Key Takeaways
- With the Fenix 8, Garmin consolidated its Fenix and Epic lineup of watches.
- The addition of a mic and speaker provides extra smartwatch performance.
- Garmin nonetheless has some efficiency and options to work out in future software program updates.
It is no secret that Garmin’s watch lineup is in depth, which leaves it a bit convoluted at instances. The corporate’s latest release, the Garmin Fenix 8, aimed to consolidate issues barely, merging the Fenix and Epix underneath one product identify. Whereas this, in concept, simplifies issues, the variety of choices to select from stays the identical. Earlier than the Fenix 8, the principle deciding issue between the Epix and Fenix lineup was a colourful AMOLED show or lengthy battery life. That selection stays, simply throughout the Fenix 8 identify alone.
Essentially the most important change with the Fenix 8 is the addition of an onboard microphone and speaker, which brings Garmin’s newest wearable into the realm of the Apple Watch Ultra 2. That addition enables you to take and make calls out of your wrist and entry voice assistants, one thing solely Garmin’s Venu might do earlier than. Garmin revamped the photo voltaic panels on the Photo voltaic mannequin to extend readability and enhance photo voltaic charging capabilities. Garmin additionally elevated the sturdiness of its newest wearable and carried over dive options from its devoted dive watch, the Descent MK3.
Past these {hardware} additions, although, the Fenix 8 stays primarily the identical because the earlier mannequin. A handful of software program updates intention to make utilizing the watch simpler, particularly for brand new Garmin customers. There are additionally a handful of recent map and navigation options, however that is actually about it. I have been utilizing the 47mm Fenix 8 AMOLED for a number of weeks now, and whereas there actually are variations from previous fashions, this watch simply would not have me as excited as earlier Garmin releases.
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Garmin fēnix 8 AMOLED
The Garmin fēnix 8 AMOLED blends smartwatch and journey watch options into one extremely superior wearable with a vibrant AMOLED show. It encompasses a microphone and speaker to take calls and use voice instructions proper in your wrist, plus an expansive checklist of coaching and navigation instruments.
- Extra rugged construct with leakproof buttons
- Flashlight controls are extra simply accessible
- Loads of fashions to select from
- Extremely correct knowledge
- Nice battery life
- Not a lot of an replace over the Epix Gen 2 and Fenix 7 Professional
- Laggy efficiency in some menus
- Some finicky points with the voice assistant instruments
Worth, availability, and specs
The Garmin fenix 8 is accessible in 15 completely different fashions and colours, so there are many choices to select from. Relying on the actual mannequin you select, pricing ranges from $799 to $1,299. On the low stage is the Fenix E (which isn’t technically the Fenix 8, however value mentioning), which lacks a flashlight, microphone, and speaker however provides a vibrant AMOLED show. It is solely obtainable in a single 47mm case measurement and both stainless-steel and black or slate grey and black.
Subsequent is the Fenix 8 Photo voltaic, which retains the spirit of the unique Fenix lineup. It makes use of the standard transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) show with Garmin’s Energy Sapphire photo voltaic charging know-how for longer battery life. Garmin ditched the smallest measurement for the photo voltaic model with the Fenix 8, doubtless as a result of a photo voltaic panel simply is not value it at that measurement. As a substitute, it is solely obtainable in 47mm and 51mm case sizes. It is available in two colours (for each case sizes), together with the Carbon Grey DLC Titanium with Black/Pebble Grey Silicone Band or the Titanium with Amp Yellow/Graphite Silicone Band. The Photo voltaic model contains the brand new mic and speaker, together with a flashlight.
Lastly, there’s the Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED, which primarily merges the Epix line into the Fenix. The AMOLED model is accessible in 43mm, 47mm, or 51mm case sizes with three coloration choices for every measurement. The colours for the 2 bigger sizes are the identical (Titanium with Spark Orange/Graphite Silicone Band, Carbon Grey DLC Titanium with Black/Pebble Grey Silicone Band, and Slate Grey with Black Silicone Band), whereas the 43mm is available in a Tender Gold with Fog Grey/Darkish Sandstone Silicone Band (identical to the Epix Professional Gen 2 Sapphire) and Silver with Whitestone Silicone Band, together with the Carbon Grey mannequin. You may also go for an AMOLED mannequin with or with no sapphire crystal lens, relying in your price range and the way sturdy of a watch you want. Lastly, all fashions of the AMOLED model embrace a mic, speaker, and flashlight.
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Garmin fēnix 8 Photo voltaic
- Model
- Garmin
- Coronary heart Price Monitor
- Sure
- Shade Display screen
- Sure
- Notification Assist
- Sure
- Battery Life
- As much as 21 days (28 days with photo voltaic) for 47mm mannequin
- Onboard GPS
- Sure
- Lens Materials
- Energy Sapphire
- Case Materials
- Titanium bezel with fiber-reinforced polymer with metallic rear cowl with
- Calendar
- Sure
- Climate
- Sure
- Case measurement
- 43mm, 47mm, or 51mm
- Show
- Daylight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP)
- Connectivity
- Bluetooth, ANT+, Wi-Fi
- Well being sensors
- Coronary heart price monitor, thermometer, pulse ox monitor, barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, ambient mild sensor
- Dimensions
- 47 x 47 x 15.2 mm (47mm mannequin)
- Weight
- 80 g (47 mm mannequin)
- Audio
- Sure
- Cell funds
- Sure
- GPS
- GPS, GLONASS, QZSS, Galileo, BeiDou
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Garmin fēnix 8 AMOLED
- Model
- Garmin
- Coronary heart Price Monitor
- Sure
- Shade Display screen
- Sure
- Notification Assist
- Sure
- Battery Life
- As much as 16 days (7 days always-on) for 47mm mannequin
- Onboard GPS
- Sure
- Lens Materials
- Corning Gorilla Glass or sapphire crystal
- Case Materials
- fiber-reinforced polymer with metallic rear cowl
- Calendar
- Sure
- Climate
- Sure
- Case measurement
- 43mm, 47mm, or 51mm
- Show
- AMOLED
- Connectivity
- Bluetooth, ANT+, Wi-Fi
- Well being sensors
- Coronary heart price monitor, thermometer, pulse ox monitor, barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, ambient mild sensor
- Dimensions
- 47 x 47 x 13.8 mm (47mm mannequin)
- Weight
- Stainless-steel: 80 g, Titanium: 73 g (47mm mannequin)
- Audio
- Sure
- Cell funds
- Sure
- GPS
- GPS, GLONASS, QZSS, Galileo, BeiDou
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Garmin fēnix E
- Model
- Garmin
- Coronary heart Price Monitor
- Sure
- Shade Display screen
- Sure
- Notification Assist
- Sure
- Battery Life
- As much as 16 days (6 days always-on)
- Onboard GPS
- Sure
- Lens Materials
- Corning Gorilla Glass
- Case Materials
- fiber-reinforced polymer with metallic rear cowl
- Calendar
- Sure
- Climate
- Sure
- Case measurement
- 47mm
- Show
- AMOLED
- Connectivity
- Bluetooth, ANT+, Wi-Fi
- Well being sensors
- Coronary heart price monitor, thermometer, pulse ox monitor, barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, ambient mild sensor
- Dimensions
- 47 x 47 x 14.5 mm
- Weight
- 76 g
- Audio
- None
- Cell funds
- Sure
- GPS
- GPS, GLONASS, QZSS, Galileo, BeiDou
What I preferred concerning the Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED
Vibrant show, loads of customization, and well-rounded options
The very first thing that catches you when turning on the Garmin Fenix 8 for the primary time is the intense, vibrant show. It’s stunning. It is easy to learn in vivid solar, and auto dims sufficient, so it is not blinding me at night time, both. I may even see footage pretty nicely when somebody texts them to me, which is sweet. Additionally, although a minor function, one of many first prompts on the watch (which it’s also possible to change later) is to regulate the textual content measurement, which is the primary on a Garmin watch. Setting the textual content to a measurement that is snug for me is surprisingly superior, and I get pleasure from it way over I anticipated I’d.
By way of sensors, nothing has modified within the Fenix 8 in comparison with the Fenix 7 Professional. It makes use of the identical optical coronary heart price sensor and the identical GPS parts and multi-band design, leading to extremely correct knowledge in a variety of circumstances. The guts price measurements from the Fenix 8 persistently matched my chest straps (from Wahoo and Garmin) and my arm-based strap from Coros. There have been some barely off numbers throughout parts of gravel bike rides, however that is to be anticipated as a result of vibrations and the place of my wrist whereas on a motorcycle.
Garmin leads the best way in GPS accuracy and that continues to be true with the Fenix 8. I did not get out for any swims throughout my testing interval, however the knowledge was glorious for walks, hikes, and bike rides. The GPS tracks precisely mirrored my path, even after I purposefully weaved round slightly. I did not sort out something in a metropolis with tall buildings however have been in thick tree cowl with zero points.
The Fenix 8’s battery life is spectacular, even on the AMOLED model, which lacks photo voltaic charging. Garmin guarantees 16 days (with out the always-on show) in smartwatch mode, and that is precisely what I used to be capable of get, even with a number of actions blended in. Having the always-on show will deliver that life right down to seven promised days. That places the Apple Watch Extremely 2 (a promised 36 hours with regular use) and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (roughly two days in my testing) to disgrace, which the Fenix 8 now competes extra straight with, due to the addition of the mic and speaker.
I wore the watch on a visit to Berlin and forgot to deliver a charger alongside. At the start of my 10-day journey, the watch was roughly 25%, making me fairly nervous. I did not have time for a lot exercise on the journey, however I did observe a stroll and an indoor bike experience and wore it day by day. I did not flip the watch on in battery saver mode, however I turned it absolutely off at night time (so I wasn’t monitoring my sleep). It by some means lasted as much as my final day, dying through the 17-hour journey residence.
Most health watches focus particularly on operating and miss power coaching, which is crucial factor you are able to do to stop accidents and stave off getting older.
Because it often does with new watches, Garmin added a handful of recent health and mapping options. My favourite of the bunch are the brand new power coaching plans, accessed by way of Garmin Connect. Most health watches focus particularly on operating and miss power coaching, which is crucial factor you are able to do to stop accidents and stave off getting older. It is enormous that Garmin has included particular power coaching plans this go round, particularly with three completely different selectable targets.
The most important change on the Fenix 8 is the addition of a mic and speaker, giving it a extra strong checklist of smartwatch skills. You possibly can play music via the speaker, however, as you’d doubtless count on from a watch, the sound is fairly horrible, so it is not a alternative for headphones. Plus, please do not skip the headphones round different individuals.
Maintain the highest proper button to entry the offline voice assistant.
The Genix 8 provides two completely different voice assistant choices. One is a wholly offline, watch-based assistant that permits you to management varied points of your watch with no telephone connection. For instance, you’ll be able to ask it to set a time, begin an exercise, or play a sure playlist. I discovered it responsive, although it’s important to get the phrasing proper, or the watch will not do something. It would not management something in your telephone, both, because it’s an offline device that does not require a linked telephone.
While you do have your telephone on you, you should utilize the Cellphone Assistant, which pulls up Siri, Google, or Samsung voice assistant in your telephone. It routinely chooses the best one with none particular setup. You need to use this identical to you’ll in your telephone, although it should pull the whole lot up in your telephone, not the watch. Verbal outcomes are via the watch, although. I discovered the outcomes to be simply as responsive as after I speak to Google, although I did need to purposefully communicate into the mic on the watch to get it to listen to me.
What I did not like concerning the Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED
Laggy efficiency and speaker points
I anticipated to be enthusiastic about this watch, however the Fenix 8 did not spark the identical pleasure I usually get with new Garmin watches. It simply fell a bit flat, to be sincere. My greatest concern was shockingly laggy efficiency, one thing I have not skilled on a Garmin watch but. Scrolling via watch faces to select one had me sitting and ready or urgent a button once more, pondering it did not register the primary time, solely to make it enter a menu I did not need.
I anticipated to be enthusiastic about this watch, however the Fenix 8 did not spark the identical pleasure I usually get with new Garmin watches.
Fortunately, not all menus or parts of the watch are like that. Scrolling via graphs of my well being and coaching stats is the acquainted clean efficiency of my different Garmin watches. Utilizing the maps and climate radar entails roughly the identical lag as different watches as nicely. However there have been sufficient conditions with important lag that it was fairly irritating.
One other irritating side is that the Cellphone Assistant quantity is managed via the telephone, not the watch, which took me far too lengthy to determine. At first, after I requested Google issues by way of my watch, the quantity was so quiet that I needed to maintain my wrist proper subsequent to my ear to listen to. I attempted to regulate the quantity from the watch settings, however it was nonetheless very quiet even when each the Voice and System quantity settings have been at 100%.
It took asking Google a random factor after which growing the quantity by way of my telephone’s quantity rocker to lastly make it audible. But when I am utilizing the voice assistant on my watch and it is taking part in the outcomes on my watch, I in all probability haven’t got entry to my telephone to regulate the quantity proper then. It’s an odd mixture of controls at this level, however hopefully, Garmin can work out the kinks.
Fortunately, you’ll be able to modify name quantity proper on the watch when taking calls in your wrist. However, sadly, even the max quantity could be very quiet. I used to be in my workplace with primarily no background noise, and it was considerably robust to listen to. The individual on the opposite finish stated the sound was a bit crackly for them, which is not often the case after I name by way of my telephone. I additionally needed to maintain my wrist at about chest top for him to listen to me nicely sufficient. Whereas this will surely work for taking calls in a pinch when you do not have an alternative choice, general, it is not a fantastic expertise. That stated, I am not a fan of any smartwatch name performance.
Must you purchase the Garmin Fenix 8?
Whereas the upgrades of the Fenix 8 are nice on paper, these new options merely aren’t obligatory or wished by all. I did not use the mic or speaker on the watch apart from assessment functions, and I doubt I’ll use them after wrapping up this assessment. I do know some, nevertheless, love the smartwatch performance of taking calls from their wrist and accessing voice assistants and can gladly pay the upper value for that skill. Likewise, the added dive options are nice for many who casually dive and do not wish to spend $1,200 on the Descent MK3 dive laptop.
There is no denying that the Fenix 8 is an excellent out of doors smartwatch. A smartwatch that gives 16 days of battery life together with a formidable show, extremely correct knowledge, and an intensive checklist of health options is actually spectacular. It makes the Apple Watch Extremely 2 and Samsung Galaxy Watch look a bit foolish.
Nonetheless, this improve would not provide a lot for many who do not care about having a microphone and speaker and do not dive. The adjusted UI makes sure issues higher, however it is not value spending the additional $100-$300, relying on the mannequin. Sticking with the Epix Gen 2 or Fenix 7 Professional is the higher transfer for most individuals.
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Garmin fēnix 8 AMOLED
The Garmin Fenix 8 provides a mix of smartwatch and health watch options in a rugged physique with long-lasting battery life.
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