We have been carrying Garmin’s indestructible solar-powered tactical Instinct watches for some time, but many of you have wanted more features and greater capability, and now, Garmin has delivered the Fenix 8 series of watches.
In addition to a higher resolution color screen that lets you see more performance data from the superior fitness sensors and built-in suggested training plans, the Fenix line also improves on the Instinct’s navigation features by including detailed maps with streets and topographic lines, and the ability to do dynamic turn-by-turn routing and offroad navigation between waypoints and points of interest.
But the Fenix 8 line is more than just the next step up from the Instinct 2 or an incremental upgrade from the Fenix 7. It is a consolidation of multiple standout features from many other Garmin watch families. It gains the vibrant AMOLED screen from the Epix line, the sophisticated dive computer and depth sensors from the Descent line, and the speaker, mic, and advanced smartwatch features from the Venu line.
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Wrist-based heart rate, advanced sleep monitoring, respiration tracking, Pulse Ox and more
Targeted strength training plans, real-time stamina tracking, sport-specific workouts and a full range of built-in sports apps
Custom watchfaces and apps from the ConnectIQ Store
Multi-GNSS support (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo)
3-axis compass, gyroscope and barometric altimeter
Music storage and playback
GarminPay and SmartNotifications
Thermal and shock-resistant to MIL-STD 810
Water Resistant to 100 meters
BATTERY LIFE
Fenix 8 Standard: 16 days of smartwatch mode, and 7 days with the AMOLED screen set to Always On Display. Constant GPS tracking gets you 47 hours, but Expedition mode can go for up to 17 days.
It really depends on how you plan on using the watch. The AMOLED screen gives you a lot more vibrant colors, a more responsive framerate, and way more pixels. However, it can be harder to read in direct sunlight, and the battery life won’t last as long, but with the right watch face it will look way better in the dark. If you plan on using the watch for health tracking, fitness reports, reading tiny map details, and running the ATAK plugin, the AMOLED screen will be worth it. However, if you plan on spending a lot of time outside and you don’t care about having a lower resolution display, the MIP screen will work better, and it will always be on. You’ll have to manually activate the backlight in the dark, but you’ll have better light discipline because of it.
How badly do I really need a flashlight on my watch?
It’s handy if you don’t have a flashlight in your pocket and you don’t want to use your phone’s flash. However, even though the Fenix E doesn’t have an LED flashlight, it does have a light mode that uses the AMOLED screen to glow white or red. In some situations, the dimmer light of the watch screen is more useful than the brighter watch-body flashlight. Even older MIP watches have a backlight that is pretty good for low-light navigation. At the cost of battery life, of course.
