Sunday Runday
On this weekly column, Android Central Wearables Editor Michael Hicks talks concerning the world of wearables, apps, and health tech associated to operating and well being, in his quest to get quicker and more healthy.
I am not comfy reviewing my Garmin Fenix 8 but. It is Garmin’s most densely packed watch but, with sufficient options that it will take me a pair extra weeks to provide them justice. However after years testing $400-ish Garmin watches and ready years for my first Fenix, the Fenix 8 hasn’t absolutely lived as much as my sky-high expectations.
I acquired and unboxed my Garmin Fenix 8 later than most, nonetheless getting my bearings whereas Fenix 8 house owners seen it crashing in cold water or displaying thousand-hour naps (or naps once they weren’t napping). Aggravated Garmin discussion board customers noticed a bevy of other software issues, some area of interest however others widespread.
By October, the Fenix 8 had acquired some helpful patches, however I nonetheless encountered issues like enter lag when navigating the principle UI. After I tried to finish a two-mile stroll exercise, the watch froze on the “Saving” display for hours and refused to manufacturing unit reset till I plugged it into my pc. Then, the battery drained at an insane charge (about 85% in underneath two days) till I charged and restarted it.
Issues have calmed down for me since then, each for battery life and basic navigation. However it nonetheless appears evident that Garmin will need to have been on a time crunch to launch the Fenix 8 on schedule — presumably shareholder-related issues — given the variety of Fenix 8 glitches that went unresolved till after launch. And that is not an excellent look while you’re charging extra money than every other health watch model and way more than the Fenix 7 sequence (which began at $799).
I will level out now that I like the Fenix 8 to this point. For starters, the revamped UI improves on what I noticed on the Garmin Venu 3 final yr, significantly seeing recommended exercises and programs straight underneath the exercise begin menu. I recognize the AMOLED/MIP choices so you may prioritize battery life or higher visible high quality. And regardless of the plastic-to-titanium swap, my 47mm unit does not really feel overly heavy at 73g.
By way of new options, the Fenix 8 added power teaching to Garmin Coach about six months after I wrote a chunk demanding Garmin make indoor exercises higher with tailor-made strategies. As a runner, I am nonetheless easing into power coaching, however it’s already a step over what most health watches provide for reps and newbie steerage.
You additionally get a microphone and speaker related to an offline voice assistant, which is not restricted to passthrough instructions to your smartphone. You maintain down the Begin button, say a easy command like “Begin a Voice Word” or “Present me the climate as we speak,” and see the related app or widget in a couple of seconds. I nonetheless advocate utilizing watch face shortcuts to drag up related knowledge for the reason that processing is a bit gradual, however it helps keep away from looking by means of menus.
Whereas I normally depend on AllTrails on my telephone for choosing mountaineering trails upfront, Garmin’s new round-trip routes let me search for alternate aspect trails that’ll take the identical period of time however let me take a look at new surroundings, and it is a good change of tempo!
Plus, you get the identical revamped well being sensor suite because the Venu 3, related dive options to the Descent MK3 with leak-proof {hardware}, dual-band GPS accuracy to match one of the best Forerunner watches, and a built-in flashlight that is fairly much like the one I examined within the Intuition 2X Photo voltaic. Its 17-day battery life is not a lot greater than different Garmin watches, however its 35-hour multi-band monitoring is great.
Once more, these are welcome additions! Garmin threw all the things it had into one titanium bundle, so you may go from mountaineering to operating to diving to snowboarding to {golfing} and have just about all the things you want.
However I convey up previous Garmin watches as a result of many of those previous options really feel nearly similar to the cheaper watches. For instance, the Fenix 8 LED is sweet for emergencies however not particularly shiny, burns by means of your entire battery in a couple of hours, and makes you maintain your wrist at an unnatural angle to light up what’s in entrance of you — similar to the Intuition 2X Photo voltaic flashlight.
The Fenix’s new mic and speaker allow impromptu calls with out grabbing your telephone, however similar to the Venu 3 and Venu 2 Plus, you may sound quiet on the opposite finish, and you could want to carry the speaker near your ear in the event you’re wherever loud.
I am not a giant fan of MIP shows, so I am absolutely on board with the AMOLED change. That mentioned, it has the identical measurement and PPI because the Venu 3 or Forerunner 965 shows, and I suppose the brightness and refresh charge are similar, too. Specifically, I dislike the little delay you see when scrolling by means of widgets with the touchscreen.
By way of accuracy, the Fenix 8 GPS has been predictably hyper-accurate to this point, however that additionally applies throughout the board all the way down to the $350 Forerunner 255 with dual-band monitoring. And whereas its coronary heart charge monitoring did excellently towards my COROS optical armband in most instances, matching its common and maintaining with fast HR adjustments, it has the identical infuriating difficulty as my Forerunner 965: After I begin a tough monitor run with out ramping up, it will spend the primary lap failing to register my quicker coronary heart charge by about 20–30 bpm, forcing me to pause and provides the Fenix 8 time to search out the proper knowledge and skewing my cardio/ anaerobic load totals.
I think many well-off Fenix 8 patrons select the flagship model as a mixture standing image and catch-all health device. They like its titanium fashion and that it can deal with each sport underneath the solar, even when they solely go diving or snowboarding every year throughout holidays and principally run, bike, or hike with it. Higher to have and never want than want and never have, proper?
In my case, the Fenix 8 might find yourself being my favourite Garmin watch as a result of it collects one of the best bits from the Forerunner, Venu, and Intuition lineups. However is that sufficient to say the Fenix 8 is “definitely worth the worth,” as numerous present Fenix 8 opinions say?
The Garmin Fenix 8 is not an inexpensive watch, however it’s in the end as much as you to find out whether or not it is definitely worth the excessive price ticket.
When journalists and tech YouTubers say a tool is so good that they’d spend $1,000+ on it, they most likely imply it. However they did not; they received it without cost. We typically attempt to not let that impression our suggestions, and there is not any strain to justify or nitpick an costly buy like common customers really feel. However it’s nonetheless laborious to say if one thing is “too costly” when your finances is not affected.
After I reviewed costly smartwatches just like the $650 Samsung Galaxy Watch Extremely or $800 Apple Watch Extremely 2, I needed to fastidiously choose their true worth when you may spend half as a lot on their siblings and get many of the identical options (just like the Fenix 8). They’re nice watches however too costly for many individuals, and the Fenix 8 deserves that scrutiny, too.
One level in Apple and Samsung’s favor was that their flagship watches had been technically “standalone” because of built-in LTE help. Since Garmin hasn’t supplied LTE outdoors of the Forerunner 945 LTE and Bounce LTE for youths, your Fenix 8 nonetheless has your short-lived smartphone as a ache level for staying in contact on lengthy excursions.
In my case, the Fenix 8 is very good to have, particularly the brand new navigation options. However I do not “want” it, and if I had been purchasing for one of the best Garmin look ahead to my wants, it might be laborious to justify spending that additional $500 for streamlined software program, voice instructions, and dynamic routing when the $600 Forerunner 965 has many of the identical necessities.
I’ve overrated the Fenix in my head for some time, and an $1,100 price ticket implies a sure stage of greatness. However the acquainted tech, buggy launch, and lack of emergency mobile mixed with that worth are sufficient to offset barely simply how implausible a health watch that is.
Bought a grand? Nice!
When you really need the “finest” Garmin watch, that is it. It is long-lasting, has essentially the most superior Garmin software program throughout each main sporting sort, lasts a pair weeks per cost regardless of the additional smarts, and appears nice doing it. Simply…properly, ensure you even have the cash for the Fenix 8! You is likely to be completely pleased with a Forerunner or Venu at half the value in the event you do not want all the things and the kitchen sink.