Garmin Releases Their First Dual ANT+/BLE Heart Rate Monitor

After years of lagging behind everyone else, Garmin is finally releasing their first ever Bluetooth/ANT+ heart rate monitor.

Garmin has resisted the addition of Bluetooth transmission to their devices, but they caved and added Bluetooth support to Garmin Vector 3 powermeter last year and now we finally have a heart rate chest strap from Garmin that can broadcast in ANT+ and Bluetooth 5.0.

The Garmin HRM Dual was announced today and retails for $70 USD.

There is nothing new or special about the chest strap other than it broadcasts in Bluetooth and ANT+ giving you more options and flexibility to pair to more devices.

The new dual HRM Strap is only available as a stand-alone hest-strap that you have to purchase separately. If you purchase any Garmin device with a Garmin HR strap included, you will get the old ANT+ version.

We will probably see Bluetooth protocols added to other HR straps from Garmin as they update their devices in the next few months or years.

Unlike ANT+, Bluetooth is widely used and available in most mobile devices, watches such as your Apple Watch, Peloton bike, treadmills, Apple TV, and many more.

So if you use Zwift, TrainerRoad, Sufferfest, or the Peloton mobile app on your mobile device, you can now easily pair it with this new dual HRM strap from Garmin.