rollups. The exception is Huawei Watch 5 on overall workouts, where Apple Watch looked a bit better but the gap was too small to call.
Broken out by workout, Apple says Series 12 won every activity against every device except outdoor cycling versus Pixel Watch 4, which was too close to call. Everyday use looked similar. Eight rest, desk, and walking comparisons were too close to call, and Pixel Watch 4 beat Apple Watch at rest only, by less than half a beat.
Added up, Apple counted 159 individual comparisons. Series 12 was clearly better in 139, 18 were too close to call, and the other device won two. If you ignore the confidence cutoff and just look at the raw direction, Apple says it came out ahead in 155 of 159.
Study limitations
Apple designed the study, approved the consent form, and ran two of the five sites. The published charts show the gap versus Apple Watch, not a simple “this watch was off by X bpm” number you can hang on a Forerunner 970 or anything else in the lineup. Devices were also logged in different ways, and the keynote claim only covers the wearables and activities Apple chose to test.
Taken on its own terms, the paper matches what Apple said on stage: in this head-to-head, Series 12 came out ahead of the other devices it tested.
Source: Apple Watch Heart Rate Accuracy Study, September 2026. Apple also summarizes the claim in its health newsroom post.
A CIRQA Smart Band Pro has appeared by name in Garmin Connect, as spotted by Gadgets & Wearables in recent versions of the app.
The original CIRQA Smart Band that launched in July.
The current CIRQA Smart Band is Garmin’s screenless health and fitness tracker. It launched in July at $199.99, with no subscription required, no display, and one physical button. It lives in the same Garmin Connect ecosystem as the watches.
This reference is unlikely to be the recently leaked CIRQA smart ring, and rather a separate device Garmin has been preparing on its own track, including later filings that point to ten ring sizes.
What Gadgets & Wearables found is a Connect tutorial string that reads, “You can set alarms on your CIRQA Smart Band Pro in the Garmin Connect app.” The same CIRQA Smart Band Pro wording is in both Connect 5.28.1 and 5.29. In that same alarm tutorial group, Connect also has a separate line for the regular product: “You can set alarms on your CIRQA Smart Band in the Garmin Connect app.”
The rest of that alarm tutorial describes the alarm vibrating the device, then says pressing “either button” snoozes it and holding “either button” stops it. The CIRQA Smart Band that shipped in July has a single side button.
Gadgets & Wearables also pointed to nearby tutorial text that talks about an “activity button” and a “controls button,” volume up and down, hearing daily stats, and canceling assistance by holding either button until the user hears “Canceled.” That surrounding copy is not explicitly labeled Pro.
Apple announced Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 with a new Health Sensing System and S11 chip. Both watches now take heart rate every five seconds all day, measure HRV up to 24 times more often, and add a daily Readiness score; later this year the Health app gets a Health Age number and Quest Diagnostics labs that can be booked from the phone.
The case design does not change. What Apple did bring back is ceramic, last seen on Apple Watch Series 5 seven years ago, now in pearl white and night blue. AppleInsider notes Series 2, 3, and 5 had ceramic cases; the last two-color ceramic run was even longer ago. Both watches are up for pre-order and arrive in stores Friday, September 18, with Series 12 from $399 and Ultra 4 from $799.
Continuous heart rate and HRV
Apple says Series 12 and Ultra 4 now take heart rate every five seconds, all day, using larger green LEDs on a new optical and electrical sensor stack. It also claims the highest heart-rate accuracy of any wearable in its own study of more than 1,000 people — an Apple-run comparison, not an independent lab. Garmin already does continuous, passive heart-rate monitoring across all of its latest watches.
Heart rate variability (HRV) measurements are more frequent, too. Apple now measures variability up to 24 times more often, as often as every five minutes, and splits it into two numbers: Recovery HRV for daily stress and recovery, and overall HRV for longer-term cardiovascular health. Overnight Vitals now includes Recovery HRV against a personal baseline, and a new daytime vitals view lets you toggle night and day. Garmin has had HRV Status, overnight HRV, and Body Battery on that same recovery axis for a long time; Apple is now collecting the raw signal at a similar cadence.
Readiness
Readiness is a new watch app. It folds recent activity, training load, vitals, and sleep score into a single 0–10 number and a recommendation: Recover, Pace Yourself, Ready, or Go For It. The score updates through the day after a hard workout or a shift in daytime vitals, and it shows which inputs are driving it. Apple says the algorithm comes from the Apple Heart and Movement Study. Garmin Training Readiness already does a similar go / no-go read from sleep, HRV, recovery time, and acute load; WHOOP Recovery and Oura Readiness sit in the same category.
Health Age, Quest labs, and the WHOOP / Oura camp
Later this year, a redesigned Health app adds an Insights tab and a Longevity tab. Health Age uses Apple Watch data — VO2 max, resting heart rate, sleep, HRV — to show how those metrics track against your actual age, and you can fold in lab values such as A1c and LDL. Users in the U.S. can schedule and buy a 50-plus biomarker panel for $119 at about 2,000 Quest Diagnostics sites, directly from the Health app. The app also offers on-device movement evaluations for flexibility, strength, balance, and VO2 max using the iPhone camera and watch heart rate; Apple says it doesn’t store video.
WHOOP and Oura already sell a biological-age score plus a path into real bloodwork. WHOOP Age and WHOOP’s clinical/blood offerings, and Oura’s readiness plus age-style scores and lab partnerships, treat the wearable as only half the picture. Apple is now putting that same stack on a watch a few hundred million people already wear.
While Garmin does have a fitness age metric (derived from VO2 Max), it doesn’t explain how each component affects your age or offer tools to change the trend. Garmin also does not integrate with any labs at this time. It did just launch a screenless, no-subscription-required CIRQA Smart Band aimed at WHOOP for $199.99 with no subscription, and it is planning a smart ring. Apple’s readiness, age, and Quest labs on Series 12 and Ultra 4 will certainly put pressure on Garmin to enhance its health and longevity features.
Battery is still the gap
Series 12 is still a one-day watch: Apple quotes up to 24 hours of everyday use, up to 10 hours for an outdoor workout (25 percent more than Series 11), and a 15-minute charge for up to 12 hours. The Ultra 4 offers more than two days, up to 50 hours every day, up to 84 hours in Low Power Mode, up to 25 hours of full GPS and heart-rate outdoor tracking, and up to 45 hours in Max Extended Workout for a 100-mile effort with GPS still once a second.
Whil these improvements will certainly be appreciated by users and athletes alike, It still is far from Garmin watches’ multi-day battery. Anyone who charges once a week, or who wants multi-band GPS without thinking about a charger at mile 60, is still looking at Garmin for that part.
Ultra 4
The Ultra 4 has the same Health Sensing System and S11 chip, in natural or black titanium, with the longer battery and what Apple calls the most accurate on-device GPS in a sports watch — an Apple comparison against dual-frequency sports watches. Satellite SOS and its additional “action” button remain from the prior generation. The visible refresh includes new Trail, Alpine, and translucent Ocean bands. It starts at the same $799 as its predecessor.
S11, Audio Intelligence, and Siri AI
In addition to the health and wellness additions above, Series 12 and Ultra 4 also bring Audio Intelligence and a new Siri, both tied to the S11 chip. Apple calls S11 its most powerful wearable chip; it is what keeps five-second heart rate and the denser HRV sampling from flattening the battery, and it is required for Audio Intelligence.
Audio Intelligence is a new feature to the latest Apple Watch models only. It uses Sound Recognition to listen for things like sirens, alarms, doorbells, or a baby crying, and can ping the wrist even if the iPhone is not nearby. Live Rewind is a double-press of the Digital Crown that turns the last 15 seconds of a conversation into a text snippet, so you can catch something you missed. Siri Recap, if you turn it on, writes a short title and key points after a conversation — a summary, not a transcript — in a new Siri app. Shazam can also name a song on the Smart Stack without you asking. Apple says raw audio is processed in a hardware-isolated Secure Exclave and is not stored or available to apps, the user, or Apple. Live Rewind and Recap arrive in beta later this year, English first, initially excludes the EU, and users need a recent iPhone.
watchOS 27, which lands Monday, September 14 on Apple Watch Series 9 and later, SE 3, and Ultra 2 and later, also brings Siri AI (a more conversational Siri that can use personal context and general knowledge on the wrist), a single-hand tap to open a Smart Stack widget, Workout Buddy when the iPhone is not nearby, and perimenopause and menopause support in Cycle Tracking.
Series 12 comes in 42mm and 46mm sizes, made of aluminum, titanium, or ceramic, starting at $399, and the Ultra 4 starts at $799. Pre-order at Apple.
This update also covers Fenix 8 Solar, Enduro 3, Fenix E, Tactix 8, Quatix 8, and D2 Mach 2.
Changelog for Version 23.31
- Adds a suggested quick workout for running.
- Adds dive computer settings sharing in the Garmin Share app.
- Adds the XC Ski Indoor activity.
- Adds context to volume control.
- Enables the voice command feature with the "OK Garmin" wake word.
- Improves the flashlight shortcut to cycle through the on, off, and strobe modes during an activity.
- Reduces false unlocks when using the touch lock feature.
- Fixes an issue that could result in pace/speed dropouts, especially during interval training.
- Fixes an issue that could cause the device to reset during a strength activity free workout.
- Fixes the onscreen lap shortcut no longer showing in HIIT workouts.
- Fixes an issue with not being able to start a suggested multisport workout.
- Fixes an issue with selecting rest days for daily suggested or Garmin Coach plan workouts.
- Fixes an issue where the training days shown on the watch might not match the days shown in the Garmin Coach plan.
- Fixes volume level not returning to correct setting after water ejection.
- Fixes an issue that could cause music volume to increase after an alarm sounds.
- Fixes an issue that could cause the device to reset when installing audio prompt software and host software simultaneously.
- Fixes other minor issues.
- Supports Xero range and sensor data in the Applied Ballistics app.
- Updates translations.
Updates arrive automatically over Wi‑Fi or via Garmin Connect / Garmin Express. To check now, on the watch go to Main Menu › Settings › System › Software Update › Check For Updates.
Track every device on our software updates page, or see the complete Fenix 8 history on the Garmin Wiki.
We’ve rebuilt the software updates page into a live tracking hub. It now is a comprehensive dashboard providing everything you want to know, like the current stable and beta firmware for your watch. With links to the full software update history on the Garmin Wiki.
The old page was a long list of timelines. The new one is built to answer a simpler question: what is on your watch right now, and what just changed.
Just Dropped
The strip at the top is the newest firmware we have logged — stable or beta — with the version and how long ago it landed. Today that is the 18.29 / 18.30 stables for Forerunner 70, 170, 570, and 970, Venu 4, Venu X1, and Vivoactive 6. Tap a card to read the notes.
Current Versions, Side by Side
Current devices sit in one table: stable, beta, and a last-six-months bar so you can see how busy that line has been. Notes links go to the changelog post; Complete history opens the wiki page for that platform.
Sibling models that share firmware are grouped (Fenix 8 / Fenix 8 Pro, Fenix 9 / Fenix 9 Pro) so you are not hunting the same build in five rows.
Pin Your Watch
Star a device to pin it under My devices, which will stay on the same browser, so your next visit opens to your lineup. Filter by Forerunner, Fenix, Venu & Vivoactive, Instinct, or Other, or search for a model name. Previous and legacy platforms (Fenix 7, Instinct 2, Lily 2, older Forerunners) are one tap under Show.
News and Full History
The same page still carries the software update news feed, but full version-by-version histories now live on Garmin Wiki. You can open the new Software Hub anytime at garminrumors.com/garmin-software-updates or garminsoftware.com
Apple is expected to show Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 at its September 9 event. MacRumors says code in the watchOS 27 and iOS 27 betas, spotted by forum member pdfu, points to four changes worth watching: a Readiness app, richer strength logging, a new optical sensor family, and 128GB of storage.
Readiness app
MacRumors says watchOS 27 names a separate Watch app called Readiness, distinct from Vitals. The launcher puts it on the default Home Screen right after Workout, and the iOS 27 Watch companion app uses the same placement when it arranges apps. MacRumors reads the name and that spot as a more substantial readiness or recovery view, not a renamed vitals screen.
Richer strength workouts
The betas add health-store fields for individual sets, repetition counts, weight, equipment, body side, and duration. That is logging infrastructure. It does not, by itself, describe a finished Strength workout UI.
New optical-sensing system
Code refers to a sensor family named Sunstone4p0, with lower noise coefficients and wrist- and orientation-based channel selection. MacRumors says that could mean revised heart-sensing hardware that holds up better when the reflected pulse is weak and that can pick channels based on how the watch sits on the wrist.
128GB storage
A NAND storage profile tied to the T8320 chip for Series 12 and Ultra 4 suggests 128GB, up from 64GB on the current models. MacRumors presents that as a possibility from the profile, not a shipping confirmation.
Gurman, as reported by MacRumors on August 30, also expected faster performance (the current Series 11 and Ultra 3 still use the S10 chip), more ordinary health and fitness work, and a possible return of ceramic cases. He did not expect Touch ID or a major redesign this year. An Apple Watch SE 4 is not expected in this cycle.
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