The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch in September, but those waiting for a top sports watch with an AMOLED display can get it in the Garmin Fenix 8, which launches today with two models in the range.
The Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED has a bright, smartwatch-style screen and replaces the Garmin Epix in the brand’s range, while the standard Fenix 8 has a memory-in-pixel display plus solar panels, meaning it offers longer battery life than the Fenix 8 AMOLED.
Both versions of the Garmin Fenix 8 will come in 47mm and 51mm sizes, and there’s also a smaller 43mm version of the AMOLED watch. All modes now offer a built-in speaker and microphone, a new feature for the Fenix line.
You can use this to fire up your phone’s voice assistant and perform specific tasks like setting a timer, as well as taking voice notes. All of the watches also have a built-in flashlight, and Garmin has made the Fenix 8 more durable than its predecessors by adding a sensor guard and leakproof buttons.
The watch has been tested to US military standards for thermal, shock and water resistance, and is now capable of diving to depths of 40m, with new scuba diving and apnea modes being added to the watch.
On the software side of things Garmin is launching strength training plans with the watches. These are four to week programmes to help users hit an array of fitness goals, and there are also guided workouts designed for specific sports, like trail running and skiing.
Garmin has also improved its navigation features on the Fenix 8, with users able to customize the layers they see on the map screen to make it easier to follow routes. A new dynamic round-trip routing feature will allow you to set a target distance and let the Fenix 8 create a route that updates on the move to bring you back to your starting point to hit that distance.
The choice within the Fenix 8 range is essentially the same as when picking between the Garmin Epix Pro and Garmin Fenix 7 Pro now. The Fenix 8 AMOLED offers the brighter display, while the Fenix 8 with solar panels offers longer battery life.
The Fenix 8 AMOLED 51mm can still offer up to 29 days of battery with the screen set to raise to wake, but the Fenix 8 51mm will last up to 48 days in sunny conditions with its screen always on.
If big battery life is a key concern for you, then it’s also worth looking at the Garmin Enudro 3, which also launched today. It has a similar design to the Garmin Fenix 8 51mm model, but offers even more battery life — up to 90 days in watch mode in sunny conditions.
The upgrades on the Fenix 8 series add to the extensive features available from Garmin’s top watches, which include top-notch sports tracking and training analysis plus useful smart features like music storage and NFC payments.
Whichever version of the Fenix 8 you opt for, the price is high. The Garmin Fenix 8 costs from $999.99 / £949.99 to $1199.99, depending on the size you opt for, and the materials you pick — models that have more durable sapphire crystal displays cost more.
Garmin is also launching the Fenix E, a more affordable version of the watch that doesn’t have some features from the Fenix 8, like the speaker, mic and flashlight, which will cost $799. The Fenix E only comes in the 47mm size, and doesn’t have the leakproof buttons on the Fenix 8, so isn’t a dive watch.
