Garmin's next watch might be a king-sized Instinct 2 – and that would be awesome

Man checking sports watch outdoors

Garmin has a new sports watch in the works, and it looks like it might be an extra-large version of the Garmin Instinct 2. That could be big news for hikers and trail runners who like the Instinct's super-tough build, but have previously been put off by its display, which doesn't really have the size or clarity for maps and navigation.

The new watch was approved by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last week, meaning it meets the necessary standards for sale in the country. The FCC documentation was spotted by Flo of Fitness Tracker Test, and I've noticed that the same device has also been registered with the Singaporean Telecoms Licensing System (TLS), suggesting it may soon be ready for a global launch.

As Flo notes, the FCC documentation includes an image showing the 'about' page on the watch's face, which has the distinctive design of other watches in the Instinct series. The main display is rectangular, with a circular cutout in the top right.

A new watch listed at @FCC under IPH-4600 likely is a Garmin Instinct 2X / 2X Solar.The width is about 57 mm, which is significantly larger than the 45 mm of the Instinct 2.Source / Screenshot: https://t.co/lA6r0wlSj6#garmin #instinct2x #solar #outdoors #sports pic.twitter.com/p7pj3DZeG1March 12, 2023

The new device is known by the references IPH-04600 and A04600. It's is listed by the FCC as a low power digital transmitter, but described by the TLS as a multisport GPS smartwatch. It has Bluetooth, NFC and ANT+ connectivity, but no Wi-Fi, which also fits with previous Instinct devices.

The watch appears to still have the monochrome memory-in-pixel display of other Instinct watches, but as Flo notes, the display appears to be slightly larger than that of previous models. If so, this would allow it to display more information on-screen at once, and could make it the first Instinct that can do justice to maps.

You can follow routes on the Garmin Instinct 2, but the limited detail makes complex navigation difficult (Image credit: Future)

If Garmin follows the same naming convention it uses for the Forerunner and Fenix series, this larger model might be the Instinct 2X, but we'll have to wait a while longer to know for certain.

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