Details of a new Garmin GPS smartwatch have appeared on the website of the Singaporean telecoms licensing agency, suggesting that a launch may be imminent. We don't yet know the device's name, but it has a very similar reference ID to another watch that appeared last week, implying that they may be two versions of the same model.
Garmin sells its watches, cycling computers, and other devices globally, and because all of these are capable of wireless communications, they have to be registered with and tested by the authorities in each country to make certain that they comply with local standards. Unlike many countries, Singapore publishes a directory of recently approved devices, which can give us a sneak peek into what's coming up soon.
One week ago, we spotted that the Singaporean agency had given the green light to a new smartwatch, and now a second device has also been added to the register. Details are scant so far, and we don't have any images or names, but we do have two reference IDs: A04390 and AA4390.
Back in June, two very similar device IDs appeared on the website of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), indicating that they were being prepared for sale in the US. This pair were given the IDs IPH-A4390 and IPH-04390. The letters 'IPH' are used by the FCC to refer to Garmin, while the remaining characters are chosen by the company, so it seems safe to say that these are the same devices listed by the Singaporean agency.
What's the watch?
So, what are they? It's tough to say with so little detail (presumably both the Singaporean and US licensing bodies have agreed not to divulge information under an NDA), but judging from the list of forthcoming Garmin devices that leaked earlier this year via a German retailer, they may well be the Garmin Venu Sq 2 and Venu Sq 2 Music.
The original Venu Sq is available in two versions – a standard model with ANT+ and Bluetooth connectivity, and a music edition that also supports Wi-Fi to make downloading and streaming songs faster. According to the FCC's listing, only one of the two forthcoming watches supports Wi-Fi, suggesting we may be looking at the same situation again here.
However, that's only one possibility. We've no idea what the 'Garmin Austin' in the leaked list might be, for example, and it's quite possible that this might also be a Garmin watch with music and non-music versions. We'll keep an ear to the ground for more news and bring you further information as soon as we have it.
- Best GPS watches: find your perfect training tool for running, hiking, and more
