Garmin recently released the next generation of some of its more premium sports watches: the Fenix 8 and Enduro 3. Released two years ago, the previous Garmin Fenix 7 received mostly positive reviews. The Fenix 8, while also being well received, does seem to struggle a bit more due to its high price which starts at $999. Let’s break down what some of the early reviews have to say.
At Tom’s Guide, Nick Harris-fry writes a nice summary of what most reviewers are saying:
The Garmin Fenix 8 folds the Fenix 7 and Epix 2 watches into one range and offers a choice between an AMOLED display and solar-charging, as well as other upgrades like a built-in mic and speaker and a dive-capable design. It’s the best sports watch available, but expensive, and there are options from Garmin and others that might offer better value.
Ray from DC Rainmaker goes into more detail in his review, including more info on the new voice and speaker features:
This feature is *entirely* offline, and requires no connectivity to your phone or the internet. It’s designed to do basic tasks on the watch, via voice… It actually works quite well most of the time, but whether or not it’s useful depends on which task you’re trying to do. That’s foiled further by the fact that you have to physically long-hold the button.
Regarding the mic, he writes:
From a quality standpoint, this is basically the same as the Garmin Venu series, and is totally fine in a pinch. Just as with other watch-based microphones, it’s not ideal for a long call requiring very high quality, but if you need to make it work, you can.
In terms of heart rate and GPS accuracy, Abby Ferguson from Pocket Lint writes:
In terms of sensors, nothing has changed in the Fenix 8 compared to the Fenix 7 Pro. It uses the same optical heart rate sensor and the same GPS components and multi-band design, resulting in highly accurate data in a wide range of circumstances. The heart rate measurements from the Fenix 8 consistently matched my chest straps (from Wahoo and Garmin) and my arm-based strap from Coros. There were some barely off numbers during portions of gravel bike rides, but that’s to be expected due to vibrations and the position of my wrist while on a bike.
And of course, one of the biggest upgrades for the Fenix 8 is the optional AMOLED display, as detailed by Matt Kollat at T3:
A significant upgrade in the Fenix 8 is the AMOLED display, which is available alongside the traditional MIP (memory-in-pixel) display that was standard in the Fenix 7 Pro. The AMOLED version provides much brighter and more vibrant visuals, with improved contrast and visibility, even in direct sunlight. This enhancement is particularly noticeable in day-to-day use and for viewing maps and workout data.
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