The Garmin Forerunner 955 and 255 have finally landed, but if neither of those is the best GPS watch for you, then you might be wondering what else is in store for 2022. Garmin doesn't typically tease new releases far in advance, but with details from leaks earlier this year and some lateral thinking, we can make some educated predictions about what might be on the horizon.
We're still hoping for a Forerunner 955 LTE at some point in the coming months. Even though this high-spec watch didn't appear alongside the solar and standard versions of the 955 on June 1, the fact that Garmin's Australian website accidentally published a listing for this edition back in January means we're keeping out fingers crossed. The Forerunner 945 LTE wasn't unveiled for several months after the standard 945, so we're willing to be patient.
What's more interesting, however, is a list of device names that Gadgets & Wearables claimed to have obtained from "an authorized Garmin dealer" back in April this year. It wasn't possible to verify this document at the time, but now we can look at it in a fresh light. This was the first time we saw both the Forerunner 255 mentioned, and the fact that it also named the smaller 255S gives it a lot of new credibility.
The shape of things to come
One device from the list that we wouldn't be surprised to see soon is the Garmin Venu Sq 2. The original Venu Sq was released in September 2020 as a fashion-focused watch with an Apple-esque square face, and it's not unreasonable to think that the company might release a successor for its two-year anniversary. Although the original Sq is an excellent watch, there's definitely room for upgrades, including potentially switching to an OLED display like those of its round-faced siblings, the Venu 2 and Venu 2 Plus.
Another watch on the list is the Vivomove Trend, which would be a hybrid digital/analog device to sit alongside the Vivomove 3, Style, Sport, and Luxe. The latest of these, the Vivomove Sport, was released during the CES 2022 expo in January, and was very similar to other watches in the line, albeit with a somewhat pared-back look and new array of colors.
The Vivomove Trend may be similar, only making minor changes to the classic Vivomove formula. It's tough to say exactly what those difference might be, but the name brings to mind zesty new colorways like those of the Garmin Instinct 2, so perhaps a hybrid watch in shades of poppy red, seafoam blue, and lime green is coming later this year.
One of the most interesting names on the list is the Garmin Instinct Analog. There have been some interesting releases in the Instinct range (the special Esports edition from 2020 comes to mind), and I can imagine how this might work. The Instinct already has an unusual face with a dual-screen display; it's possible that this might be adapted into a hybrid design with physical hands and only a small digital display to show a snippet of useful info. We'll have to wait and see.
Finally, there's the mysterious Garmin Austin – a name that seems to have no connection to any of the company's other watches so far. It's possible that this might be a codename, but it's listed as an 'adventure watch' so we're hoping for something seriously robust with extreme battery life that'll serve us well for camping, hiking, and climbing expeditions in the backcountry. We'll continue to keep our ears to the ground for more news and let you know as soon as there's fresh information.
