Count upward long enough and people tend to get a good idea of what’s coming. Garmin has been selling the Fenix 8 fitness tracker smartwatch for almost exactly two years, and so it was all but certain that there would be a Fenix 9 at some point. We just didn’t know how much better it would be.

Turns out that it has some major upgrades, and without costing any more than the Fenix 8. You just need to be patient for three more days, when it becomes available to order on Friday, August 28.

the upgrades

Whereas the Garmin Fenix 8 incorporated stainless steel casings in many of its variants, the Fenix 9 moves to incorporating titanium into the cases of all Fenix 9 models, even the base-model Fenix 9. The Fenix 9 has plastic sidewalls, but the Pro and Pro Solar use all titanium.

Internal storage doubles from 32GB to 64GB, too. That’s a healthy amount of storage for a smartwatch. I don’t expect most people will struggle with filling up their Fenix 9 with too many workout plans and health data. Garmin says there’s 50% more RAM, which is like horsepower that allows your watch to run several programs at once without slowdown or lag, but it doesn’t say exactly how much it has. However much it has, expect the Fenix 9 to feel noticeably snappier.

There’s an entire range: the Fenix 9 for $1,000, Fenix 9 Pro for $1,100, and Fenix 9 Pro Solar, also for $1,100. Then there are three sizes: 43mm, 47mm, and 51mm. You can only get the Solar on the larger two sizes.

Complicated enough for you? Hold my beer. There’s a robust range of finishes, from Carbon Gray to Autumn Gold to Titanium, plus several bands from staid Walnut brown to lively Spark Orange. Certain selections will tweak the price upward a little bit.

the satellite option

Lastly, on the Pro and Pro Solar, you can add Garmin inReach connectivity for $100 more. Garmin inReach is a sick emergency contact service for when you’re off in the wilderness. I venture far into the backcountry for some gnarly week-long hikes and climbs, and inReach is what I take with me.

Even if you’re in an area without cellular coverage, you can send brief text messages to certain contacts or reach out to search and rescue with an SOS message if you find yourself in need of rescue or medical attention. It can work over LTE cellular signal, but the main draw is that it works by communicating with Garmin satellites, so it’ll provide a lifeline where cell signal dares not go.

You have to sign up for a subscription to inReach, but it’s $8 a month. Worth activating when you venture into the wilderness and pausing when you’re back home for a while.

the solar version runs for a long, long time

The Pro Solar is exactly what it sounds like. It incorporates a tiny solar charging panel that soaks up the sun and augments the internal battery to lengthen the amount of time it can go without your having to plug it into a charger. Garmin says the 47mm version of the Solar will last for up to 34 days of use and the 51mm version up to 57 days, assuming you feed it a steady diet of sunlight.

You can look at the Fenix 9, but you can’t yet touch. Garmin has put the product pages up for the full Fenix 9 lineup on the official Garmin store, but you won’t be able to order them until August 28. That’s not a long wait, though. Once the Fenix 9 goes live on Amazon and Walmart, we’ll swoop in with the links so that you can come right back here to order yours.

Just stare at the seconds ticking by your old, dumb, not very smart watch until it’s Friday. It’ll go quickly. Maybe.