Garmin - fēnix 8 – 47 mm, AMOLED

it must be a solar model thing - no idea why - my F8 47mm oled gets GPS in 8-12 seconds every time, and has more battery life than what you reported even though it's a smaller watch. It's never rebooted on me once and I've had it about 7 weeks now, and do a gps workout nearly every day.

I had the same upgrade decision, though because of an injury, I can no longer run (though I am very active with other activities both watches track). I think it really boils down to subjectivity. What do you think will look better? I bought the F8 47 Amoled during the recent sale so there was almost no $ difference. Did so because of the better build and look (at least to my eyes). Either one will be a huge upgrade from the Venu 2, which happens to be a great watch.

I have fénix 8 amoled 47 and my wife has Apple Watch 10. Mine says 16d but I get around 11-12 days with 4 activities last week between 45 min and 3-4h. The Apple Watch does not last more than 2 days. However, if Apple gets more battery life for their next releases, lets say 5-7days, because their products are integrated with iPhone etc, a lot of people might go back to Apple. I love my fénix 8.

I purchased the fenix 8 (47 mm) this week, upgrading from a fenix 5 (51 mm). The fenix 8 is remarkably light, with a gorgeous AMOLED display. I’m loving the touchscreen and the incredibly long battery life. My fenix 5 lasted a solid eight years—and could probably go longer—but it’s now down to about a five-day charge. I can’t imagine using an Apple Watch and having to charge it every day. I’d say go with the 47 mm and save a few dollars.

I have a Fénix 8 and for me it is quite reliable in sleep and cardio. And if you want more precision in your sleep, I recommend the Index Sleep Monitor

I have a Fénix 8 but for the use you are going to give it, the Forerunner 255 or 265 would be good for you

Since the differences are not many, both watches will serve you perfectly but I would go for the Fénix 8 which is aesthetically more beautiful and resistant

I have a Fénix 8 and it is the best Garmin watch I have ever had. I recommend it to you

I have a Fénix 8 and it is the best Garmin watch I have ever owned. I recommend it to you

It fits you well, but you should consider the 47mm Fénix 8. I have a Fénix 8 and it is the best watch I have ever had. I recommend it to you

Yes the 5 buttons are essential. I have a Fénix 8, it is touch-sensitive and has 5 buttons. I never use the touch screen, I always use the buttons.

Buy a Fénix 8, I have one and I recommend it 100%

I would buy the Fénix 8

The Fénix range is Garmin's top one and therefore when new functions come out they will surely put them first and for me it is also aesthetically pleasing, the Fénix 8 is beautiful, I love it. I have a 51mm Fénix 8 solar. También por la duración de la batería que es impresionante

I'm wondering were you got the numbers from, regarding AOD battery life reduction. Looking at the Fenix 8 (47 mm), you go from 16 days to 7. On the Venu 4 (41 mm) you go from 10 days to 3. That's way more than a 20-25% reduction. Which makes me really doubt the 10% reduction you claim Suunto has, that seems way too low a number.

I tried the Fenix 8 (47 mm) for about a month, and what I genuinely liked was the design - it looks fantastic (silver case, orange strap, sapphire glass), and the battery life was excellent even with AOD on (around 7–8 days). But that’s pretty much where the positives end. The heart rate sensor (especially for weight training) is terrible, sleep tracking is awful, and the whole UX/UI feels like it’s stuck in the early 2000s. There’s this weird micro stutter and lag almost everywhere, not to mention the poor overall compatibility and ecosystem integration with Apple devices (like lack of apple music support, apple pay, etc.). If the Fenix 8 cost around €500-€600, I’d say it’s worth trying and using for a while. But at its current price, it’s honestly a bad joke. If Apple ever opened up the Watch to Android users, Garmin would be buried within 2-3 years.

Hello everyone, Since many online reviews don't reflect the needs of regular people, I’d like to share my personal experience with the new Vivoactive 6. Garmin’s recent development strategies have sparked a lot of negative reactions. In particular, their pricing strategy has faced heavy criticism. Many of the available models seem absurdly expensive, yet a lot of people are still willing to pay those high prices. Shortly after its release, I bought a Fenix 8 (47mm AMOLED) because I was looking for a new sports watch and got influenced by Garmin’s upselling strategy. In the end, I wasn’t particularly thrilled with it and sold it again two months ago. I quickly realized that although the watch could basically do everything, as a casual athlete I simply wasn’t the target audience. It’s nice to know you can dive 40 meters with it, track all sorts of niche sports, and be prepared for a nuclear war, but in my everyday life I noticed that, as an ordinary person who enjoys jogging, biking, swimming in summer, and doing short hikes, I never used 90% of the features. I’m just not a pro athlete. On top of that, the software often felt unfinished, the operating system was sluggish even by Garmin standards, and given the size and weight of the watch, the battery life wasn’t as impressive as I had expected. I eventually sold it and went without a smartwatch for a few weeks. For those who need it, the Fenix 8 is certainly an excellent watch, but for me, it just felt too overloaded and not right. After a few weeks without a smartwatch, I started missing it. So I decided to look for a watch that truly matched my needs. When the Vivoactive 6 was released, I immediately thought it might be just right for a regular person like me. Many reviews criticize that the watch doesn’t have the latest Gen 5 heart rate sensor, lacks an altimeter, and doesn’t support dual-band GPS. On paper, that doesn’t sound great, but I didn’t want to fall into the trap again of chasing better GPS, then a better heart rate sensor, then maps—only to end up back at €1000 (I live in Germany). So I ignored the spec sheet and ordered it anyway. It turned out to be the right decision. Even though it costs only about a third of what I paid for the Fenix 8, I’m far more satisfied with it. Let me walk through all the key points step by step: Feel/Build Quality: Unlike the Fenix 8, the Vivoactive 6 feels wonderfully minimalist. I was blown away by how light and comfortable it is. You hardly notice it on your wrist, which to me is worth more than all the advantages of a large watch. It also looks very elegant and high-end thanks to the aluminum bezel. It’s the kind of watch you actually want to wear in everyday life and that never gets in the way. Operating System: The OS is much more intuitive and less cluttered than on a Fenix. For someone who trains professionally, that might be a downside, but for a casual athlete like me, it’s a big plus because I can access the things I need much more quickly. The UI is also more in line with what you'd expect from a typical smartwatch, which I personally really like. Navigation is much smoother than on the Fenix 8, and combined with the better clarity, it makes me use the watch a lot more frequently. Features: Everything I used on the Fenix 8 in daily life, I can also use on the Vivoactive 6. Even for an entry-level watch, the data coverage is immense compared to other brands. While running, hiking, or cycling, I can view all relevant metrics—even running efficiency data. PacePro is included as well. I never used the features that are missing compared to the Fenix 8 anyway, often because I didn’t even fully understand them or just didn’t need them. Elevation is still tracked via GPS, which compensates for the missing altimeter just fine for me. Maybe the altitude data isn’t quite as accurate, but as a rough indicator, it’s good enough. In terms of health tracking, the watch records almost everything the Fenix 8 did—except for ECG. But since I have a healthy heart, I only used the ECG feature twice on the Fenix anyway. The smart features, aside from anything involving the microphone or speaker, are also nearly identical. You can find your phone, reply to notifications with a keyboard, make payments, listen to music, and more. On the Fenix 8, I only ever used route navigation in daily life, and I would create the routes on my phone beforehand. Everything else was too complicated. The Vivoactive 6 doesn’t have maps, but it has breadcrumb navigation, which has always been enough for me so far. Of course, maps would be nicer, but the current system works absolutely fine. As technically impressive as the navigation features on the Fenix 8 are, most people will probably use their smartphones for that stuff anyway. One feature worth mentioning is the smart alarm, which is one of the coolest and most useful features for everyday use. It’s actually something new that adds real value, and I use it every day. Accuracy: I never noticed that the heart rate sensor is older or that it lacks dual-band GPS. The data always seemed plausible to me. Maybe there are minor differences in direct comparison or during very intense activities, but for 90% of people, it probably doesn’t matter if the heart rate is off by three beats during a workout. On routes I had also run with the Fenix 8, the measured distances were identical—no noticeable deviations. Display: The display is very nice and really bright. I can’t tell any difference in quality compared to the one used in the Fenix 8. Battery Life: The battery life is impressive for the size and weight. Without the always-on display, I get around 8 to 10 days with regular workouts and blood oxygen tracking during sleep. The Fenix 8 had about 30% more battery life, but that doesn’t really justify the extra bulk and weight. When you wear such a large watch, you expect a breathtaking battery life, but with such a slim watch, 8 to 10 days is very satisfying. Most people will find time to charge it within that window. Summary: I think many people, like me, tend to buy things they don’t actually need. I can only recommend really thinking about what you actually want in a smartwatch before buying one. With a €1000 watch, disappointment hits harder because every flaw feels unforgivable. The much lower price of the Vivoactive 6 made me appreciate it all the more, as most things work just as well in daily life. It feels like a very polished product—no software bugs at all—and it fits perfectly into my life while offering many features that other smartwatches don’t have. It’s a great balance between price and functionality, and you still feel well-equipped for every situation. The price-performance ratio is especially impressive. For €300, you get a watch that does far more than you need. If you pay €200 more for an Instinct 3, you’re more likely to be annoyed by the lack of maps or the older sensor (even if it hardly matters in daily life, it feels outrageous at that price). But for €300, it’s totally fine. The low weight, smoother operation, and more streamlined OS mean that I’d honestly prefer wearing the Vivoactive 6—even if the Fenix 8 cost the same.

I love my GF8 (non-solar) and it acquires GPS before I’ve had time to start my run and. There is a fast and slow mode, of course with its pros and cons. It’s a great sports watch and I’ve never felt it’s unreliable.

Recently purchased a Fenix 8 …never again. What a pain in the butt, click-heavy, non-intuitive piece. I hated that watch so much, but it looked cool as heck! Can’t wait to get my black AWU3!

So I’m not a runner and you may find what you want using Strava or something, but if your main goal of your watch is to track your running, the Garmin might be your answer. If you want literally ANYTHING else from your watch, go with the AWU. I had a Fenix 8 AMOLED recently for a couple weeks. HATED it! Returned it as soon as I found out AWU3 was being released. The Garmin was click-heavy, no nonintuitive, and just a pain to use. I spent so much time googling how to do things on that damn watch. I hated it so much. I do like the look of the Garmin watch tho and it was a really nice watch. I just couldn’t stand using it and it just wasn’t intuitive enough for me. And the lack of a decent AI-driven voice control feature was enough to have me shaking my head. If there was a really good AI-driven voice control feature on the Fenix 8 that assisted with watch functions and settings as well as general info (like any AI system) it possibly would have been worth keeping…idk. I really don’t know why anyone but really serious Olympic training athletes would need a Garmin watch and all that data. I feel like the Apple Watch would provide PLENTY of data for the normal person. If you have an iPhone or you’re already in the Apple ecosystem, I would only recommend the Apple Watch. I preordered the AWU3 and can’t wait for it to arrive.

Idk if this helps, but I recently returned a new Fenix 8 (not solar). It was my first Garmin and I HATED IT! I loved the design. I loved the look. I loved the few functions I actually used it for. BUT I could not stand using it! I had it for like a week and a half and I swear I spent a quarter of my days googling how to do things on that f’n thing. Nothing was intuitive and the few things I really wanted it for either weren’t supported or super complicated to figure out. I really hated that watch and immediately returned it when I found out the AWU3 was being released soon. The Garmin was click-heavy, overkill, non-sense IMO. The AW does everything I need and actually ties into my daily life way more than that Garmin ever could. That’s my experience. But I do like the look of the Garmin more than the AW. Can’t wait to get my new black AWU3!