Garmin’s next flagship generation is starting to take shape. The signs increasingly point to Garmin preparing to launch the Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro at the same time, this time including a smaller 43mm Pro, alongside a new Enduro 4. That would be a change from the last generation, when the standard Fenix 8 arrived first and the Fenix 8 Pro followed months later. There is also a chance the standard Fenix 9 goes AMOLED-only. Nothing here is official yet, but the pieces are lining up for a major outdoor refresh.
Side-by-side: fenix 8 (left) compared to fenix 8 Pro (right). All 47mm.
Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro, Launching Together
The most notable shift is timing. With the previous generation, the standard Fenix 8 arrived first and the Fenix 8 Pro launched separately, just over a year later. This time, Garmin appears to be lining up the Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro for a simultaneous launch rather than staggering them.
As with the 8 Pro, the differentiator between the two is likely to come down to connectivity. The Pro is expected to be defined by its built-in communication hardware, namely LTE cellular and inReach satellite messaging, while the standard Fenix 9 sticks to conventional GPS and pairs with a phone.
A 43mm Pro This Time
Perhaps the most welcome change is a smaller 43mm Fenix 9 Pro. The Fenix 8 Pro started at 47mm and skipped the 43mm size entirely, a decision that drew criticism from DC Rainmaker and others for leaving smaller wrists without an option. Garmin’s explanation at the time was technical: the antennas required for LTE and satellite connectivity could not be engineered to fit inside a 43mm case.
If Garmin has now solved that packaging problem, a 43mm Fenix 9 Pro would address one of the biggest complaints about the previous Pro generation and open the connected flagship up to a much wider range of wrist sizes. Adding a smaller size would not answer every criticism, though. Even with a 43mm option on the table, the bigger question is how thick the Pro ends up being.
How Thick Will the Pro Be?
At this stage, it is unclear how the Fenix 9 Pro’s dimensions will compare with those of the standard Fenix 9. One of the recurring complaints about the 8 Pro was that it was noticeably thicker and heavier than the regular Fenix 8, almost certainly to accommodate the communication chips and their antennas. Whether Garmin has managed to slim the 9 Pro down closer to the standard model, or whether the connected version again carries a size penalty, remains to be seen.
Side view: Fenix 8 (47 mm) on left vs. Fenix 8 Pro (47 mm) on right, highlighting the added case thickness of the Pro model (Photo via Chase the Summit)
Enduro 4 Alongside, Likely One Size and Still MIP
The Fenix 9 family looks set to arrive alongside a new Enduro 4, which first surfaced in Garmin Connect app code. Enduro has always been the ultra-endurance outlier in Garmin’s outdoor range, a single-size watch with a transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) display and solar charging, built to squeeze out the longest battery life in the lineup. Enduro 4 looks likely to continue exactly that: one size, and staying MIP rather than switching to AMOLED.
Could the Fenix 9 Be AMOLED-Only?
One of the more controversial possibilities is that the standard Fenix 9 may be AMOLED-only, with no MIP or solar variant at all. The Fenix 8 generation offered both an AMOLED edition and a Solar (MIP) edition, but Garmin has steadily shifted much of its lineup toward AMOLED across the board. The Fenix 9 could drop the MIP/solar option entirely and leave that role to the Enduro 4. That would be a meaningful change of direction for the Fenix line, and it’s possible Garmin does still plan to launch an MIP solar model.
The Bottom Line
Garmin has not announced anything, and specifics like final sizes, sensors, and pricing are still unconfirmed. But the shape of the next generation is coming into focus: a Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro launching together, a long-awaited 43mm connected Pro, an Enduro 4 holding the line on MIP endurance, and the prospect of a fully AMOLED Fenix launch, most likely later this summer.