If you’re unsure whether to purchase last year’s Apple Watch Ultra 2 at a great discount now or wait a few weeks for the anticipated release of the improved Apple Watch Ultra 3, it might be worth taking a moment to consider the exciting new Garmin Fenix 8 as well. Marketed as the “ultimate GPS smartwatch,” it comes in three different sizes, two of which offer solar charging as an optional feature. Its durable design, comprehensive health and activity tracking capabilities, and exceptional battery life appear to be unmatched today, tomorrow, and even two weeks from yesterday.
Which Fenix 8 variant is suitable for you?
If you’re familiar with the Fenix 7 lineup, which can be confusing with its Pro, S, S Pro, X, and X Pro models, you’ll likely notice that every member of the new Garmin Fenix 8 family is simply called the Fenix 8. There are 43mm, 47mm, and 51mm versions of the Fenix 8, priced at $1000, $1100, and $1200, respectively.
Additionally, there are 47mm and 51mm models equipped with solar charging, which are priced at $1100 and $1200, respectively. You might wonder why there’s no extra charge for the optional solar charging feature. The answer is straightforward: the three variants without this important battery-saving feature come with sharp and bright AMOLED touchscreens instead.
Despite featuring an AMOLED display, the Fenix 8 impressively boasts a battery life of up to a remarkable 29 days between charges for the 51mm version, while offering 10 and 16 days of battery life for the 43mm and 47mm cases, respectively.
As you might expect, the Fenix 8 Solar takes these figures even further, claiming to last as long as 28 days and 48 days (!!!) in the 47mm and 51mm sizes, respectively.
In terms of durability, the Fenix 8 series excels with its robust construction, which includes not only a titanium bezel that rivals those of Garmin competitors but also a scratch-resistant sapphire lens, “leakproof” buttons, a metal sensor guard cover, and all the necessary certifications to ensure exceptional thermal, shock, and water resistance.
Beyond everyday activities like running, hiking, swimming, skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, and other typical workouts—both indoors and outdoors—the Fenix 8 is also well-suited for recreational diving, marking yet another significant upgrade over the already comprehensive Fenix 7 series.
The device features ECG monitoring technology right out of the box, along with a built-in speaker, microphone, and LED flashlight, adding an extra layer of versatility.
The brand-new AMOLED display boasts an impressive resolution of up to 454 x 454 pixels and includes an optional always-on mode, which will, of course, drain your battery more quickly. As for availability in the US, your wait time will vary significantly based on the model you choose.
For example, the 47mm Fenix 8 AMOLED can ship within just one to three business days from Garmin’s official online store at the time of this writing, whereas the Fenix 8 Solar variants may take anywhere from five to eight weeks to arrive if you place an order immediately.
Hold on, what about the Garmin Fenix E?
That’s correct; there’s also a budget-friendly new Fenix available for the same price of $799.99 as the cutting-edge Apple Watch Ultra 2. The Fenix E is relatively basic compared to the Fenix 8, lacking several features of its “cousin,” including its dive rating, titanium bezel, sensor guard, flashlight capabilities, solar charging, and ECG technology.
While this may seem like a significant number of compromises for a lower price of $200 to $300, the Garmin Fenix E does offer a sizable 47mm case (and only a 47mm case), a high-quality AMOLED display, military-grade durability against shocks, extreme temperatures, and water immersion. Perhaps most notably, it boasts an impressive battery life of up to 16 days.
This is a feat that Apple and Samsung are unlikely to match anytime soon with their rugged smartwatches featuring AMOLED displays. Therefore, if you can’t afford any of the previously mentioned Fenix 8 models, you might as well order the Fenix E today and (hopefully) expect to receive it in three to four weeks.
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