It is almost time for a refresh of Garmin’s most-desired watch series, as details of what may well be the upcoming Garmin Fenix 9 series have surfaced.
An FCC filing for a new series of Garmin watches is believed to represent the upcoming Garmin Fenix 9 series, and reveals a few important features of the watch.
FCC documentation spotted by Gadgets & Wearables digs into the communications standards and features used by products set to sell in the U.S., and the listings indicate the Fenix 9 will have LTE mobile internet.
More specifically, the documentation suggests the LTE-M 4G connection can be used to transmit voice data, while there is also a satellite connection for other forms of data.
This indicates the watch is going to offer features somewhat equivalent to the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro. One of its core improvements was in bringing Garmin InReach-style communications to a more mainstream gadget.
What the FCC filings don’t to explicitly is to link the device to an existing watch series. Instead, the device is referred to as the A05170.
Why The Garmin Fenix 9?
So why should this be assumed to be the Fenix 9? First off, there are only a couple of existing families that fit the bill.
Garmin’s Epix series has effectively been retired, leaving the Fenix and Enduro series as the key generalist contenders. And in June another FCC listing citing an A05216 wearable was already earmarked to represent the Enduro 4, leaving the Fenix 9 as the most likely candidate for this new mystery device.
Other details mentioned in the FCC filing could stand for almost any other Garmin watch, though. There’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC and ANT+, a standard often used to broadcast heart rate data in older fitness gadgets.
It also mentions the watch was tested with a titanium strap as well as the more common silicone and nylon styles. A titanium strap would only apply to a higher-end Garmin watch thanks to the sheer cost involved, for the strap alone. A Garmin QuickFit 26 titanium band costs $249.99.
Given the FCC information is free of details about other watch elements, the most interesting part it brings to light is arguably that this wearable is coming soon in the first place.
How long ahead of launch do these typically appear? It varies, but the Garmix Fenix 8 showed up at the FCC on August 14, 2024, just a couple of weeks ahead of its official August 27 unveil.
If the timing is anywhere near similar, the latter half of 2026 will prove to be a busy one for Garmin, which recently announced the Garmin Cirqa, its first mainstream screen-free tracker. I’ll be back with more news of the Garmin Fenix 9 — or whatever wearable this turns out to be — as it arrives.
