fēnix® 8 Solar, Sapphire, 51mm, DLC Titanium, Black/Pebble Gray | Larger-Sized Premium Multisport Smartwatch, Solar Charging, GPS, Built-In Flashlight, Dive-Rated, Built-In Speakers & Mic

Coming back to Garmin feels like coming home. I started with a Fenix 5X, then switched to the Apple Watch Ultra primarily because of the ECG feature. While I really appreciated the smartwatch experience and health features, I eventually realized that, for the kind of activities I enjoy most, trail running and ultrarunning, the Fenix platform simply fits better. The first thing you notice is the battery life. With the Fenix 8 Solar, I don’t think about charging anymore. I just wear it and focus on the trail. Whether it’s a long training day, a 50K race, or a multi-day adventure, knowing the watch will simply keep going is incredibly liberating. I also rediscovered how much I prefer Garmin’s button-based interface. The touchscreen is there when I want it, but the physical buttons are what make the watch so dependable. Whether it’s raining, my hands are sweaty, or I’m wearing gloves, navigating the watch is effortless. During a race, not having to rely on the touchscreen makes a bigger difference than I remembered. The Fenix 8 Solar also feels incredibly rugged. It’s clearly built as an outdoor tool first and a smartwatch second, and that’s exactly what I was looking for. One of the reasons I chose the Solar version over both the AMOLED and the Fenix 8 Plus was the MIP display. For an endurance watch, I value weeks of battery life far more than a brighter, more vibrant screen or a few additional smartwatch features. The display remains perfectly readable outdoors, even under direct sunlight, and that’s where I spend most of my time. The Fenix 8 Plus certainly adds compelling features, especially LTE and deeper integration with Garmin’s safety ecosystem. However, those features are not very useful for me right now, since Garmin’s LTE service isn’t available in Brazil and Garmin inReach isn’t officially supported here either. Given those limitations, the Solar model offered a much better balance of features, battery life, and value for my needs. After spending time with both ecosystems, I can honestly say each has its strengths. The Apple Watch Ultra is an outstanding smartwatch with excellent health features. But if your priority is endurance sports, especially trail running and ultrarunning, the Fenix 8 Solar delivers a level of reliability, battery life, and usability that is hard to match. For me, this wasn’t just buying another sports watch. It was returning to the platform that best supports the way I train, race, and explore. I’m very happy to be back with Garmin.

Having previously owned a Garmin I'm familiar with their limitations and glitches when it comes to navigation. I would never rely on a watch or even a full fledged navigation device without a paper map backup. But then again I'm a bit of an old, old-school guy. Most of the navigation metrics are hit and miss and to be taken with a grain of salt, however the turn by turn directions have been a real convenience as long as there's a full GPS signal. I really wish Garmin had a decent mapping application so I could create custom routes without having to export from a functional mapping app. The routes get jumbled up sometimes in the transfer process. Garmin Connect and Explore maps are Micky Mouse navigation tools and I'm not sure why a company that makes such high quality devices can't match it with the same quality software. The sleep monitoring features are as useless as any other watch or ring (based on all the reviews I've seen). The flashlight is a great feature but the best thing about Garmin is their incredible battery life. I don't think the solar gain is worth the trouble and seems like mostly hype. The bigger factor with battery life by far is the watch face selection. No comments on the athletic training functions. As a builder I put this thing through more abuse than it deserves so it has a few scratches but not on the sapphire bezel where it matters. All in all it's a really reliable, fun and expensive toy with more bells and whistles than anyone could ever figure out, much less actually use. I would never rely on it in a life and death situation, but I think that statement is a redundancy.

The best smartwatch in almost every category. I use it mostly for tracking sleep, running, biking and golfing and so far it has blown me away. It is extremely accurate and with very heavy usage the battery lasts for weeks. Lots of different watch face options as well as bands available, I have on a titanium band. Insanely durable and just an all around amazing watch. I personally like the MIP display since it's always on and during the day I never need to use the light, the display is plenty bright enough. On the wrist it has a very premium look with the sapphire lens and titanium bezel. Size wise It's definitely on the bigger side of watches at 51mm but with that you also get the bigger battery. It's not too heavy tho, I think it feels just right. Very easy to learn how to use, either coming from an Apple watch or something else the software is very user friendly. It's pretty pricey at around $1,199 but I believe it is well worth the investment if you are someone who takes your health and well being seriously.

Really like the larger face when using it for golf. Paired with the Garmin Z30 range finder and the Garmin Connect App this system is the perfect Golf Caddie. Used together it automatically triangulates your distance, factors wind, elevation/slope etc and gives you the Plays Like Distance, and it will recommend a club. I haven't purchased the club sensors, but I will, because they will track and learn your distances and make precise club selections according to the conditions. It's truly amazing! The local wind conditions, including the direction is super handy, especially in the hills and forests where wind direction can't be easily determined. When playing Cart Path Only, you can shoot the Z30 laser at the pin, it locks in the precise distance and then you can leave the range finder in your cart, as it will track you with GPS and auto adjust to the pin precisely. Lastly, the Find My Range Finder, and Find my Phone features make it worth every penny! I lost a $600.00 range finder on the golf course, that won't ever happen again.

We purchased this watch for our son's 24th birthday. He is not into materialistic goods in life, but does appreciate great technology. He has only had $5-30 cheap and often knock-off watches in his entire life and I wanted to get him a watch that he would use to the fullest. The watch is amazing with useful features and features that are most certainly overkills. Extremely low battery consumption, solar charging, health/exercise monitoring (almost like a helicopter parent), flashlight, GPS, and tons of other features seem to have already won him over. The reliability, waterproof built, and over-the-air updates will also be great for extended use. We hope that he might be inspired to perspire a bit more in his life toward a fitter and healthier physique and lifestyle (we are a disgrace to any outdoor activity through generations). I have been told that the watch can be useful if he/his group gets lost while hiking in remote areas. It is an extremely expensive watch (we could have bought ~40-50 knock-off 'smart' watches for this price) and he is still a bit uncomfortable to wear it. Otherwise, it is an awesome piece of technology.

This watch is awesome, I love the med info, the tracker ability. ab9out my only issue is with the band and I'm changing that soon.

***1 Year Update*** Great watch but 51mm is SLIGHTLY TOO BIG Im a big guy at 6'1 220lb athletic build and it felt big - so I absolutely loved the watch itself however, it felt like I was wearing a little blocky computer on my wrist - ended up returning and going for the 47mm solar, which is an absolutely perfect size & fit. I didn't think that a few millimeters would make that big of a difference, but honestly, it does. Coming from an Instinct 2X Tactical Solar I already knew I wanted MIP display instead of OLED due to better battery life, less of a phone-screen-on-my-wrist vibe... This has every bell and whistle I could ever want, I actually avoid using it like a true smartwatch ie. Turned off phone notifications and nagging etc and utilize it for logging fitness activity, weather updates for work, gps & maps for hunting/atv trails/hiking, snowboarding runs and all things lifestyle... This has become more of a tool to log my overall well-being and keep improving.

Many many functions, not sure I will ever cover and use all of them :-)

Excelente producto si te gusta cualquier deporte al aire libre, lo compré porque jubilé mi Fénix 3 HR. Sin duda es un súper reloj para los amantes de los datos físicos, salud y el deporte.

Excelente todo, vendedor serio

Garmin does not disappoint. I truly believe this is the best smart watch in the market for an active person. I do not notice it on my wrist. Amazing battery life. Excellent futures.

No meaningful change compared to the fenix 7 pro. Voice commands are virtually useless and on the things it does work on (such as setting a timer) you'd be faster at it. And since it's not voice activated, you still have to have a free hand to use the thing. Everything that makes this watch good (cause it's a really good watch) are things that can be found on the fenix 7 pro for 800$ less. Flashlight, health tracking, GPS, touch screen, display. Go for the fenix 7 pro and save some money on an actually finished product not riddled with bugs.

C’est littéralement la meilleure montre au monde, on ne peut pas rivaliser avec Garmin