The last twelve months has been a busy time for Garmin. In August 2024, they released the fenix 8 and Enduro 3. In January, they released the Instinct 3, followed by the vivoactive 6 in April. This was all capped off with the latest Forerunners (570 / 970) in May and the brand new Venu X1 in June.
Although there were some other releases, I’ve focused on these because they’re the most popular watches in Garmin’s line up. Earlier this year, I analyzed Google data and Reddit data and found that these product lines were by far the most popular in the Garmin ecosystem.
While these releases are exciting, they’ve also come at an uneasy moment for the Garmin community (or some sub-set of it). When Garmin released Connect+ back in March, it rankled some users who feared that this was a move toward a world where subscriptions were increasingly prevalent (FYI the subscription itself is not worth it, at least not today).
This was also launched against the backdrop of broader unrest among Garmin users over software features. When the fenix 8 launched, it included some new features that were rolled out for the Forerunner 265/965 – but not for the fenix 7. Since then, there’s been a lot of rumbling about whether Garmin was “abandoned” it’s older flagship models.
With a little more time and context, it seems apparent to me that the new paradigm is pretty simple. The latest generation of each watch will get (some) new features ported over after introduction. Older watches likely won’t. But those older watches will still continue to get support in the form of bug fixes and minor software improvements.
It’s a pretty simple trade off. When a new version of a watch comes out, you can either pay a premium to get it and the next slate of additional features – or save what may be a significant amount of money by buying the older generation and foregoing those improvements. And either way, you shouldn’t purchase a watch today and expect to get the latest features two or three years down the road.
Let’s take a look at some specific examples.
Recent Feature Updates from Garmin
Garmin tends to roll out new features with its latest watches. It also releases software updates on a quarterly schedule to existing watches, and some of those new features end up getting ported backwards.
For example, in August when the fenix 8 was introduced, it included some enhancements to Garmin Coach, pool swim workouts, and race time predictions, and it also included a new feature: Garmin Share. These features were ported back to some existing watches in the September update, including the fenix 7 family and the Forerunner 265/965.
The fenix 8 also included strength training plans at launch. In the December 2024 update, this feature was rolled out to the Forerunners (255, 265, 955, 965) and Venu 3. However, it was not extended to the old fenix 7 line. This sparked a lot of anger, because the Forerunner is a lower level product – and it was getting a feature that wasn’t available on the fenix. But the fenix 7 / 7 Pro was now an outdated model, while the Forerunner 265/965 was still the latest generation.
The March 2025 product update launched some new features, including passcode and strength workouts for the run and cycling coach. Again, these features went to the latest fenix and the latest Forerunner – but they weren’t expanded back to the fenix 7.
The next and most recent product update was in May 2025. This coincided with the release of the Forerunner 570 / 970. These watches introduced a handful of new features, including the rucking activity and the ability to add the weight of your pack while hiking or rucking. In the May product update, these features were extended to the fenix 8 family and the Instinct 3. Notably, they were not extended back to the Forerunner 265 / 965, the Instinct 2, or the fenix 7 family. Only the latest watches got these features.
What’s Coming In the Next Feature Release?
The next major release should come in August or September. If you take a look at Garmin’s beta program, you can get an idea of what’s coming down the pike.
There are a lot of features coming to the fenix 8 family. This list includes some of the new features that arrived with the Forerunner 570 / 970 – like evening report, multisport workouts, running economy, and running tolerance. Those same features also appear in a beta version for the new Venu X1.
One of the other updates that appears in the beta for the fenix 8 and the Forerunner 570 / 970 is a calculator app. Near as I can tell, this was quietly introduced with the Venu X1. The smart wake alarm is coming to these watches, too, after being introduced with the vivoactive 6 in April.
The fenix 8, Forerunners, and Venu X1 all seem to be getting the addition of track run options for daily suggested workouts.
But when you look at the beta releases for the fenix 7 family and for the Forerunner 265 / 965, you won’t find any of these features. You’ll only find bug fixes and minor improvements.
So What Does This Mean for Prospective Garmin Buyers?
Although this isn’t written in stone and Garmin could always change their approach in the future, I think the lesson here is pretty simple – the latest features are reserved for the latest watches.
When people saw new features getting ported back from the fenix 8 to the Forerunner 965 – but not the fenix 7 – they were upset because in their mind the fenix 7 was a “better” watch than the Forerunner 965. And it is a more expensive, higher end option. But that’s not what determines which watches get features and which watches don’t.
At that time, the Forerunner 255 / 265 / 955 / 965 was still the latest edition of that product line. As a result, they continued to get updates with new features that Garmin thought were appropriate for that tier of watch. But once the Forerunner 570 / 970 was released, that abruptly changed. There are likely no more substantive updates coming to the earlier Forerunners. They didn’t come in May, and they aren’t on the horizon in the beta program.
Don’t purchase a Garmin watch and expect to get the latest features forever. If you purchase the latest watch in a series, you may get the new features released with other product lines. But once your version gets supplanted, you’re likely off the list for future upgrades. That doesn’t mean that Garmin won’t support your watch, as they will continue to releases bug fixes and minor improvements. You just won’t get brand new features.
This also creates the opportunity for a trade off. Once a product has been on the market for a year or two, it tends to get discounted. When the next version gets release, it almost always gets discounted.
For example, the fenix 7X Pro Sapphire Solar is currently ~$750 (down from $999), while the fenix 8 51mm Solar is currently $1,200 (and rarely discounted). By choosing the older watch, you’ll be forgoing some hardware upgrades (like the new microphone) and future software features, but you’ll be spending a lot less money.
I’m still rocking my fenix 7S Pro Solar, and it’s a great watch. There are one or two new features that I’m a little bummed I won’t see, but for the most part … I’m not bothered. But I am happy that I got the watch on a discount, and frankly there’s no way I’d shell out the $1,000+ that the new fenix 8’s cost.