Garmin releases new LTE smartwatch with redesign at higher price

Garmin has released the Bounce 2 smartwatch for kids. This recently rumored model has had a complete redesign compared to the original, now featuring a round rather than a rectangular face. The display has also changed, with the 1.3-inch LCD (240 x 240 px) swapped out for a 1.2 inch AMOLED (390 x 390 px) screen.

The Bounce 2 has an integrated microphone and speakers for two-way voice messaging, as well as new features like two-way voice calling and support for voice commands. You can also communicate with your child using text messages and remotely monitor their location in real-time. Plus, voice messages can be transcribed, which could be useful in noisy environments.

Garmin’s Bounce 2 supports a wider range of satellite navigation systems, including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou. Another new function is incident detection alerts for parents. Other features include activity tracking, with a greater number of activity types to choose from, a calculator app and Amazon Music. The Bounce 2 is available in more countries than its predecessor, offered in markets like Canada, the UK and the Netherlands (complete list here). It supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and LTE, though users will require a subscription for the latter, priced at $9.99/£9.99/€10.99 per month.

The new Bounce watch measures 43.0 x 43.0 x 12.4 mm (~1.7 x 1.7 x 0.5 inches) and is available in three colors: Slate Gray, Light Purple and Turquoise. You can now buy the Garmin Bounce 2 kids smartwatch for $299.99/£259.99/€299.99, making it twice the price of its predecessor (RRP $149.99, curr. $139.99 at Amazon).