Lately, Apple has been all over the news for its slated launch of the Watch Ultra 3 but Garmin seems to have undercut the Cupertino giant by launching its own set of new-age smartwatches. Yes, Garmin’s anticipated Fenix 8 AMOLED smartwatch is here alongside the modest Fenix E model.
The sports smartwatch will get a bright screen similar to a smartphone, thus making it crisp and highly visible in broad daylight. If you don’t want to keep charging your watch after a while, choosing the standard solar version with the time-tested MIP (Memory In-Pixel) display is a better option since it delivers added battery life. Either way, the Fenix 8 series will give tough competition to the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra and the upcoming Apple smartwatch.
Designer: Garmin
The Garmin Fenix 8 comes in two sizes – 47mm and 51mm – for both the AMOLED and standard solar versions. The AMOLED model however gets another 43mm variant well suited to small hands. All the Fenix 8 versions will have built-in speakers and microphone to take calls, trigger the phone’s voice assistant, settings timers hands-free, or even listen to music. This is new to the Garmin Fenix line and something users will value in daily usage. According to official figures, the Fenix 8 AMOLED 51mm lasts for up to 29 days on a single charge while the standard Fenix 8 51 mm variant can go for a stellar 48 days with the screen always on.
This smartwatch is tested strictly according to US military standards for protection against fire and sudden shocks. It comes with a 40m water-resistance feature, and the app interface now gets the scuba diving and apnea modes. Garmin has also added a built-in flashlight function which is a welcome addition. The watch now has strength training plans that come with four to a week mode to achieve fitness goals, and guided workouts for trail running and skiing. Durability has been boosted with the inclusion of a sensor guard and leakproof buttons.
Garmin claims that they’ve improved the navigation features as the user can now customize layers on the map screen. Alongside this, the new dynamic round-trip routing feature lets you set a target distance to create an automated route that updates in real time for you to achieve that distance.
Depending on the model and variant chosen, the smartwatch can cost anywhere from $1000 – $1200. The Fenix 8 AMOLED versions are priced at $1000, $1100 and $1200 respectively. The standard 47 mm and 51 mm solar variants will cost $1100 and $1200.
