Endurance & performance tech: news & opinion

A new Garmin patent application describes an AMOLED watch display with solar cells built into the gaps between the pixels, so the screen can charge the battery without a solar layer dimming the picture.
The5krunner’s take: Read this as Garmin planning how solar charging survives once they catch up on the battery-life improvements created by MIP, not as a sign that a solar AMOLED watch is close.
Garmin says its MIP screens are on borrowed time once OLED catches up, yet every Garmin solar watch today, from the Instinct 3 Solar to the Fenix 8 Solar, depends on a MIP screen. Putting cells only in the gaps between pixels avoids the dimming that a full solar layer would cause on a colour screen. There is no power figure yet, and the gaps are a small share of the screen, so the charge is likely to be well below what Power Glass gives a MIP watch today. Garmin’s earlier solar OLED patent in 2022 didn’t lead to a final product.
Is Garmin making a solar AMOLED watch?
Garmin has filed a patent application for a solar AMOLED display, published in November 2026. It has not announced a watch that uses it, and many patents never reach a product.
How is this different from current Garmin solar watches?
Current Garmin solar watches put a solar layer over a MIP screen. This design places solar cells only in the gaps between AMOLED pixels, with clear windows over each pixel so the screen is not dimmed.
Related: the T-Rex Dual Solar vs Fenix 9 Pro Solar comparison, the Trademark & Patent Filing roundup and the Garmin hub.
Source and original research by: the5krunner and Gadgets & Wearables.
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Last Updated on 14 November 2026 by tfk the5krunner
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. See the gear tfk uses. ID
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