A Garmin 920XT first look

Herbert Krabel Wed Oct 01 2014

Garmin announced the release of the Garmin 920XT today and here is the first look at that multi sport watch that records detailed metrics for swimming, biking and running. The watch feels very light and according to Garmin is 15 percent lighter and 18 percent thinner than its predecessor, and it certainly appears that way. It features a hi-res color display, can control the Virb action camera, connects quickly to Garmin Connect on your computer or smartphone app, has a comfortable hinged band, and offers many more new features. Timothy O'Donnell has had one in his hands for a while now and he will likely race with it in Kona.

"As a pioneer and leader in GPS multisport watches, we’re excited to introduce our most advanced all-in-one solution for triathlon training – the Forerunner 920XT," said Dan Bartel, Garmin VP of worldwide sales. "Recording in-depth metrics for swimming, cycling and running, tracking daily activity, while keeping users connected, the Forerunner 920XT is ideal for training, racing, and everything in between."

We will do a detailed review of this watch, but here for now is a quick first look.

This Garmin 920XT has several settings which should satisfy a variety of athletes. The pool specific swim one is one of 7 different modes and lets the user log swim drills and kick sets at the pool, plus record swim distance, pace, stroke type, stroke count and SWOLF score.

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Open water is another mode for the Garmin 920XT and the watch is rated to 5ATM.

The 920 XT quickly found a satellite even inside, and hopefully that was not a fluke.

The 920XT reports cadence, amount of bounce in a runner’s step, and ground contact time. Via a color gauge runners can also see how they compare to other runners in general. Plus a metronome with vibration and audible alerts to guide cadence training, a race predictor based on VO2 max for running, and a recovery advisor indicating how long a runner should rest before attempting another hard effort are also included according to Garmin.