Garmin could soon launch the world's first micro-LED smartwatch, according to new Fenix 8 leak

3 weeks ago 10

Garmin Fenix 8 watch on wrist of tattooed male

The new Garmin Fenix 8 (Image credit: Garmin)

The flagship Garmin Fenix 8 smartwatch was made official back in August, but there are strong indications that more models are on the way – including what would be the first watch to use micro-LED technology for its display.

This rumor comes from Gadgets & Wearables (via Notebookcheck), and is based on references to new models found in documentation for watch face developers. Specifically, a Tactix 8 AMOLED watch and a Fenix 8 MicroLED watch (as it's referred to in the leaked documentation).

The Garmin Tactix 7 launched back in April 2022, and the series prioritizes rugged durability, and advanced navigation and mapping features. It also has some cool extras for a real James Bond vibe, including a stealth mode and night vision support.

What seems to be new this time around, based on these developer documents, is a new size option: while the Tactix 7 models are only available in a 51mm size, it looks as though the Tactix 8 will come in 47mm or 51mm sizes.

Micro-LED making a debut

As for the Fenix 8 micro-LED version, this follows on from leaks in September that pointed to a model with the alternative display tech, as well as the imminent arrival of a Garmin Fenix 8 Pro model to join the standard Fenix 8.

The benefits of micro-LED are higher brightness levels and lower power consumption – hello, superior battery life – but these advantages don't come for free: micro-LED displays are expensive to make, as TV manufacturers know only too well.

For years now, we've seen rumors that the Apple Watch would make the switch to micro-LED. There was also plenty of talk that the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra would use micro-LED. As yet though, we haven't seen a smartwatch with this type of screen.

As Notebookcheck points out, Garmin has already signed a deal with micro-LED display supplier Vuzix, so we should be seeing the first micro-LED smartwatch sooner rather than later – though you can expect to pay a lot of money to get it.

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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