Hands-on with the new Garmin fenix 8 smartwatch – An athlete’s ultimate companion
Garmin has unveiled its new fenix 8 smartwatches, which feature extensive upgrades and improvements over the previous generation.
These flagship smartwatches offer advanced strength training, sports apps, 24/7 health monitoring, dynamic round-trip routing, and an improved battery life.
This is complemented by AMOLED or solar charging variations, options for a titanium bezel and scratch-resistant sapphire lens, and a range of sizes: 43mm, 47mm, and 51mm.
This ensures the fenix 8 smartwatches cater to every type of user.
Garmin sent us the 47mm AMOLED fenix 8 for review, and we spent several days testing the rugged smartwatch in various scenarios.
Watch our review below:
Exciting new features
The fenix 8 offers a bright AMOLED touchscreen display or an always-on display with a solar charging lens – available in 47mm and 51mm sizes.
The AMOLED display, which we tested, is ideal for users who want the brightest possible screen – whereas the solar charging display is the better option for those who prioritise battery life, as it extends the 16-day battery life to an incredible 28 days.
This display is the centrepiece of a rugged, stylish design that also includes an LED flashlight and a new sensor guard, which Garmin added to protect critical sensors.
When combined with an overall robust build quality, it ensures the fenix 8 meets U.S. military standards for thermal, shock, and water resistance up to 40m.
The sensor guard also protects another exciting new addition to the smartwatch – a microphone.
Working alongside a built-in speaker, you can now make and take calls, record voice note reminders, and use smart voice controls all from the watch.
This includes voice commands like “start a strength training activity,” “set a timer for 5 minutes,” “save waypoint,” and more – even without a smartphone connection.
Training and workouts
Garmin has also improved the software capabilities of the fenix 8 – focusing on the fitness features.
Advanced strength training plans and sport-specific workouts for athletes of all types have been added, alongside 4–6-week courses that help you elevate your performance and meet personal goals.
Throughout your training, Garmin status reports will then help you determine how strained or productive you are in your training regime – while a training readiness score based on your sleep quality, recovery, and training load is ideal for determining how hard to train in your next session.
The fenix 8 will suggest daily workouts based on your previous exercise performance, too.
Another standout feature of the smartwatch is Garmin Coach, which provides you with adaptive training plans to help you prepare for your next race or milestone.
Health and wellness
The Garmin fenix 8’s extensive health features do not stop there, and the new smartwatch is equally well equipped to handle your day-to-day health.
This includes sleep tracking and your heart rate variability (HRV) status, which provide you with a better understanding of your overall health.
Additional built-in health features are:
- Wrist-based heart rate – constant heart rate monitoring.
- Pulse ox sensor – blood oxygen saturation tracking.
- Sleep coach – tracks sleep stages and helps to improve sleep quality.
- Nap detection – track how naps benefit your body.
- Body battery monitoring – track your energy levels.
- Stress tracking – see how calm or stressed you are.
- Respiration tracking – tracks breaths per minute and provides breathwork exercises.
Stay connected
A key upgrade to the fenix 8 is its advanced mapping and navigation.
A new map interface makes it easy to customise layers, while you can view terrain contours using TopoActive maps and access preloaded maps for thousands of golf courses.
Dynamic round-trip routing then lets you specify the distance you want to walk, and your watch will automatically generate suggested routes.
You can also receive suggested routes to manually-entered points while exploring, and your fenix 8 will provide you with turn-by-turn directions throughout this custom route.
Your maps and routes can then be managed through the Garmin Connect smartphone app – alongside your workout plans, exercises, apps, watch faces, Garmin Pay, and much more.
With unrivalled fitness features, a stylish design, and robust build quality, the Garmin fenix 8 is the ultimate multisport smartwatch in South Africa.
Click here to learn more about the Garmin fenix 8.
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