Garmin and Coros Settle CardiacSense Heart Tech Patent Dispute

Garmin and Coros have both reached confidential settlements with Israeli health-tech firm CardiacSense, ending a patent dispute over cardiac monitoring technology built into smartwatches. The case ran for roughly a year and targeted core heart-sensing features found in both brands' current lineups.

CardiacSense holds patents around advanced ECG and arrhythmia detection methods, the kind of tech that sits at the heart of features like Garmin's Health Snapshot and Coros's heart rate variability tracking. The exact licensing terms are sealed, but settlements like this typically mean royalty agreements or cross-licensing deals, not a full pull of features.

For endurance athletes, the practical impact is real. Garmin has been pushing hard toward medical-grade health monitoring, and a lingering patent cloud over its cardiac tech would have slowed that road. Think continuous AFib detection, more accurate HRV readings, and the kind of clinical validation that separates a Garmin Fenix 8 from a basic fitness band. Coros, which has been closing the gap on Garmin with watches like the Pace 3 and Vertix 2S, also keeps its health tracking stack intact.

This matters more broadly because Whoop, Polar, and Apple Watch are all racing toward the same medical-grade territory. Apple got FDA clearance for AFib history on the Series 4 back in 2018. Garmin and Coros settling now clears the runway to compete in that space without legal drag.

Clean resolution. Both brands can build forward. Watch for Garmin to push harder on clinical health features in the next firmware cycles.