There used to be a clear distinction between smart watches and multi-sport watches. On the one hand, there’s the Apple Watch, Fitbit and Galaxy Watch, which have sleek screens, voice assistants and third-party apps. On the other hand, you have Garmin, which A rugged watch, killer tracking features, and great battery life.
In the past few years, the line has become even more blurred. this Apple Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch Ultra A few pages from the Garmin manual. Now, Garmin is fighting back with the $999.99 Fenix 8. If competitors want to add fitness features, Garmin will just make the Fenix 8 smarter.
The main new additions to the Fenix 8 are the speakers and microphone. This means you can now interact with your watch in more ways than just fitness tracking and training. You can take calls from your wrist, use the on-device voice assistant to set timers and start activities, and connect to your phone’s built-in assistant for more complex queries. If you can convince your loved ones to download the new Garmin Messenger app, replying to messages on your wrist will also become easier.
In theory, these are great updates. In practice, this means that the Fenix 8 doesn’t take advantage of the Garmin’s strengths.
a bit smart
Fenix 8 is the leader in Garmin’s extensive line of smartwatches. While it’s not as chunky as older Fenix models, it’s not meant to be a stylish lifestyle watch like the Venu series, nor is it a sporty, lightweight option like the Forerunner. Its design is very solemn. It’s the go-to choice for professional athletes who want everything Garmin has to offer – which is why Garmin has packed the Fenix 8 with so many smart features.
Most of the “smart” updates are ground zero, adding microphones and speakers, namely voice assistants and wrist calls. But there’s one big factor holding back the Fenix 8’s smart features: the lack of LTE.
Yes, you can make and receive calls with Fenix 8 as long as your phone is within Bluetooth range. Yes, you can talk to a voice assistant… but it’s limited unless your phone is nearby. Yes, you can text back, but… you get my drift. If you own a cellular Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch, or Pixel Watch, you can leave your phone at home. The Fenix 8 really doesn’t have that option.
The friction is especially noticeable with on-device voice assistants. The assistant works well, but it’s mostly limited to commands that don’t require an internet connection. You can start an activity, set timers, and adjust settings. (It can tell you the weather if it’s loaded with the day’s weather via Wi-Fi or… your phone via Bluetooth.) But let’s say you want to send a text message. This nameless assistant can’t do that. Instead, you have to scroll to different menus and launch your phone’s assistant. It’s nice to have this option, but at that point, you’ll probably still be pulling out your phone.
Part of the problem is that Garmin has always been staunchly platform-agnostic. I happen to think this is a good thing, but the price you pay is that your watch will never work seamlessly with your phone. For example, you can now dictate voice memos, which is nice, but their usefulness is limited because there’s no easy way to get them leave your wrist and connect to another device. This is related to Pixel Watch 3I can record something there, and then, it magically appears on my Pixel 8 Pro.
Another prime example is the new Garmin Messenger. Ostensibly, this is to help iOS Garmin users more easily respond to messages on their wrist. (Android users have always been able to reply to text messages quickly, but Apple gon’ Apple.) Good luck convincing friends and family to download other Chat app so you can reply to messages on Fenix 8! I pulled a friend into it. It works, but is a bit cumbersome to use: You can’t dictate messages, and the preset replies are limited. For some reason, Garmin thought it would be a good idea to bring back the T9 keyboard. At the end of the test, I asked my friend if she had used the Garmin Messenger app to contact me. Her words were: “Only do this if necessary.” followed by “Also, can I delete the app now?”
One of the awkward issues with this kind of smart functionality could be solved with the Hive option—and it would also enhance Garmin’s existing security tools. But there’s a reason most third-party smartwatch manufacturers don’t offer LTE options: Dealing with carriers is a pain. Fossil took a long time to offer an LTE option, and even then, it only managed one carrier before exiting smartwatches entirely. Garmin offers LTE options for its Forerunner 945 watch and Bounce kids tracker, but these require Standalone Garmin subscription And it’s limited to safety features.
Blessings and Strengthening
I’ve often criticized Garmin for making too many smartwatches. Thankfully, Fenix 8 makes advanced things easier by combining the Fenix and Epix series.
this Second generation EpixLaunching in 2022, it’s essentially a Fenix with an OLED display. The problem was that Garmin had two very similar premium watches at the time. The main difference is the memory-in-pixel (MIP) display on the Fenix and the OLED display on the Epix Pro. The MIP version has better battery life, while the OLED version offers much better indoor visibility. It’s a clear choice for super athletes, but confusing for others.
Now you can choose between MIP or OLED Fenix 8.
MIP Fenix 8 is only available in 47mm and 51mm sizes. On principle, I’m annoyed by athletes with smaller wrists who want a MIP display. But the reality is that the battery power of the MIP display is not as impressive on smaller watches. Last year I had 9 to 11 days 42mm Phoenix 7S Pro. This year, I used the OLED 43mm Fenix 8 for eight to nine days with the always-on display turned off. (When turned on, the time is reduced to about four days.) I still think you should give people this option, but I also understand why Garmin doesn’t do it. Anyway, I tested OLED and if you want good indoor visibility, this is what I recommend. If you hike in strong, direct sunlight, the MIP is the way to go.
Even with this controversy, integration with Fenix 8 is a refreshing and welcome change. I’m glad to see Garmin streamline some of its other smartwatch lines. I don’t know if it will, since Garmin rarely passes up an opportunity to do more, but one can hope.
No one likes price increases
it’s a shame. Despite its upgrades, the Fenix 8 simply does a better job as a smartwatch. it’s still an excellent train The watch’s battery life far exceeds that of Apple and Samsung’s Ultras. But I simply don’t believe anyone would give up either of those and choose the Fenix just because they can now interact with a voice assistant or make calls from their wrist.
Everyone I meet who wears a Fenix watch is a triathlete, ultramarathoner, or someone who accidentally qualified for the Boston Marathon with a time of under three hours. These people choose products like Fenix because they want a tracker with long battery life, excellent GPS accuracy, in-depth training plans, and route maps. Those ones These are features that people would turn away from Apple or Samsung, but the Fenix 8 doesn’t offer major upgrades to them.
To make matters worse, I almost choked when I saw the Fenix 8 start The price is a full $350 more than the Fenix 7. For $999, you can buy a laptop. Hell, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 costs $800 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra costs $650. And those Do Equipped with LTE. If you are determined to buy a Garmin, there is indeed dozens Cheaper option. (May I suggest $450? Forerunner 265 or discounted Phoenix 7 Pro or Epix Pro?
This is frustrating because Garmin is doing the right thing by beefing up its smart features. There isn’t a lot to improve on when it comes to fitness, so it makes sense to make its watch more useful outside of training. It’s clear that Garmin has some catching up to do, and progress won’t happen overnight. The Fenix 8 may be on the right track, but it doesn’t quite nail down pricing or execution.
