Garmin Beats Apple to Market with Satellite-Connected Smartwatch
47 comments
·September 3, 2025electric_muse
Garmin’s hardware has always been exceptionally good, given epic battery life (~30 days even with all-day heart rate), exceptional sensors, and durability.
Their software has traditionally been pretty rough. That’s coming from a customer and developer. Mainly that was because they had various software platforms for various families of device, so each feature needed to be built for each family of watch separately.
They’ve unified that now to one main platform (picking the Forerunner’s platform), so it will be very interesting to see if they narrow the gap with Apple around software.
The next big innovation will likely be sensors. This still uses the elevate 5 sensor that launched a few years ago.
8x
The software feels a bit clunky but I was very surprised when I plugged my Fenix watch to USB and found it mounted as a storage device with all of the data directly accessible as files. The watch would be perfectly usable without the cloud and using an alternative app like gadgetbridge. This should be the standard, but it isn't, and it is more important to me than a sleek UI
jtbaker
The clunkiness of the software is a feature to me. I don't want my watch to have the slickest apps, I want it to be pretty utilitarian, rugged and functional. My Instinct Crossover is pretty perfect for that.
The only thing that I think could be better (for me) would be a very rudimentary basemap view in addition to the existing breadcrumb trail functionality.
nradov
It's not the clunkiness of the software that's the problem, it's the bugs. They frequently introduce regression defects in new releases. Like on my watch, suddenly structured track running workouts stopped tracking speed correctly and it took them like a year to fix it. I get the impression that they have a lack of test automation and too few human QA Engineers to manually test every feature on every release of every one of their many devices.
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/06/competitor-software-inst...
wiether
> The clunkiness of the software is a feature to me.
Yes!
But it seems they are getting more and more in the _smartwatch_ territory.
It took me more time than I wanted to disable any kind of notifications on my new Enduro 3. And a few weeks ago, with the latest update, I got the "morning thing" and "evening thing" enable automatically, so I had once again to get back in the settings to disable them.
Previously with the Fenix I set a watch face, activities screen and I hadn't to change a thing for years. It just worked as a watch and an activity recorder. Exactly what I want from this kind of device.
intothemild
The software has gotten a lot better since they made that change.
That said, I'm a distance runner and within our cohort almost none of us want to buy Fenix's anymore. Especially without MIP displays.
The Enduro series is now the traditional Fenix series.
Also this Fenix 8 Pro is not getting reviewed well by the usual people (des, ray, etc) it's not a good watch for the price. The sacrifices made for both LTE and the new display are too great.
mikestew
That said, I'm a distance runner and within our cohort almost none of us want to buy Fenix's anymore.
Depending on your definition of “cohort”, that’s simply not true. I see plenty of late-model Fenix in the wild. And, yeah, there’s a vocal minority of folks that prefer MIPS (often based on outdated or flat wrong assumptions, like “AMOLED isn’t visible in sunlight”, which is how you know the speaker has never used an AMOLED screen).
As to the latest model, “not a good watch for the price” is a gimme when the thing costs two grand (U. S.). I’m at a loss as to what a watch might do to make it worth two grand to me.
oktoberpaard
For me it’s not so much about the readability in sunlight, but about being able to glance at your watch without moving your wrist and about the watch not emitting light in dark environments. I find that distracting and I like the stealthiness of MIPS. That being said, if the minimum brightness is low enough and battery life with always-on high enough I think I could live with it, but with wrist gestures completely disabled except during activity.
827a
One of the frustrations I've had with a few of Garmin's recent releases is how their high-end MIPS watches, Enduro 3 & Fenix 8 Solar, seem to inherit the same thick, glare-y, ultra-durable glass I assume the Fenix 8 OLED uses, which does a number on the readability of their MIPS displays outdoors.
I've never owned the F8 OLED, but I do have an Apple Watch Ultra 2, and the AWU2 is actually more readable than the E3/F8S in all light conditions except high-noon ultra-direct sunlight (which I'm very rarely outdoors in, because, you know, skin cancer).
I ended up returning those, and got an Instinct 3 MIPS earlier this year, which is more readable outdoors across a variety of light conditions.
dchftcs
How much better is it now?
I hate Garmin with a passion because their watches are effectively region-locked by language support, an insanely consumer-hostile move in this day. I was unable to use any features related to text or whatsapp messages because the watch shockingly could not decode messages in my native language.
Their software was also so flaky that I was woken up by a faulty vibration alert in the middle of the night multiple times during the few months I wore the Garmin Instinct Solar, and at least twice I was unable to fall back to sleep. That is, the watch was supposed to be in silent or DND mode, but the watch probably crashed or reset in the middle of the night, losing the silent or DND state, allowing an alert to go through. The sleep tracking was also very inaccurate, and sleep tracking is the single most valuable metric for me.
To this day I fantasize posting a video where I smash my Garmin watch to pieces alerting other people how bad it is. Still, the hardware was near perfect and it's hard to hate the watch itself. But because of the software issues, it was no better than a dumb watch to me. I hate Garmin the company.
nradov
Garmin devices have historically had two regions for languages: Asia and everywhere else. I suspect this is due to some legacy limitations in their proprietary OS around Unicode support. Years ago, it was very difficult to implement full support for all languages on a single device with very limited hardware and battery power.
latchkey
> Their software has traditionally been pretty rough.
I remember when one of their products was actually quite nice, until they lost the whole team...
lotsofpulp
Those comments are funny to read 15 years later.
ksec
Apple is now 10 years into Apple Watch, and it is just so far behind Garmin.
asveikau
I feel like Garmin watches are kind of slept on by normies. They seem to have a niche for fitness enthusiasts. I got one primarily because it looks like a normal watch and not a tech product. But I do appreciate the fitness tracking.
I've had the same one for 5 years and it's still solid.
torstenvl
Still waiting on literally anyone but Apple to make a fitness watch/tracker that syncs over Bluetooth.
(Stealing the cellular data connection over Bluetooth to sync to the cloud does not count. True Bluetooth sync works when there is no cell service.)
nnutter
I didn't realize this. Just verified on my Forerunner 965, if I put my phone in Airplane Mode, turn off Wi-Fi, leave Bluetooth on, then Garmin Connect disabled the sync button and says "No Internet connection".
mananaysiempre
As a rule, non-LTE watches upload data over Bluetooth to the app (offline), which then relays that to whatever cloud service once there’s a connection. If you don’t want the second part, install Gadgetbridge and have your pick of the supported devices[1] (keeping in mind that that support not a boolean but rather feature-per-feature, so check the details).
torstenvl
This has not been my experience. If you know of a fitness tracker or smartwatch that can sync without a cloud account or cellular data connection I would be very interested. But I have not found any devices that meet those criteria.
(And GadgetBridge does not work on iOS. It is Android-only.)
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sorenjan
The coverage map isn't that impressive though: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/connectivity/fenix8pro/coverage...
They're using geostationary satellites, but their Inreach stuff is using Iridium. Anyone know which satellites they're using for this, and if the coverage can be expected to increase in the future?
kotaKat
It's Skylo, which makes me really sad about this. This 'breaks' the InReach name completely if they're selling both global pole-to-pole Iridium and limited Skylo coverage devices under the same umbrella, and almost angling it as if you should put more faith in "just carry one less thing!" when it might doom you when you need it.
wongarsu
Wow. Full coverage of the contiguous US is nice, but other than that you can mostly send emergency messages in places that are already close to civilization. Places that probably have cell coverage anyways
nradov
Even in the SF Bay Area, a short road bike ride into the hills can quickly get you into areas with zero cell coverage.
mikestew
In a ten minute drive from Issaquah, WA (major suburb 20 minutes from Seattle), I can be in the woods with no cell coverage on a mountain frequented by many hikers (parts of Cougar Mt. are especially dead to cell phones). Let alone driving another half hour and having no cell coverage at all once you walk from the trailhead.
And cell service is surprisingly poor at my home in the heart of Redmond suburbs, even. If you rely on a cell phone to get out of a tight spot, stay out of the woods, at least in the U. S. West.
unshavedyak
Yea I don’t even hike or do anything woodsy and I frequently have zero coverage in western WA. It’s a real issue, common even, depending on where you live (I’m near the capital)
wbl
The West has much less cell service than you think especially in the pretty places.
SoftTalker
The US in general has much less cell service than you might think. I'm on a major carrier, I get 1 bar at home, there are places in my neighborhood that effectively have none, and I'm within a few miles of state forest where there is definitely no service.
If you never leave a city or major transportation routes, you might not realize how much "dark" space there is. Those red maps the mobile service providers like to promote seem to me to be extremely deceptive.
portly
Imagine buying a mass surveillance device you have to replace every couple of years instead of a mechanical time keeping marvel..
thesumofall
To be honest, my Garmin watches always felt like engineering marvels to me. Rugged, very long battery lives, small form factors, and for many years at the forefront of what was thought possible. Progress slowed down somewhat, but I still get a lot of joy out of them (currently a Forerunner 965). I haven’t been wearing my mechanical watch for ages. And as a sports watch they are very hard to beat
GaggiX
They also beat Apple to market a smartwatch with microLED.
mikestew
That’s because after Apple Watch Edition sold like dog poop sandwiches, even Apple isn’t going to try and charge $2K for a watch. When I bought the original Apple Watch Ultra at $800, I thought that was pricey. And then Garmin these past few years has said, “hold this…”
scotty79
Illegal in India?
elictronic
They were made illegal after the 2008 Mumbai Terror attacks using Thuraya based ones.
pta2002
Why would it be? Genuine question here, is there some specific legislation in India about satellite connectivity?
mikestew
Yes, illegal to have a comms device that India can’t shut off (in essence): https://www.irunfar.com/trail-and-ultrarunners-warned-not-to...
Mistletoe
This is an insane law. I thought it was an anachronism from the 1933 law but nope they kept it in as late as 2023.
jpc0
Once you stray out of 2.4GHz there are a lot of restrictions on wireless communication. In many countries, I would even suspect the US, there are restrictions on which 5GHz channels are allowed to be used outside, how certain channels may be used even indoors etc. usually your consumer router/AP handles this for you but if you purchase an item in a different jurisdiction and then travel with it you may in reality not be compliant with local laws even with wifi.
Satellite/UHF etc has even more restrictions.
Disclaimer there is actually limits on 2.4GHz as well but I’m generally referring to wifi where the conventional channels are pretty universal
scotty79
Yes. For example you can't use satellite phones in India.
amelius
I got really disappointed in Apple's hardware when my mom bought an Apple Watch.
The software is entirely user-unfriendly. For one example: she wanted to use a photo as the standard background image. However, the clock digits could only be positioned such that they appeared over the faces in the photo. I cannot believe that Apple created such bad UX. This is really amateur level.
diego_moita
> starting at $1,200
So I am not their target market. I'll stick with Pebble, then.
As someone who isn't the target market for this, is there significant demand for this? $1200 for a smart watch that'll be e-waste in a few years is steep, plus $8/mo to keep it working (though I guess if you're going to pay four figures for a smart watch the $96/yr probably makes no difference).
I guess if you intend to carry a watch anyway, you can save the few ounces and leave your phone at home? And maybe a few ounces for a battery pack to charge a phone? But at the same time, the absolute last time I'd ever want to be tapping out a text message on my watch is when I'm in need of rescue through satellite message. In the most genuine sense possible, I really don't know who the actual target audience is that's not just buying it for the clout.