Garmin's next big wearable leaks in full with non-color touchscreen
Ranked sixth among last year's top global smartwatch vendors, far behind gold and silver medalists Apple and Samsung respectively, Garmin has had a very busy first few months of 2022, unveiling everything from a rugged new device with "unlimited" battery life to an extensive family of "multisport" GPS timepieces and a stylish entry-level hybrid product.
But that's apparently not going to stop the company from launching the Vivosmart 5 as well in the presumably near future. As the name suggests, this freshly leaked wearable device will carry on the legacy of 2018's Vivosmart 4, bidding for the title of best fitness tracker money can buy rather than directly rivaling the likes of the Apple Watch Series 7 or the increasingly affordable Samsung Galaxy Watch 4.
Unfortunately, if the information revealed today by WinFuture's Roland Quandt (translated here) is to be trusted, which is almost always the case, the Garmin Vivosmart 5 will not be able to contend against the colorful and feature-packed $150 Fitbit Charge 5 either.
On the bright side, Garmin does at least plan to substantially expand the size of the Vivosmart 4's grayscale OLED display for its long overdue successor. The new non-color touchscreen is expected to be marketed as 66 percent larger than its predecessor, which currently measures a modest 0.26 x 0.7 inches.
This important upgrade should make all the health and wellness data much easier to read, but in terms of things like sensors and fitness tracking features, there don't seem to be any big improvements or add-ons in the pipeline. There are no words on the Vivosmart 5 matching the built-in GPS functionality or ECG monitoring of the Fitbit Charge 5, but you will definitely be able to keep an eye on your sleep, blood oxygen levels, heart rate, hydration, and stress (among others).
Purportedly capable of keeping the lights on for up to seven days between charges, just like its aforementioned arch-rival, the Garmin Vivosmart 5 should do an exceptionally good job of monitoring your various workouts and sporting activities, including everything from swimming to good old fashioned running, cycling, hiking, and more.
Unless we're missing a key selling point or major distinguishing feature, this thing will clearly need to be a lot cheaper than the Fitbit Charge 5 to succeed, which Roland Quandt cannot confirm or deny at the moment. There's no release date to report for the time being either, but something tells us all of these details shall come out sooner rather than later.
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