Garmin Fenix 9 brings rowing FTP and VO2 max via Concept2 link

Garmin gives rowers what they have been asking for — and most Fenix 8 owners get it free

Garmin launched the Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro at its "Play Harder" event on 25 August 2026, and while the headline hardware changes are immediately obvious — a twice-as-bright AMOLED display, 64GB of storage, LTE and satellite connectivity extended to solar models — it is a quieter set of additions that has caught the attention of the indoor rowing community. For the first time on a Garmin watch, the Fenix 9 can calculate rowing FTP, VO2 max and lactate threshold, provided it is paired with a power-meter-equipped rowing machine.

DC Rainmaker (Ray Maker) published his in-depth review of the Fenix 9 series on 18 September 2026, and his confirmed feature list makes clear just how substantial the rowing upgrade is. New additions include dedicated heart rate zones and a rowing-specific max heart rate setting, indoor rowing FTP estimation, indoor rowing VO2 max, lactate threshold for rowing, performance condition, a five-second countdown timer for indoor rowing, and — critically — the ability for indoor rowing sessions to update Training Status (Productive, Unproductive, and so on).

Previously, you could pair a rower to the Indoor Rowing profile on a Fenix watch, but you received none of those added metrics. As DC Rainmaker puts it, all of that now happens when you pair a power meter device.

Concept2 is the obvious choice, but not the only one

The classification ranges for both rowing FTP and VO2 max are drawn from Concept2's own reference data — a detail Garmin itself acknowledges. Garmin's product documentation states: "While FTP is widely used in cycling, it is also a meaningful indicator for rowers. In indoor rowing, where body weight does not significantly limit performance, rowing FTP is typically expressed as absolute power (watts)."

In practical terms, if you have a Concept2 RowErg with the PM5 monitor, you pair it as an ANT+ FE-C rower; this also delivers distance and stroke data alongside power. However, the new metrics only require a power reading and a heart rate signal to function. DC Rainmaker confirmed via a tester named Des that no ANT+ FE-C or FTMS device is strictly required — anything outputting an ANT+ or Bluetooth power meter stream will work. Des paired the watch to a bike and it came through in the Indoor Rowing profile.

There is one notable gap. SmartRow — a third-party power meter with variants for WaterRower and chain-based air-resistance machines — transmits via Bluetooth only, and its compatibility with the new Fenix 9 rowing features has not been confirmed at the time of writing.

In a broader structural change, rowing is now its own activity category on the watch. Previously, Row and Row Indoor sat under Water Sports; that move reflects the Fenix 9's new indoor rowing physiology support, according to DC Rainmaker's review.

A major back-porting commitment from Garmin

In an unusual move for the brand, Garmin has confirmed to DC Rainmaker that nearly all new Fenix 9 software features will be pushed down to existing watches on the same unified platform. The list of watches receiving the updates includes the Fenix 8 series, Fenix 8 Pro, Enduro 3, Tactix 8, Forerunner 970, Forerunner 570, Fenix E, and Venu X1. A portion is also headed to the Venu 4 and Vivoactive 6.

A Garmin forum representative confirmed that no features will make their way to the Fenix 7. The Fenix 8, on the other hand, will receive almost all of the new Fenix 9 features — with one caveat: the mapping engine improvements are specific to the Fenix 9 series hardware and will not transfer. Fenix 6 owners and Instinct 3 owners are also outside the group, as those watches sit on separate platforms.

No exact firmware date has been confirmed. The work is expected to arrive with a near-term quarterly update or later in autumn 2026. Crucially, none of these features require a Garmin Connect+ subscription — all will be available free.

Other new features worth noting

The rowing additions are part of a wider sweep of sport-focused changes — something neither the Fenix 8 nor the Fenix 8 Pro managed at launch, where the emphasis was almost entirely on hardware. DC Rainmaker's confirmed list of new features also includes:

• Garmin Epic — groups multi-day events on-device and in Garmin Connect
• Stamina Zone and Stamina Endurance Time concepts, with new Stamina Trending in Garmin Connect
• New Running and Cycling Stamina graphs and curves
• Rucking improvements: pack-weight calorie breakout, a Rucking target calculator, mid-activity pack weight changes, dedicated Rucking Reports, Rucking Multisport mode, and on-device GoRuck structured workouts
• A new XC Ski Indoor profile (a ski-erg activity) — present on the watch even though Garmin left it off the Fenix 9 spec sheet, according to DC Rainmaker

UK pricing and availability

The Fenix 9 is available in 43mm, 47mm and 51mm with an AMOLED display and titanium case. UK prices start from £859.99, confirmed by GPS Training, an authorised UK retailer. The Fenix 9 Pro lists at $1,099.99 in the US; every solar model in this generation is a Fenix 9 Pro inReach Solar, available in 47mm or 51mm only — there is no 43mm solar option. All models are rated to 10 ATM and dive-rated to 40 metres. Expected delivery dates run to 20 October 2026 depending on model, according to GPS Training's listings as at 26 August 2026.