Garmin's new $999 Fenix 8 smartwatch has plenty of features that sound familiar to Apple Watch Ultra 2 or Galaxy Watch Ultra owners, including a speaker, microphone and diving tools. But its battery life runs rings around these smartwatches as it can last almost a month on a single charge.
Both Apple and Samsung have emerged as rivals to Garmin's outdoors watches in the past few years, appealing to people who want a rugged, high-end smartwatch with better battery life than standard models. But the $799 Apple Watch Ultra 2 and $649 Galaxy Watch Ultra generally last between two or three days on a single charge, compared to a maximum 29 days from the Fenix 8.
Garmin's focus with the Fenix 8 and $899 Enduro 3, also announced at the same time, is sports and endurance use. There's a new sensor guard, leakproof buttons and a 40 meter dive rating on the Fenix 8, while the Enduro 3 is lighter than Garmin's earlier Enduro watches, weighing 63 g.
The Fenix 8 comes in three sizes (43, 47 or 51 mm) and the battery lasts up to 29 days with the 51mm AMOLED watch; up to 16 days on the 47 mm version; or up to 10 days on the 43 mm. Like earlier Fenix watches, the Fenix 8 has a solar edition in both sizes that charges the watch so you don't need to be near a power source to top it up. That version with a memory in pixel (MIP) display lasts up to 48 days.
However, the Fenix 8's speaker and microphone functionality looks limited compared to what Apple and Samsung offer. According to Garmin, you'll be able to make and take phone calls from the Fenix 8 when your phone is in range, or use voice commands like setting a timer or save a waypoint on a map even when offline. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has similar offline voice control, but also has full Siri integration when online. It also has a new voice-powered Translation app in WatchOS 11. Samsung's Galaxy Watch Ultra has the choice of two voice assistants: Google Assistant or Bixby.
Garmin also introduced some new advanced strength training features on the Fenix 8, with four- to six-week training plans that surface on the watch. Topographic maps are also onboard, which let you view terrain contours plus customize the map layers for easier navigation. The Fenix 8 and Enduro 3 have a Food and Drug Administration cleared ECG app, like the Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch, plus sleep tracking and a blood oxygen sensor.
The Fenix 8 and Enduro 3 are available today from Garmin's website. They launch at a busy time for smartwatch releases as Google just announced the Pixel Watch 3 and Apple is expected to announce the Apple Watch Series 10 at its Sept. 9 event.