New evidence suggests Garmin Fenix 8 could be ready for launch

Man checking pulse on his neck and on GPS sports watch

Newly published data suggests that the hotly anticipated Garmin Fenix 8 watch may soon be ready for release. The Singaporean Telecoms Licensing System (TLS) has approved three new Garmin devices for sale in the country, with ID codes that match those of three watches recently greenlit by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The TLS and FCC are both government organizations that test all devices capable of wireless communications before they are sold in their respective countries. This ensures that the devices are safe to use, and won't interfere with frequencies used by emergency services or air traffic control. Both the TLS and FCC publish lists of recently approved devices, which can give us a handy insight into upcoming launches from companies like Garmin.

Last month, Flo of sports tech website Fitness Tracker Test noticed that three new Garmin wearables had been tested and approved by the FCC. These 'extremity worn digital transceivers' all have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and ANT+ connectivity, and are identified by the references IPH-A04595, IPH-A04596, and IPH-A04597.

The similarity of these IDs implies that they are three devices in the same family, and the fact that they are Wi-Fi-enabled suggests that they are not versions of the upcoming Garmin Instinct 2X.

Now, three 'multisport training GPS watches' have been listed by the TLS, showing that the trio have also been approved for sale internationally.

Three new watches have been greenlit by the Singaporean Telecoms Licensing system. Click image to expand (Image credit: Singapore Telecoms Licensing System)

The three devices are listed with the references A04595, A04596, and A0457, and are therefore clearly the same as those approved by the FCC in the United States.

There's no additional information available, but usually devices listed by both the FCC and TLS go on sale within a few months. That would line up with a possible release date for a new Garmin Fenix watch, and Flo noticed that the e-labels for the three devices look very similar to those of the Fenix 8. If so, they could well be the Fenix 8S, Fenix 8, and Fenix 8X.

This is more or less the way the E-label was presented in the FCC documents for the Fenix 7, the Epix Gen 2, and the three new devices IPH-A04595, IPH-A04596, IPH-04597. Do you notice anything?#garmin #epix2 #fenix7 pic.twitter.com/ZRSRN4PoNrMarch 26, 2023

I'll continue to keep an ear out for more news, and will bring you further information as soon as I have it.

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