Transcription
Hey people, welcome to the run testers and to our review of the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro AMOLED, which is a pretty significant update over the Fenix 8 with new LTE and satellite messaging, a brighter AMOLED screen, a chunkier case, and some ups and downs on the battery life. Myself and Nick have been busy testing this to find out if that all adds up to a better Fenix and warrants what is a pretty hefty price tag. So, let's get into it in our Fenix 8 Pro review.
Let's run you through the main Fenix 8 Pro details then. Starting with the models. And the Fenix 8 Pro comes in AMOLED and microlled models. The AMOLED Pro offers 47 mil and 51 mil sizes. The new Microlled is only available in the largest 51 mil case size. It's worth noting that there is no memory and pixel solar model. This is AMOLED all the way now for the Fenix 8 Pro. And from here on out in this video, we are going to be talking just about the details relating to the AMOLED 51 mil model. If you want more info on the Microlled, there is a video on the channel that Mike's done um that looks closer at that model. So, go and check that one out.
So, the Fenix 8 Pro sticks with a 1.4 in touchscreen at the same 454x454 resolution. It comes in two finishes. There is a titanium and a carbon gray. The materials remain premium with a titanium bezel, sapphire lens. The Fenix 8 was a chunky watch, but the Fenix 8 Pro is thicker. It's up from 14.7 ms to 16.5 ms. The 8 Pro is actually though a couple of grams lighter at 90 g. The Titanium Fenix was 92 g. Not a huge amount, but it is a slightly lighter. Some other specs that remain the same are the 100 meters water rating and the 32 gig storage.
Now, when it comes to run tracking, training insights, and things like navigation, there's Garmin's most comprehensive suite of tools and features that you'll find. All the usual stuff is covered from kind of pacing to training progress. The run tracking is pretty much as you were from the Fenix 8. There is pretty much everything you need here to train and race for most distances.
The headline updates, though, are mainly built around the added subscription-based LTE and satellite connectivity tools, which now allow you to make calls, send voice messages, and text messages, view weather, and send emergency SOS messages when you're without your phone or even off-rid. Though, you will need to buy an add-on package through Garmin to access those. Those start at £799 or £799 per month, and there is a 30-day free trial available, so you can have a play around. There's also now a louder speaker to make it easier to use the new voice tools that those unlock.
The battery life has improved in some areas. It's dropped off in others over the Fenix 8 AMOLED on paper. This one now the Promises more general use with the always on display mode. You're going to get 15 days compared to the Fenix 8's 13 days. Though there is a drop in the max accuracy GPS mode for the 51 mil Fenix 8 Pro. That drops from 62 hours to 53 hours.
Finally, on prices, a jump across the board, and I'm going to put those prices up now because I refuse to say all of Garmin's 1199 prices. You can check them out coming on screen now.
So, when it comes to my likes with the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, I might as well start with the main new feature on the watch, which for me is the satellite connectivity. I've had this running for all my runs really. I have an automatic live track set up, so every time I start a run, I get an email and my wife gets an email so she can see where I am. And most of the time there's no real use to this apart from maybe checking if I'm going to be back on time. But during the Loch Ness Marathon, I did have the live track running and my wife's able to use that to track my progress in the race. You get some quite useful information from the live track information like your current split pace and heart rate. And obviously there are a lot of far more important use case scenarios for the satellite connectivity. If you are someone who regularly heads into the wilderness, that kind of thing, you have now got a pretty long-lasting watch with extra connectivity, something that we've been wanting to see in the Garmin Fenix line for a while. And it's now there. And I think that is the main and only real significant reason I'd look at the Fenix 8 Pro over the standard Fenix 8. That's because otherwise you have got a very similar all round experience to the Fenix 8. The screen is a little bit brighter. It's more in line with the screens on things like the 4 on a 970. But the Fenix 8 also has a very bright AMOLED display. I wouldn't say it's an upgrade that would be important enough for me to look at the Fenix 8 Pro over the Fenix 8. You have got the same fantastic all round sports tracking and general use experience with the Fenix 8 Pro that you have with the Fenix 8.
The GPS accuracy is top-notch. I've not really seen any kind of problems with it throughout all the testing I've done with the Fenix 8 Pro. The dualband GPS is very accurate. If you look at the less battery intensive modes, they're also, you know, pretty accurate as well. The heart rate tracking has also been very good for me. I've not really seen any significant errors throughout testing when I haven't been using a chest strap on the watch. That's despite the fact, you know, it is a big heavy watch. This Garmin Elevate V5 sensor has always been very accurate for me in other devices and that remains the case with the Fenix 8 Pro. So, you're getting a top-notch tracking experience. Obviously, incredibly detailed training analysis as well with all the latest Garmin stuff on there like the running economy estimates, the running tolerance stuff, and then the best-in-class navigation tools you get on Garmin watches with their rootable maps. You can create roots on the fly. You can reroute during the course of an activity if you go wrong or decide to take a different path. Like, this is all stuff that's been around on the best Gins for a little while. And the Fenix 8 obviously has all of that as the flagship watch in the range. And it's all excellent. It's it's a unrivaled, I would say, tracking, training analysis, and navigation experience. That's what you get with the best gum watches and that's what you get with the Fenix 8 Pro.
Battery life is also still pretty good despite the fact you have got this brighter display. The watch is doing all this stuff. Even with live track enabled for all my runs, you know, it's lasting kind of four or five days easily on a charge. And it's very easy to extend that by not having live track running on all my runs. So my likes are all the kind of classic Garmin things. You're getting a very smooth and impressive experience in a pretty nice looking watch that now has the added benefit of satellite connectivity.
So, in testing, I've had the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro 51 mil AMOLED on my wrist for closing in on a month. I've tested the GPS, battery life, and heart rate up against a bunch of devices, including the Garmin HRM600 chest strap, the Fenix 8 51 mil AMOLED as well, and some other watches, Apple Watch Ultra 3. I also used this for the Chester Marathon recently, so I've done a good range of testing here. So, let's kick off with some things that I think the Fenix 8 Pro does well. I've put the new satellite and LTE phone free messaging and voice calls safer communications features into the positives here because if you regularly venture off grid, these definitely add a lot of firepower to your watch. They're not perfect. The setup is a bit of a faf. Multiple apps to use. There's various hoops to jump through before you get going. Ideally, that whole process might be a bit simpler, but you only have to wrestle with it once. Once you're done, you're all good. There is a bit of, you know, information to digest as well in terms of the overall packages and the pricing. So, a bit to navigate there um in and out those kind of subs costs and the setups, but you will only have to do these once. The fact there is a subs cost will mean that you're only going to bother with these extras if you generally have the need for added safety. This isn't about really turning your Garmin into a daily communication tool. You're going to use it for safety check-ins and times when you're really heading off grid. I like the fact there's a free trial and once you're up and running, using the messenger and voice tools is pretty easy. It's easy to navigate to whether you're midworkout or not. That's obviously quite essential if you're going to use safety tools when you know something bad might have happened. Uh for texting, there's a bunch of canned messages that you can get. You can create your own stock messages as well. Sending a voice message to someone who isn't on Garmin Messenger will deliver them a link to download the app. Likewise, you can only make calls to those who have the Messenger app installed. So, at the moment, I kind of see this more as a safety tool for sort of checking in with crew or family or, you know, sending those sort of I'm still alive updates rather than sort your regular daily communications. It's not unthinkable though that a handful of your family or crew would load up Messenger if you're embarking on something that requires this kind of backup and use that tool for it.
Back in 2022, I ran the Danube River, which was like 1,600 miles, I think, no, maybe more than that. Anyway, I ran the it was a long way across Europe. I ran largely solo. I actually took an InReach mini um com's device to do the live tracking to send a message each morning that I'd started and a message each day when I'd finished with a backup SOS as well in there. And I like the fact that I could do all of that now from my watch rather than carry extra kit. Doesn't work exactly the same as those, but it for some situations it will replace it. The fact it will work cross borders is also a big tick. It's a shame that Garmin though didn't leave the emergency SOS as a free tool like it is on the Apple Watch rather than have that as part of the subs package. But I wonder if that's maybe driven by a technical reason more than it is about the um about making money out of people.
Then there's the screen here which is notably brighter than the Fenix 8. It's brilliantly vibrant, sharp, and colorful. There's ample room for all your stats. It's great for mapping and navigation. And that's something Garmin definitely does best of all the brands. I don't think though I would buy it over the Fenix 8 just for the screen, but it's excellent nonetheless. Another thing I think I've noticed, the buttons on the Fenix 8 Pro I think feel quicker, better, they're easier to use than on my Fenix 8. They can be a bit stiff on the Fenix 8. I also think the Fenix 8 Pro moves between screens faster. Now, despite the fact that you're trading some battery life for that bright screen, I still think this goes in the thumbs up for me. For an AMOLED, the Fenix 8 Pro still has excellent staying power. Maybe not for the most demanding multi-day adventures, but if you're thinking sort of general use and training, it's still great.
In one of my tests, I took the Fenix 8 Pro and the Fenix 8 off charge at the same time, put them in the same settings with screen full on full brightness, the always on switched on, and then I did a bunch of runs. Overall, the Fenix 8 Pro lasted 9 days with around 8 and a half hours GPS workouts. When the Pro died, the Fenix 8 was still on 14%. For a 1-hour run in max accuracy mode, the Fenix 8 Pro burned 2%. The Fenix 8 in the same settings burned 1%. So, there's a big discrepancy here in terms of the battery life, but the Fenix 8 Pro still goes long. If you drop the Fenix 8 Pro into GPS only, a 1 hour run burned just over 1%. During the Chester marathon with the settings maxed, the Fenix 8 Pro burned just 8% and it was still on 80% a day and a half after I took it off charge. And then looking at the overnight burn for the Fenix 8 Pro, that was the same as the Fenix 8 at around 2%. And that is about as good as it gets for, you know, keeping the battery overnight. Then over a 24-h hour period with three and a half hours GPS runtime, the Fenix 8 Pro burned 15% while the Fenix 8 burned 11%.
Then moving on to accuracy, which I put in the pros column as well. I found it solid starting with the optical heart rate and I mixed up my easy runs with intervals. I did some stop start city runs. I found the optical performance pretty standard. Uh here's one run where you can see that the Fenix 8 Pro and the Fenix 8 have some wobbles against the chest strap but hit the averages closely. Then onto another easy five mileer. And it's a kind of similar story here. The heart rate averages match the chest strap pretty close. But both the Fenix 8 and the Fenix 8 Pro also have little wobbles throughout, although the Fenix 8 Pro has fewer of them. So overall, I'd say this is pretty standard optical performance that you're going to get here.
Onto GPS and the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro and the Fenix 8 were almost identical on distances in max accuracy mode, as was the 4970. And when I switched to GPS only on the Fenix 8 Pro, it still came within an acceptable margin for error versus the Fenix 8 and the 4970. While I had both of those in max accuracy mode during the Chester marathon, the Fenix 8 Pro impressed hitting the mile markers almost spot on every time. The real-time pacing was nicely reliable and the overall distances came in at 26.26 for the Fenix 8 Pro. So, that's a pretty good race performance. On the GPS tracks, there was some deviation. The Pro 8 didn't nail me 100% to the course, but in practice, that had no impact for my real-time performance and how it worked in the moment.
Dislikes of the Fenix 8 Pro. Again, I'll start with the main change from the Fenix 8, which is that the case is just a bit bigger and heavier. And it is notable actually compared to the Fenix 8. Like the 47mm Fenix 8 I wore for a long time as my main watch and feels significantly thinner than the Fenix 8 Pro on the wrist. You know, it's not that big a change, but this new watch does stick out a bit more and feels a bit bulkier on the wrist. And there's also no smaller option available in the range, which is a shame. Like if you are someone like me who has thin wrists or a woman who just wants a smaller watch on your wrist and wants those satellite features that Garmin is now offering in the Fenix 8 Pro, you can't really get it without going for quite a big and heavy watch.
And then the other notable change from the Fenix 8 is that the price is a bit higher and just the fact the Fenix 8 was already quite a big price hike. The Fenix 8 Pro is another price hike. Like it makes sense for it to be more expensive than the standard Fenix 8. It's got a couple of regular features, but price is getting very very high now for these Fenix models and far outstripping competitors from other brands really. A small dislike is the fact you don't get SOS messages for free on the watch. I think that is something that Garmin should look at changing. Other watches with satellite connectivity we've seen launched recently from Apple and Google have the SOS messaging as a free part of their satellite connectivity feature. You still have to pay for other things and I think Garmin could do the same. You could have those subscription plans for general messaging and the fact you have to pay for the SOS messages is out of step with other brands who've added this feature and I think it's something that Garmin could look at changing.
And then another small be that there isn't a memory and pixel watch in the range. like you haven't got the smaller models, you haven't got a memory and pixel watch. And for the Fenix line, which obviously is built for adventure, for getting out there and going through the great outdoors now with satellite features to make it an even more adventurous watch, I think there are people out there who would want a memory and pixel option that has longer battery life and solar charging, that kind of thing. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe that part of the market is now so small, it just isn't worth releasing a watch to cater to it. But hopefully Gin will have a memory and pixel watch coming with satellite connectivity. You'd hope, but maybe. I'm just out of step now. I prefer AMOLED watches myself, but I did think there was enough of a significant user base out there that still wanted memory and pixel watches, but and aren't getting that if they're looking at the Fenix 8 Pro.
So, let's move on to some of the things that you might like less. Starting with the Heft. This is a big old hench tracker. The Fenix 8 was already a beast, this one is even more so. Even though on paper it's actually a couple of grams lighter than the Fenix 851 mil AMOLED. This Fenix 8 Pro watch is thicker and it's that sort of there to enase all of the tech that it's got. And it does feel a bit bulkier on the wrist. As a result, I find that means that I often have to sort of tighten and loosen the strap a lot before and after workouts to keep the, you know, that big old case in place on my wrist and try and dial in everything for the good heart rate performance. And then if you forget to loosen them after the workout, you're kind of in line for some wrist pinch and some burn, which I did suffer a few times. I would definitely invest in a nylon strap that could really help with this. And there's quick release sort of straps to make that nice and easy to do.
Then there's the price, which you know, an already expensive watch is now even more so. Yes, this is a more powerful watch, but I wouldn't say the upgrades really add to the core running experience or the performance of the tracking. So, that price bump I think is a bit harder to swallow unless your runs and exploits put you in situations where that kind of LTE and satellite tools are going to provide some genuinely essential backup. If that's the case, the price may well be worth paying.
So, my verdict on the G Fenix 8 Pro, I think this is a small but potentially crucial update for lots of people on the Fenix 8. If you need that satellite connectivity, it's here now. People have been waiting for the feature for a long time, and you have to pay a little bit more to get it, but you know, it's there now. And obviously, I think people will want that because it can be a potentially life-saving feature or even just a useful one as I found when it was live tracking the Loch Ness Marathon. Other than that, I don't think there's really a reason to look at this watch over the standard Fenix 8, though. So, you've got a slightly brighter screen, but you know, it's not that much brighter, and it's offset by the fact you've got a bigger case here and a heavier case. And the Fenix 8 will hopefully start appearing in sales now. If you're not too fussed about those satellite features, I would go for the standard Fenix 8 for sure.
Fenix 8 is obviously still very expensive watch itself, but if you want an even cheaper option that has satellite connectivity, there is the new Apple Watch Ultra 3. Obviously, a fairly big trade-off in terms of battery life and things like training and navigation features that Apple doesn't have or doesn't have the same level that is available on the Fenix 8 Pro, but the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is now considerably cheaper than the top Phoenixes in the range, which feels quite surprising to say, but that's certainly the case. So, if that satellite feature is a key one for you, but you don't want to spend over, you know, £1,000, could look at the Apple Watch Ultra 3.
And there are certainly, you know, really good Gin alternatives down the line and you're not so worried about that satellite connectivity, the Foreigner 970, I think, is the best all round sports watch on the market. You're getting all the same sports tracking features and navigation features that you get on the Fenix 8 Pro in a much sleeker, lighter design that still has a sapphire display and a titanium bezel. So, it's pretty hardy. Still has a built-in flashlight. It doesn't have those satellite features, but it's a much more comfortable, enjoyable watch to wear dayto-day for a 970 because it is so much smaller and lighter on the wrist.
If you are someone who did want a memory and pixel display, there is still the Garmin Enduro 3 in the range which will offer better battery life, you know, fantastic sports features, you know, maps and all that. doesn't have the satellite features, but that would be your best option for a big adventure watch from Garmin with that memory and pixel display.
The main rivals from other brands are now quite a lot cheaper. Things like the Polar Gritex 2 Pro, the Chorus Vertex 2S, the new Sundto Vertical 2, they're all coming in a lot cheaper. They don't have the same level of features you get on Garmin watches. I would say the navigation tools aren't as good. The train analysis isn't extensive. The user interface on the Soon Polaro watches, I think, just isn't quite as good as you get on Garmin watches. I think you know there is a reason to upgrade to the Phoenix. It is a better watch and you have got that satellite connectivity which you don't get from those other watches but you can get very very impressive all round sports trackers with maps and everything you really need in a very rugged and hardy uh design for a lot less from the likes of Chorus and Sununto. So that would be something potentially to look at if you are starting to feel a bit overwhelmed by how much the price is rising for these top garments.
Verdict then and this is all good solid Phoenix stuff. It's well built. It's rugged. long battery life, even though it's dropped a bit to accommodate that kind of brighter screen. It's fully featured across all the training, racing, recovery, and daily health insights, as well as the full gamut of smartwatch smarts that you're going to get from Garmin. The mapping is better. The brighter screen is an improvement in terms of vibrancy. It's all rather lovely, but you're going to be trading some of the battery life for that. I'd say around 15% battery life in max accuracy GPS mode. It's probably down to personal preference as to whether or not you think that is a good trade, I think.
Then there's the thickness. It does make an already quite bulky watch a bit less wrist friendly. And there's no smaller kind of 43 mil option for this as well. The LTE satellite messenger tools tracking and safety extras here are exciting, but I'd say more so for people who might already reach for an inreach at times or those who are regularly traveling off grid for their runs or run without a phone and want some safety backup. Now, if I'd had this watch before the Danube run, I'd have been dead happy with it. And there are situations in the UK where I think that communications backup could be great to have, but we're kind of talking about sort of heading into the mountains or places where, you know, there's phone coverage black spots. So yeah, I think you're going to need to have those environments to to really make the value out of this kind of upgrade because then you get into the price and whether all of that that I've just described stacks up to 200 worth of extra firepower plus what you're going to have to pay to unlock those new SAT messenger tools, I think, you know, is questionable. I think you'd really have to be venturing into situations where that backup is a must-have safety net quite regularly or really have a strong preference to never run with your phone and want to be texting or calling during that run in order to make that happen. Oh, and and for those who you want to call to be willing to go on to Garmin Messenger as well, you know, there's a lot of hoops here that you've got to jump through to get the value out of those. Or maybe you just want the really brighter screen. you know, that's, you know, something. I I don't personally think it's worth upgrading for that.
So, from my testing with the Fenix 8 Pro, I think the Fenix 8 would still probably be my recommendation for most runners looking for one of Garmin's top tier watches. That's if you value battery life. And then, if you value battery life above all else, I think you might want to look at the sort of Fenix 8 Solar or even the Garmin Enduro instead of this Fenix 8 Pro. I also think in a lot of cases the 4 in a 970 has much of the firepower that most runners need to do most of the runs they'll want to do, but it comes in a sort of slightly cheaper, more wearable package.
So, there you have it. That has been our review of the new Fenix 8 Pro from Garmin. Hope you found it useful. Hit us up with some questions in the comments below if there's anything that we missed. There's quite a lot in this watch, so yeah, we couldn't cover everything in the video, but we will try and answer any questions you may have. If you're interested in other massive great big big battery AMOLED rugged running watches, we are going to have head-to-heads of this watch uh up against some others coming up on the channel soon. In the meantime, I'm going to pop a video up on the channel now. You should definitely go and watch. Otherwise, thank you very much again for stopping by and until next time, happy running.