Garmin - fēnix 8 Solar 47mm

I was in the exact same shopping dilemma as yourself about 2 weeks ago. I opted for the Fenix Solar 47mm. More expensive than the Endruo3 but I didn’t want the larger sizing. I had a Fenix 5 47mm and wanted similar sizing. On a pure practicality basis - Enduro3 is the clear winner. I wear my F8 Solar 47mm to the office, gym, beach and it’s never looks out of place. Personally the 51mm of the large Fenix and Enduro don’t sit nicely under a closed cuff of a shirt. I also have slim/medium wrists, so the 47mm works better for me Just don’t touch the F8 Pro, waste of money . Another really good option is the F7Pro. Personally too, I deliberately at length over the AMOLED screen vs MIPS. As others say the AMOLED feels too much like a device and gadget. F8 Solar MIPS is certainly bright enough and in “gesture” mode, disappears into the background when not “using” Good luck shopping

I was in the exact same shopping dilemma as yourself about 2 weeks ago. I opted for the Fenix Solar 47mm. More expensive than the Endruo3 but I didn’t want the larger sizing. I had a Fenix 5 47mm and wanted similar sizing. On a pure practicality basis - Enduro3 is the clear winner. I wear my F8 Solar 47mm to the office, gym, beach and it’s never looks out of place. Personally the 51mm of the large Fenix and Enduro don’t sit nicely under a closed cuff of a shirt. I also have slim/medium wrists, so the 47mm works better for me Just don’t touch the F8 Pro, waste of money . Another really good option is the F7Pro. Personally too, I deliberately at length over the AMOLED screen vs MIPS. As others say the AMOLED feels too much like a device and gadget. F8 Solar MIPS is certainly bright enough and in “gesture” mode, disappears into the background when not “using” Good luck shopping

I bought a Fenix 8 AMOLED 47mm yesterday and sold my 8 solar 47mm ( it is unusually thick) 

Fenix 8 47 Solar owner here. I'm mostly pleased, no issues with reliability, it finds GPS in seconds and I haven't had a single crash or reboot. My two biggest issues are heart rate and battery. Heart Rate: It seems to lag behind or measure so infrequently that it completely misses stops at intersections or intervals, even 2min long ones. It even showed my heart rate decrease during my third 2min interval. I went as far as doubling up and wearing my 945 at the same time and it handled this far better. It also doesn't pick up heart rate early in work outside well, and then spikes. Battery: I'm doing 7 hours of activity a week and getting 12 days per charge. Far lower than the claimed 21 days. Fine if I'm using GPS more than what they consider "typical" but based on their GPS battery claims I should be getting 17-18 days. So far their support has sucked. I've been told to wear it on my other wrist. Wear it upside down on my wrist. Don't start the activity until after warming up. Stop and wipe off the sensor since I must be sweating. The claimed battery is Max with everything shut down(it literally says typical not max in their documents). Basically everything except acknowledging that these are actual issues.

Fenix 8 Solar a Little of Training and Health stats configured. 10-14 days.

I love Apple and Garmin products, and I’ve been waiting for the Ultra 3 release to replace my Apple Watch Series 9. Here’s where my AWS9 falls short for me: camping and hiking because of battery, maps and navigation while biking and hiking, and the dynamic running workout suggestions that Garmin has. I can get Fenix 8 Solar for $880 through a discount with my health insurance which makes it comparable to AWU3. Things I like about Fenix 8 Solar: maps, battery, daily suggested workout, Garmin coach, MIP screen doesn’t look like a mini phone on my wrist. Things I like about AWU3: being reachable by my wife and kids while running and cycling, running errands sans phone, love the design, my watch bands will fit, my Apple Music subscription works, etc. I feel like the AWU3 fits my actual day to day better than the Fenix; although, when I do make it out for that couple times a year backpacking trip, Fenix is the clear winner. But on the day to day I mostly am tracking running and weightlifting. And a weekend gravel bike ride. Anybody have both?

Tough decision for sure. I agree with both of you. I also have a Garmin biker computer and Varia lol. Enduro 3 is really the ideal Garmin watch for me - I just wish they made a 47mm variant which I why I was leaning Fenix 8 Solar.

Actually the buttons on apple watch ultra are far better. The buttons on my new Fenix are spongy crap with no click.

I just bought a Fenix solar last night and so far it's a giant POS. The UI is ass, syncing Bluetooth is stupid, Garmin pay is garbage and the battery life isn't anywhere close to advertised.

I got mine pretty close to a week ago now. The Garmin express program on PC is garbage, the Bluetooth headphone setup and use is trash too. But once you get used to it it's actually really nice. The insights, the tracking are so useful. I really like the app. I consider the watch screen an afterthought. I wish Garmin sold a bicep tracker that had no screen and only interacted with the app. Then you can continue wearing a normal watch on your wrist.

I started with the Fenix 8 Solar. Hated it right off the bat. The solar feature is a crappy gimmick. I debated between the Fenix 8, Fenix 8 pro with either screen. I decided to go with the best battery life of the 3 which is the Fenix 8.

The new strength UI on the Fenix 8 is outstanding. Much improved. I haven’t tried Hevy in quite a while but I find the new strength UI for editing weight and reps to be a really big improvement. Rep and movement detection is good, too. I use an external HR monitor during strength training.

Yep. I have an AWU2 and a Fenix 8 Solar. Probably selling the AWU2 soon because it failed me so badly on a recent 70M ultra. People knock the Garmins for their poor smartwatch features, but honestly the differences have really minimized over time. On both watches I can: * use voice commands to quickly set timers and alarms * check the weather, my calendars * respond to text messages with Siri * this is much, much better on Apple Watch, but the Garmin has gotten it done for me, including when I'm going 20 mph on a bicycle or flying down a ski slope * contactless pay The only real advantages Apple Watch have are cellular, a few niche app things like unlocking my Level app, and better speech-to-text/Siri performance. The UI is also nice on Apple Watch, but the revamped UI for Fenix 8 and Enduro 3 is better than before and I quite like it. I'm not apologizing for Garmin Connect, however. That's still pretty rough. The Garmin Fenix 8 really does have a better training/wellness package. Sleep tracking works well for me, and Body Battery and Stress are actionable items for me that Apple Watch cannot replicate, not even with 3rd party apps, and I'm a Bevel subscriber. The AWU2 is a nice to have, but as a guy who does ultras north of 50 miles and long, off-grid hikes, the Garmin is the better device.

I had my Fenix 3 HR for almost 10 years before switching to the F8 Solar. It was still working, not a single scratch on the sapphire glass (used it for rock climbing and in harsh environments). Only replaced it as the battery runtime started to decrease (had to charge at least once a week in the end) and mainly because I wanted the bee features 😁

Love mine as well. This review mimics my own experience except the GPS issues. Battery has gotten better with FW updates but still under stated times, but long enough for me. I hope it continues to improve for sure. Overall glad I got it and returned the AMOLED. I genuinely love the mip screen.

It pretty much depends what you want the watch for has been my conclusion. I've owned the AWU1/2 pre-ultra versions, garmin fenix 6/7/8 and prior versions. When I'm focused on fitness and endurance sports, the garmin is my primary watch. When I'm in a different phase, I strongly prefer the AWU for all its stuff. Problem for me is I prefer to have a single ecosystem that is seemless so I can focus on my goals. The reality for me personally is the garmin helps me with my goals when fitness is my goals and the AWU doesn't do quite the same for me. That's enough to have me wear my garmin - it's effective as a tool for me. The AWU is just the watch I like better, but it doesn't have actual impact on me. If I were simply wanting a casual fitness watch + smart watch, I'd wear an AWU all the time.

The only solar enabled dive watches are the Descent G1 Solar and the Fenix 8 solar watches. There's a Descent G2 but it has an amoled screen.