Garmin looks to be gearing up for several, as yet still secretive, releases – rumors that the long-awaited Garmin Venu 3 will launch in September 2023 persist, and now another surprise Garmin device has been spotted in a regulatory listing.
This latest device isn’t a sequel to one of the best Garmin watches, but a new heart rate monitor. News outlet Gadgets & Wearables first spotted the heart rate monitor listed on the Malaysian SIRIM database, which is a listing of telecommunications and radio equipment designed to ensure that new telecomms products comply with the country’s consumer regulations standards.
The listing was for a heart rate sensor named HRM-FIT, and that name, likely stylized HRM-Fit, follows the same naming conventions as Garmin’s current line of the best heart rate monitors, including the HRM-Pro and HRM-Dual. There's been speculation online that the name ‘Fit’ implies it’ll be Garmin’s first heart rate monitor that can fit around your arm like some of its competitors, not just around your chest; however, this is pure speculation.
Garmin’s heart rate monitors offer some of the same running metrics as its best running watches, so if you don’t want to pay for an expensive smartwatch you can still get great post-workout training insights.
They can be paired with a Garmin watch to increase accuracy and generate additional metrics such as running power. In addition, Garmin heart rate monitors are 5ATM waterproof, so are ideal for triathlon training.
Anaylsis: armband flexibility
Some people dislike having to wear a chest strap during training, and if you don’t just rely on the HR sensor in your running watch, you might prefer the simpler option of slipping an armband on, as competitors such as the Polar Verity Sense allow you to do. While HRMs aren’t as popular as its watches, it’s frankly baffling that Garmin hasn’t explored this form factor yet. Chest HRMs are more accurate, but if Garmin can put sensors on your wrist, it can bow to pressure and stick one on your arm.
Of course, this is still all speculation, and the fact that Garmin is working on a new HRM is the only concrete news we have to go on. We don’t know what it will look like or when it will launch, but Garmin is prepping something for later this year (and all signs so far point to the Venu 3), so it would make sense for it to launch other new devices at the same time.
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