New Garmin watches in 2026: what has shipped and what is coming
Garmin ships in waves: running watches in spring, the outdoor flagships in fall. Here is where the 2026 cycle stands, separated into what is real, what is traced in code, and what is guesswork. We update this page as facts land.
Published 2026-07-183 min read
Shipped so far in 2026
The spring wave belonged to runners. In May Garmin launched the
Forerunner 70 and Forerunner 170, entry-level running watches
with 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreens and the traditional five-button layout, the 170 also in
a Music variant with on-watch storage for offline listening
(Garmin's announcement).
They effectively reset the bottom of the Forerunner line: AMOLED and buttons at a price
that used to buy a MIP screen.
Expected next: the Fenix 9
The headliner of the fall window. Garmin's CEO has called 2026 "a very active year for
outdoor", and the Fenix line has launched in the August-to-October window for several
generations running. A model reference has already surfaced in Garmin Connect code. We
track the evidence, the realistic release window and the expected features in our
dedicated Fenix 9 page, which we update
as facts land.
Traced in code and filings
Two more names have left footprints without an announcement. Enduro 4
appears in Garmin Connect app code (version 5.26), a logical successor in the
ultra-endurance line
(Garmin Rumors tracks the traces).
And a regulatory filing describes CIRQA, a band-style wearable aimed at
recovery, stress and alertness tracking rather than sports
(Notebookcheck's summary).
Both are evidence that hardware exists, not that a launch is near; code names have
historically preceded launches by months.
How to read a Garmin year
Garmin's cadence is unusually predictable for a hardware company: running and fitness
launches cluster around the spring marathon season, outdoor flagships arrive before the
holiday quarter, and feature updates flow to existing watches in monthly software waves
in between. The practical takeaway for buyers: a watch bought mid-cycle keeps receiving
features for years, and a watch bought the week before a successor launches still does.
The only expensive move is buying the outgoing flagship at full price in early fall.
Frequently asked
Should I wait for the Fenix 9 or buy a Fenix 8 now?
If your current watch works, waiting through the fall window costs you little. If you need a watch today, the Fenix 8 is a mature, heavily updated platform, and previous generations have historically seen price drops once a successor lands. Either way your Connect IQ faces and purchases carry over.
Do Connect IQ watch faces work on brand-new models right away?
Only after each developer adds the new model to their compatibility list, which for actively maintained faces happens within days or weeks of the SDK supporting it. We add new models to ours as soon as Garmin ships simulator support.
How reliable are names found in Garmin Connect app code?
Historically quite reliable as evidence that a device exists internally, and useless for dates. Products appear in app code months before launch, and some never ship under the codename found.