Garmin Fenix 8: Almost the perfect sports watch

Garmin has long been one of the best brands in sports watches, and arguably one of the most prominent, with a range of models that appeal to different users from children to serious runners. The Fenix series, considered the company’s flagship, was recently updated with the Fenix 8, which is now available in Israel. We’ve been on a long journey, literally and figuratively.

Design and Appearance

With its 47 mm diameter, sapphire crystal glass and solid titanium body with black polymer backing, there’s no need to confuse the Fenix 8. It looks like a sturdy, slightly bulky watch reminiscent of Casio’s G-Shock series. The small screws on the sides are exposed, and the round, color AMOLED touchscreen is surrounded by protrusions that even have a built-in LED flashlight on the front to illuminate dark areas. The overall look is that of a rugged sports or dive watch designed to withstand harsh conditions, and it delivers: water resistance to 100 meters, 10 atmospheres (40 meters for dive support) and more.

In terms of interface, the Fenix 8 has no less than five physical buttons (three on the left, two on the right), and you can operate the watch directly from the touchscreen or by short and long presses on the buttons. The right side also has a port for connecting fitness accessories such as a heart rate strap. We said this was a serious sports watch, right?

In this seriousness, you’ll also find a solid heart rate sensor array on the back, which includes at least six sensors (four in the back and two on the sides) and a charging port. The look is completed with a black and gray silicone sports band with a quick-release mechanism.

Operation and Daily Use

The Fenix 8’s interface may seem a bit complicated for those unfamiliar with Garmin watches. It looks like other smartwatches but has a few differences. First of all, the keys work with short and long presses. The left buttons are used to navigate menus and perform actions on the home screen, while the right buttons function to navigate forward/backward or confirm/cancel. This creates a somewhat cluttered interface and I found myself pressing different buttons mid-workout to find the right button to end the session. However, the long press function can be customized.

In this regard, the touch screen interface is clearer than key operation, although the keys are comfortable. Another feature that’s a little confusing is “Glances,” which, unlike phone notifications, is a quick-access information menu with editable items and folders. Until this model, Garmin was lagging behind in the “smartwatch” field compared to other market players and focused more on dedicated sports watches (as mentioned later). But this has been fixed and the Fenix 8 now syncs perfectly with app notifications from your phone, with the option to customize which alerts you want to receive and even reply to messages. So that’s a plus.

However, the Glances feature is a bit complicated and is based on folders. On the one hand, health, stocks, training, etc. Provides an overview of the. On the other hand, it’s a bit too complex and could have been created as a single layer rather than a folder tree.

Garmin Fenix 8 (credit: Niv Lilian)

Despite the interface complexity and learning curve, Garmin is an enjoyable and fun smartwatch for daily use. You can answer and manage calls directly from the watch thanks to the surprisingly clear built-in speaker (a feature not available before), and it also includes Garmin’s basic native assistant, as well as the ability to activate your phone’s assistant. The Fenix 8 provides just about every type of information you can think of, from detailed maps (including dual GPS support) and altimeter to stock information, moon phases, and fishing forecasts (as detailed in the sports section).

With all these features, Fenix 8 is an excellent smartwatch. And I almost forgot; It also allows you to upload music directly to the watch by downloading it via Spotify or by transferring MP3 files from your computer if you still have it, and it even supports Garmin Pay, the wireless payment service launched by Garmin. Long before Apple or Google Pay in Israel.

Sports, Health and Sleep

Let’s move on to the strengths of the Fenix 8 as a sports watch. The Fenix 8 is built primarily for athletes, and it shows. Garmin’s measurement system is one of the best on the market and, in my personal experience, is even more accurate than other watches. Fenix 8 offers almost every health measurement, including ECG, which is currently inactive but will be available in the future (pending approval from the Ministry of Health). What does it offer now? Almost everything: skin temperature, heart rate, steps, breathing, sleep, blood oxygen saturation, stair climbing, heart rate variability (HRV) in sleep and during activity, including continuous measurement, stress indicators (already available in other watches, but Garmin was one of the first to introduce this and the “body battery,” which is a combination of metrics that show your overall energy level throughout the day.

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In terms of workouts, Garmin provides all the tools you need for almost any type of physical activity, from running metrics (including steps, pace, race planning, etc.) to creating personalized workouts for Pilates and strength training. – track guiding, archery, boxing, martial arts, rock climbing, hunting, horseback riding, navigation (including off-piste navigation!) and more – including water sports like competitive swimming, SCUBA diving (via a dedicated Garmin Dive app), sailing , tide forecasts for planning, sailing and even fishing forecasts for those interested in fishing.

However, despite all this variety of sports activities, there is a noticeable absence: dance. While watches like Amazfit support a variety of dance styles, such as modern or ballet, Garmin requires you to purchase an external app from its store to track these activities, which is a bit of a drawback. Other than that, the Fenix 8 is one of the most comprehensive and smart sports watches we’ve come across, perhaps the most detailed.

Garmin Fenix 8 (credit: Niv Lilian)

Battery Life

Considering that the Fenix 8 has a high-brightness full-color touchscreen, battery life is impressive, even surprising. Thanks to screen dimming when inactive and presumably smart battery management, the Fenix 8 offers outstanding battery life for a smartwatch, lasting up to two weeks between charges; This is impressive. With heavy usage and no screen dimming, you’ll need to charge it once a week, which is still pretty convenient.

However, the Fenix 8 charges with a traditional charging port, not wireless or magnetic charging. It’s unclear why Garmin is sticking with its own dedicated charging port, but that’s their choice.

Solution

Ultimately, we must address the elephant in the room, or more accurately, the elephant in your wallet: price. The Fenix 8 is not a cheap watch, to say the least. You pay a premium for its titanium body, premium materials, high-quality screen and advanced technology. The price of the Fenix 8 starts from NIS 4,500 for the 43mm version (depending on model and diameter). This is equivalent to the tested model’s international price, which starts at $1,100; It starts at $1,000. That’s a lot of money for a smartwatch, especially when you can buy a high-end smartphone for the same price or two Samsung Ultra watches for comparison.

But if you’re a serious athlete, the Fenix 8 will meet all your needs and more; However, you will need to open your savings account. On the other hand, such a watch is an investment that will last for many years (Garmin promises software updates for many years). So, for those looking for a smartwatch with a wide range of features, exceptional durability in harsh conditions including deep water dives, and a professional sports watch that meets all the needs and plans of serious athletes, the Fenix 8 is there for you.

Recommended Price for Tested Model: NIS 4,599

Design and Appearance

Operation and Daily Use

Sports, Health and Sleep

Battery Life

Solution

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