New Garmin Devices

New devices means the abandonment of devices from only 1 to 2 years ago, including thousand dollor smart watches. Existing issues & bugs on the previous top-of-the-line devices (like the GPSMAP 67 & 67i) will now be forgotten. Focus is now on the "new" devices which now bring their own sets of issues & bugs.

And of the new devices, we also get a horse monitor which clamps onto the base of the horse's tail, right next door to the you-know-what.

So we have hundreds of watches (maybe exaggerated but seriously, look at the vast number on the website), trolling motors and now horse health monitors which will be forgotten when the new ones appear to take their place.

Have to scroll a long ways down to see any automotive devices. And not much (read nothing) new there either.

That is a good point. For example, my Garmin Zumo XT is typically connected by Bluetooth to my smartphone. The point being, it has internet connectivity. But the data stored on the device has grown stale in some cases. Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze and others have the ability to stay current. Garmin needs to be able to do that, too.

POIs often become stale very quickly. New businesses are added and others close. Garmin needs to catch up on those, too.

I actually would like to see some legacy features resurrected. Google search was a feature on my Garmin Mobile XT many years ago. Garmin nüLink! services looked useful, too.

I also understand that without a revenue stream to support these things, these is all just wishful thinking!

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/newsroom/press-release/automoti...

https://www8.garmin.com/automotive/nuLink_services

hello

I'd like to see another unit like the driveluxe series, with the mag mount containing terminals. Makes unit R&R quick and easy.

So True. New units means forgotten previous units. :.(

the pricing info is a bit intimidating.

This is helpful information.

Yes, especially since the device will be "forgotten" (at least as far as updates and bug fixes) after 1-2 years.

The now "top-of-the-line" GPSMAP H1/H1i Plus is also one of the buggiest (if not THE buggiest) handheld GPS units to be released by Garmin (according to many users who own the unit as evidenced at the GPSrChive site).

Hopefully, these users will get all the features that were supposed to come with the unit (like a simple altimeter/barometer plot that even old units like my eTrex 32x and even the very old eTrex Vista HCx are capable of) as well as the plethora of bugs to be fixed in the 1-2 years of firmware update life.

Users of the previous top-of-the-line GPSMAP 67/67i are still plagued with old bugs & issues that stand even less of a chance to be fixed now that the new H1/H1i has replaced it.

Oh, and all accessories made for the previous units that used the "old" Spine Mount system (bike mounts, belt clip mounts, backpack tether mounts, etc) are all 100% incompatible with the "new" Spine Mount 2 system on the H1/H1i. Users now get to pay the inflated price of the new unit as well as repurchase ALL new Spine Mount 2 accessories to get the unit usable as they were used to with their previous unit. Way to go, Garmin.

I recently purchased (and then returned after less than a week) a GPSMAP 67 (on sale for $399.00) because of a blatantly obvious, 100% reproducible UI error, seemingly introduced a few firmware versions back (last firmware update was in Feb 2025) that will seemingly never be corrected. The unit did NOT have this UI error with the release firmware version that came on the unit. I reported the issue to Garmin directly & they were able to reproduce the error 100% on their end. I'm glad I returned the unit when I did.

Maybe if more people did this (instead of waiting for a fix that may never come), Garmin would get the message.

Truckers got the refresh not too long ago with the dezl OTRx20 series, I was expecting something similar like a Drive x4. Then again when it comes to car GPSes there isn't really much that I can think of to add as a new feature... reliability over new features 100%.

I am glad that I just got the SmartDrive 66 and do not have to find a new device. The only thing I may look into is a front camera.

I think Garmin has given up on standalone car GPSs. Most people use smartphones now.

Was coming back from visiting family in WI yesterday. Part of the passage involves going through milwaukee and its associated construction.

I had both google maps and waze compute routes. Google maps correctly routed me to take I94 rather than 894 because it's literally closed due to construction. Waze on the other hand wanted me to go down the 894 route. I didn't look closely enough at the route to see if it was going to detour me just before the closure onto surface streets.

The garmin would not even know about the closure - I don't use the app. I do still think garmin is best for custom routes. Coupled with googlemaps/android auto in the dash nav, it's a good combination.

The traffic component of the Garmins identifies closures. We had a bridge closure for ~6 months and the symbol on the map indicated closure. I jump to the conclusion that it wouldn't have routed me that way.

,Glad to see new items. I agree with your say on pricing, but still glad to see something new.

I think you can tell the emphasis Garmin is placing on automotive units by what they have on sale.

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/c/promotions/birthday-sale-amer...

Of the 30 items on sale, only one is an Automotive GPSr.

It's been like this for quite a few years now. It's how Garmin is thriving in a world full of smartphones.

I'm actually curious about their watches, but don't really need one because I have a smartwatch I wear to work. I also have a regular watch for those times I need one.

So are the days of portable automotive units gone?

I believe so. Garmin does still have units available for those who want them, but newer cars and their infotainment systems with built in Android Auto and Apple Carplay support make them difficult to recommend, despite the advancements in traffic support and the various niceties Garmin includes.

After having to rent a car due to having repairs done on mine, I came to a decision that my Garmin only gets used on road trips. Regular commutes? Don't need it.

MY wife drives a Toyota Rav4 which does not have a factory Nabi system in it.

She uses her 3590 everyday.

Don't know what we'll do if they ever stop making those portable units.

It does seem they keep dumbing them down. I miss the days when they had more display details.

If they ever did stop the cheap Chinese GPS receivers based on Windows CE are an option. I found one of those, complete, in my favorite thrift shop. It does a passable job, but updates are pretty sparse to the tune of once a year.

It's becoming increasingly rare to find vehicles that do not have infotainment systems built in that have Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support, so you can use your smartphone's GPS apps. Garmin clearly knows this, which is why they focus so heavily on wearables. I don't see them exiting the market like Tom Tom did, but they will never have the reach they once had in the space. For the average consumer, Garmin is the fitness watch company, not the GPS company of years past.

If Garmin ever does stop selling automotive GPSr's, there will be a ready supply of new, used and refurb devices available on e-Bay for the next decade or so.