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With the improved Apple Watch Ultra 2 garnering positive reviews and (presumably) sizable sales figures worldwide last year, and Samsung's recent promising entry into the rugged smartwatch category, it's clear that industry veteran Garmin is under pressure to fend off the competition with new and improved outdoor wearables

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Specifically, in terms of screen space, the “standard” version is expected to cram a 1.4-inch display into a 47-millimeter case, while the 51-millimeter (non-professional) Garmin Fenix 8 model could increase that to 1.5 inches. By comparison, the 47-millimeter Fenix 7 Pro has a 1.3-inch screen, while its 51-millimeter big brother expands the display size to 1.4 inches, and that's about it.

If the Fenix 8's screen size upgrades over the Fenix 7 Pro don't sound like such a big deal to you, we have a couple of images concocted by the folks over at gadgetsandwearables.com that may well change your perspective. The two aforementioned (unreleased) Fenix 8 variants are depicted alongside their equivalent members of the existing Fenix 7 Pro family, highlighting just how much of a difference the extra 0.1 inches of screen real estate is likely to make from both cosmetic and functionality standpoints.

You might expect us to answer all those questions with the typical shrug associated with most unannounced smartwatches, but while it's true that we can't know anything for sure just yet, multiple sources are predicting an August 27 launch. A September 3 announcement is also a possibility, which means that Garmin will almost definitely unveil its next big rugged timepieces before the IFA trade show kicks off in Berlin for maximum global exposure.

While we bizarrely don't know much about the capabilities and appearance of any prospective Fenix 8 Pro variants, the aforementioned (and aforepictured) Fenix 8 models are likely to cost €1099 and €1199 in 47 and 51mm case sizes respectively in Europe.

That's considerably more than the MSRPs of Samsung and Apple's rugged smartwatches on the Old Continent, and if they prove to be legitimate, both labels could equate to as much as $1,099 and $1,199 in the U.S., making it difficult for Garmin to target a “mainstream” audience here.