“We do have a very active year plan for outdoor”: Garmin hints at major watch launches in 2026

Garmin may not have announced any new watches outright, but its latest earnings call strongly suggests that 2026 will be a big year for outdoor watches.

During the company’s fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results briefing, CEO Cliff Pemble pointed to an unusually busy roadmap for the segment, which should translate into fresh hardware launches in the coming months.

“We do have a very active year plan for outdoor,” Pemble said, adding that “many of our launches would occur in the back half of the year.”

The focus on the brand's outdoor offerings isn't surprising, considering that Garmin’s usually rock-solid Outdoor segment, the home of the Fenix, Enduro and Instinct lines, dipped 5 per cent in the last quarter.

A crowded field is pushing Garmin to move fast

Pemble's comments suggest the company is trying to reinforce its dominance in the rugged smartwatch segment, which is getting more crowded by the day.

Just today, Amazfit launched the T-Rex Ultra 2, offering a similar feature set to the Fenix 8, but for half its price.

Brands such as Coros and Huawei are also challenging Garmin with their own rugged adventure-wearable concepts.

That said, the Kansas-based company expects growth in the category to accelerate compared to last year, with new products playing a key role.

In the investor call, a Garmin representative said they anticipate “full-year growth in Outdoor to accelerate in 2026… driven by a significant number of new product introductions.”

While Pemble stopped short of naming specific devices, the wording strongly implies multiple launches rather than a single flagship refresh.

Considering the Fenix line was just recently refreshed with a microLED panel, it's unlikely the new set of wearables includes an update to Garmin's flagship wearable.

The Garmin Enduro 3 launched in August 2024, making a successor a likely candidate for 2026.

On the other hand, the Garmin Instinct 3 series launched in January 2025 – a 2026 update feels too soon.

Garmin's outdoor portfolio also includes cycling computers and handheld GPS units, many of which are due for an update.

The outdoor segment has been a steady performer for the company, which surpassed $2 billion in revenue for the first time in 2025, helped by strong demand for adventure watches and the continued success of the Fenix lineup.

Fitness continues to power Garmin’s growth

Garmin's Fitness segment has also had a strong quarter.

The scale of that increase highlights how Garmin’s performance watches, including running and triathlon watches, and everyday fitness devices, such as the recently announced Garmin Venu 4, continue to resonate with a broad audience, even as competition intensifies across the smartwatch space.

Looking ahead, the company said Fitness is likely to be the biggest contributor to its overall growth in 2026, supported by demand across running and advanced wellness products.

At the same time, Garmin is expanding its software ecosystem, adding AI-powered nutrition tracking to its Connect+ platform, a move that signals a deeper push into personalised health insights alongside hardware innovation.