It’s May, which means it’s Garmin’s annual sales for their mostly outdoor-focused products ahead of the summer season. Each year the company tends to put this set of products on sale, roughly 3-4 weeks ahead of Father’s Day in the US and ending around then.
This year the products are the same basic category as last year: Fenix, Epix, Garmin inReach, and a side of a few Forerunners. However, they also put on all of their top-end Edge cycling products as well. It’s too soon to know when we’ll see refreshes of these, but I certainly wouldn’t expect a new Garmin Edge 550 or Edge 850 anytime soon. After all, the current versions came out barely a year ago. Garmin traditionally operates on a 2-3 year refresh cycle for their Edge lineup.
As for the Fenix & Epix lineups, I outlined my thoughts for those refresh cycles back in this post here, and those thoughts still hold true. I don’t see Garmin snapping to a 12-month refresh cycle for those products. Likewise, we saw the Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 965 announce a year ago, and it’d be a pretty big shift for Garmin to switch to 12-month release cycles for those watches, so I don’t expect that either. Remember that while it was one year from the Forerunner 955 to Forerunner 965, that was really only a display type change (the watches otherwise have the same features, and still both get updates). I do not expect any further mid-range or high-end Forerunner MIP-based display devices. It’s AMOLED from here on out.
Finally, with all the other releases lately (Polar Grit X2 Pro at $749+, COROS Vertix 2S at $699, and Hammerhead Karoo 3 at $474) – it’s these types of sales that are the hardest for their competitors to swallow. Prices for the non-Pro editions of Epix and Fenix were already low – but $449/$499 is insanely low. I mean, you basically get to decide if you want an Epix for $499 or a Forerunner 955 for $499. It’s nuts.
With all that backstory, see below for all the deals, including a few other non-Garmin ones as they pop up. Note that all of these links do help support the site, especially from both REI & The Pro’s Closet.
Watches & Wearables:
This covers anything you can wear that’s watch-like or activity band-like, including sensors.
There are no deals currently.
Cycling Gear & Trainers:
Got a bike? Then this section is for you. Everything from bike computers to bike lights to trainers, it’s all here.
There are no deals currently.
Other Sports & Fitness:
Anything else that’s sports and fitness-related that I think is interesting will be here. It may not be super techy – but it’s stuff that most readers will be using in pursuit of their running/cycling/swimming/hiking/whatever.
There are no deals currently.
I’ll continue to add deals as I find them.
With that – thanks for reading, and for supporting the site via the links above. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
FYKI on amazon.es Fenix 7X Pro Solar was sold at EUR 594 for a couple of hours today.
In Finland 🇫🇮, we had the Garmin Fenix 7x Pro at 460 euros for about 2 weeks!! It was in power.fi but has now gone back to the standard 599 euros.
There’s nothing similar in Europe going on, right? can’t find any special prices in Europe at least. Unlucky. So there will be no Epix/Fenix within the next two weeks, but within the next 2-4 months… I guess I have to wait….
Basically no. I cannot find anything in central Europe.
I have been meaning to make a comment in one of these posts for ages now. Every post i see about huge discounts on garmin watches are nothing but lies. Since i bought my fenix 7 saphire solar like 2 years ago for $999 that has been the price for that configuration. All of the other configurations that doesnt include saphire solar has always been $599-$699. So please tell me where the huge discount lies because i dont see it. I really like your videos but i really dislike posts like this.
Did you bother checking the links he posted? Or perhaps go check Garmin’s website? In Canada, all the sales are legit, even on Garmins own site. Ray doesn’t post BS. If you live in a region without discounts, that’s not on him.
You don’t seem to be the sharpest tool in the toolbox…
Bro, delete this
Yeah, I’m really not sure what to say here other than simplicity: You’re wrong. (Assuming US based)
It’s always included Solar Sapphire. Every single time. This time as well. Here’s the chart of the sale prices, according to an Amazon price tracking site. Using your unit (Fenix 7 Solar Sapphire B09NMHSHX7) you can see the price dips for Holidays/Black Friday, and the May sales. Very clearly, very much $200+.
Additionally, the exact REI link here shows the Solar Sapphire units all on sale. link to rei.com
I wish gamin came out with a watch that supported cellular.
It’s the only thing keeping me with the Apple Watch over garmin or suunto
Bad timing for SRAM/Hammerhead to be trying to put the $475 Karoo against the $499 1040. I’ve been a Karoo 2 user since the spring after they launched, and the underwhelming K3 launch and the similar pricing to the 1040 (I actually was able to get 20% off / $479 through my health insurance) has finally kicked me over to the Garmin camp.
I’m doing the opposite. Fed up by the unsolved bugs of the 1040 I’ll move to the karoo 3
Kind of late, but what sort of bugs are you having with 1040? Was about to buy that or 840 on sale
Thoughts on a 955 LTE or some such cellular variant?
How and where Garmin goes next with LTE is mysterious to me. They’re obviously still working on stuff. But where it finally bursts out into an endurance sports product again is the million dollar question (and how exactly, too).
I’m tempted on the Varia—but torn between picking up the RTL515 now on sale or waiting to see if they release a new version this year. I have the old boxy version, so not exactly in a rush… Curious to know what others think of the chance of a new version for Varia this year?
I’d take no guesses on when we might see a new RTL515. When I was visiting my family a few weeks ago, I had brought the RTL515 with me to compare to the Trek unit. Totally forgot to pack a micro-USB cable. Had to ask my dad to dig through his cabinets to find a cable to charge it.
I would note that the 515 sale is basically like every other month. Has been for a year or two now. Anything there’s a sale of anything at Garmin, it goes along for the ride.
Ray, thanks for having shared your thoughts about refresh cycles/new versions timings of different Garmin product lines. Very valuable for these ‘wait or buy’ decisions.
What are your thoughts about timings for a new version of a Suunto running watch?
Hard to say on the Suunto side. They’re a bit unpredictable now given some of the (good) shifts towards how they approach products (simplifying the number of SKU’s) and such.
I’d rather they fixed the battery leak of my Fenix 7 solar. From 4 to 6 weeks to 2 to 3 days autonomy is not nice. Even when not recording any activity, it leaks way too fast. It loses approx. 4 days of autonomy in 24 hours in smart watch mode.
Any chance you’ve accidentally turned on SpO2 monitoring?
To me, that sounds like either PulseOx (SpO2) got turned on, or a CIQ app is going nuts in the background. Or something else weird like backlight set to ‘stays on’ in regular mode (and not realizing it during the day).
Thanks for your reply, but no, nothing like that.
Known issues at Garmin:
link to forums.garmin.com
Yes, I know, beta program, but after 2 months you’d think they could find out what whey messed up.
Usually this is following an update and the watch needs rebooting. Sometimes when you turn it off it hangs and comes back on rather than reboot so you may need to hold the power button in until it switches off. This will reboot without resetting settings.
Happened to my Fenix 7 this week, reboot sorted it as it always does.
You can replace battery. Go to aliexpress and find battery. On watch you have screws and just open it and replace new battery.
So you don’t think there’ll be a new 550/850 any time soon… does that imply there will be a new 1050 (1040+) soon?
There have been some rumors of a 1040+ (oled? maybe like the 955/965 forerunner update), but nothing credible that I know of so far. For now, I’m holding on buying a bit longer. I’m hoping this sale on the 1040 series is a hint something’s coming this year. Thoughts from anyone in the know?
Apparently it’s coming: link to the5krunner.com
Timely article. I’ve been debating going from the Epix 2? to the Epic Pro (flashlight version end other slight upgrades). I keep talking myself out of it, saying to wait for the next version. I even tried at launch to go from the 47 to 51 to justify the purchase. However, I just like the 47 better with the exception of the battery life, and I have 8+ bands for the 47, including the metal and leather bands. So, it’s expensive to move all of that over.
On the Garmin Edge front, I have a 1040 solar. I LOVE it with the exception of the display in certain lights outside. I just can’t see it. I also don’t like having to lock the screen when in hard rains to prevent my display fields from changing mysteriously. I like the 840 with buttons AND touchscreen. Any thoughts on a new 1040 with similar functionality. One other thing to note, I will have a “free” Karoo 3 this week. It’s tempting to use, but I have data from Garmin dating back to early 2000’s (when it was a third party Motion Based that I bought into and Garmin purchased).
TLDR:
1. Ray, so you think it’s safe to buy the Fenix Pro – no eminent upgrade coming there?
2. Why is the screen for the 1040 solar so bad in certain lighting?
3. I’ll be viewing your comparison video on the Karoo 3 versus Garmin. I’m not likely to change, but having a Karoo 3 in my lap will make it tempting to test. Can you get that data into Garmin (assuming it will require Run Gap or some other third party)
Thanks for the excellent work as always – I’ve been a supporter since the beginning. Your reviews are invaluable and factored into every buying decision I make for fitness tech.
I’m in the same place with deciding on moving to an Epix Pro from the Epix 2. I haven’t tried a 51mm yet, since nobody stocks them in my area, but that would be the only option right now as the Pro 47mm is the same other than the Elevate 5 sensor and flashlight (both upgrades, of course, but not really enough to justify spending $800). I’m even hesitant to do that as the black ring on the inside of the bezel keeps it to only .1″ bigger display.
So, unless I can find a 51mm and it fits well–I’d upgrade to that for the additional battery life–I think I’m holding out for the Epix 3 47mm in hopes that it will have three major changes: the latest sensor, increased battery life, and, I think most importantly, a better size to screen ratio–I really don’t love the black ring inside the bezel taking away from screen size.
I know this post is from a while ago, so you might not see this, but he has the link above to his article from December with thoughts on the watch updates. His prediction is between June and August for the next gen it looks like
Ray, when will the new Garmin Instinct 3 be released?
I have the same question, Ray! Please answer! ;-)
Nothing In Europe for discounts?
Maybe we will have some new products from garmin, no? No guessing?
I see the Quatix 7 (standard, non-AMOLED) version at $399 on amazon.com… looks like a pretty good price!
Great information source.
Too bad as in Asia we did not have the discount like that (Malaysia)
Just got a fenix 7 pro sapphire for 449 GBP, at AMJ watches.
In Italy if you give back whatever watch you can have 200 to 250 euros off selected models – namely Fenix 7 pro sapphires, Epix pro sapphires and Enduro 2. This is quite weird as the non sapphires are now more expensive.
Valid until July 15.
Garmin link with details:
link to garmin.com
I’m actually a little relieved that there isn’t likely going to be a Fenix/Epix refresh for a while longer. Because, I know I wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation of buying it on launch day even though I really don’t need it because my Epix Pro is still awesome and still feels new.
I have a Garmin 840 bike computer and the Varia radar. When riding in groups folks get irked with the radar beeps, but if I turn those off I don’t look at the screen enough to see the cars coming.
Would a Garmin Watch (for example the 255 or 955) be able to do a vibrating alarm on my wrist instead of the audible beep when the radar sees a car? I have an Apple Watch now but that doesn’t have any tie in.
Thanks
I looked on the Garmin website and it seems Varia is compatible with some Garmin watches:
“This task is for the Forerunner® 945, fēnix® 6 series, and vívoactive® 4 series watches.”
link to www8.garmin.com
I’m amazed other watches aren’t compatible unless this article is out of date. I am going to test with my Epix Gen 2.
My Varia RTL515 pairs with my Epix 2. Since I also have an Edge 1040, I don’t often take the Epix along on rides, so I haven’t paid attention to how it presents radar contacts. But it does pair. I don’t remember if it does any vibration or other physical notification, but my attention is on my Edge, not my Epix, so I probably wouldn’t notice anyway.
Hi! My Fenix 7 does vibrate when the Varia detects oncoming traffic.
Heads up, on the 955 Solar you reference the 955 but I don’t see it on the table
I have an Edge 530 and am tempted to move to the 840. I find the 530 annoying to navigate with the buttons and it seems a bit slow too.
Worth the upgrade?
Ray,
One thing on topic and another very much off topic :P
Garmin EPIX PRO Gen 2 SAPPHIRE EDITION 51mm 010-02804-30 (grey Titan DLC with silicone and leather wristbands) is on sale on german website with coupon code AKT1DESCR0 for 765,94 €: link to olfert-co.de
And now off topic. Currently I own an Apple Watch, and I take it down when cycling with Edge 1040 to avoid wrong calculation of steps etc. How should it be done with Garmin watch + bike computer?
Thank you max, wanted to let you know I took that deal and just received my Epix Pro today (overall about 2 weeks from order, delivered in Italy). For the record this version with the leather band comes with a nicer premium box.
For the record in Italy until July 15 there’s a 200/250 euros off (depending on models) promotion on all the Fenix 7 Pro Sapphires, all the Epix Pro Sapphires and Enduro 2 models if you give back an old (whatever) watch.
Pretty weird as now the non sapphire models are more expensive than their counterparts.
On what sites can I access these deals for italy ? I’ve got an old Fenix 6.
it’s not online, you need to go the shop and give back the old one. Honestly I won’t give back a Fenix6, you should find some old broken crappy thing to give in exchange, as they are probably throwing it away. Seems like only sports shops at the moment are able to give the deal, not jewelries
Does it mean that the Fenix 8 is coming soon??
When will epix 3 likely be released?
Although there’s no overall Garmin sale in UK, I’ve just scored an Epix Pro Sapphire 47mm for £475 from AMJ Watches. I think it was a flash sale, as it doesn’t seem to be that price any more – but is available at around £530 from a few suppliers.
Hi, is there a reason (in your view) why Fenix and Epix would continue still together as two basically identical products? It makes perfectly sense to keep just one AMOLED option (similar to FR series), doesn’t it? We will certainly find out soon when new Fenix 8 / Epix will be introduced.
> It makes perfectly sense to keep just one AMOLED option (similar to FR series), doesn’t it?
I don’t think this is the right way of looking at it.
No offense, but I don’t know why so many people act like AMOLED (or MIP) is just an “option” for Forerunner, as if AMOLED and MIP Forerunners will be sold side-by-side forever. Seems like wishful thinking to me.
Every new Forerunner model (with “65” in the model number) is AMOLED. Afaict, the only reason Garmin still sells Forerunner *55 watches (with MIP) is bc they’re not old enough to be discontinued yet. I’m sure they don’t mind that MIP enthusiasts buy older Forerunners, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to make MIP Forerunners forever. On the contrary, I think when the *55 watches are discontinued, that’s it for Forerunner MIP watches. As DCR said, MIP is dead for Forerunners.
OTOH, the fact that Garmin made an “AMOLED Fenix” and called it “Epix” was an indication that Fenix would stick with MIP, at least in the near future (ofc the only justification Garmin can give for sticking with MIP is for battery life reasons – they will never say that MIP displays themselves are better for some use cases). The fact that Fenix 7 Pro (released after Epix gen 2) was MIP, fits with this narrative.
As DCR said, maybe that was a mistake, since some users are asking “where’s the AMOLED Fenix”, not realizing it’s Epix.
If Fenix 8 goes AMOLED, I doubt they’ll release a “Fenix MIP” or keep Fenix 7 around forever.
> It makes perfectly sense to keep just one AMOLED option (similar to FR series), doesn’t it?
I occurs to me I probably misinterpreted this. If you meant Garmin should just phase out MIP, I agree that’s what happened with FR.
However I think they wanted to keep MIP on Fenix for battery reasons.