What it’s essential to know
The Garmin fenix 8, beforehand MIP solely, now has AMOLED fashions as nicely, making the short-lived Garmin Epix lineup defunct.It comes with a 40-meter dive score, built-in mic and speaker with new voice instructions, new power coaching plans, and a revamped map interface with “dynamic round-trip routing.”The Garmin Enduro 3 now hits 90 days or 320 GPS hours with photo voltaic charging, about double what the Enduro 2 provided due to a brand new photo voltaic panel.
Garmin has introduced its new flagship fenix 8 and Enduro 3 watches with a bunch of {hardware} upgrades and thrilling new software program tips. Whereas each watches nonetheless include battery-saving MIP shows, Garmin continued its AMOLED transition by providing the favored fenix in three AMOLED sizes, as nicely.
Garmin beforehand offered the “Epix” line as an AMOLED various to fenix, so I requested my Garmin rep if this information means Epix is useless. She responded, “That is appropriate, we’re combining each Photo voltaic/MIP and AMOLED below the fenix household — which has established itself as a really respected model over the previous decade.”
The Garmin fenix 8 AMOLED arrives at the moment in 43mm, 47mm, or 51mm sizes, whereas the fenix 8 Photo voltaic has 47mm and 51mm fashions. You may want the 51mm AMOLED to match the 47mm Photo voltaic with a 29-day battery life; the 51mm fenix 8 Photo voltaic hits a whopping 48 days per cost.
On the similar time, the MIP-only, 51mm Garmin Enduro 3 has arrived with a 90-day battery life and as much as 320 GPS hours or 120 multi-band GPS hours. Garmin attributes its “bigger, extra environment friendly photo voltaic lens” that “gives greater than double the photo voltaic panel of the earlier Enduro mannequin.”
As at all times, the Garmin fenix 8 and Enduro 3 will price you a reasonably penny. The Enduro 3 is least expensive at $899, whereas the fenix 8 ranges from $999 to $1,199, based mostly on measurement and elective titanium bezel or Sapphire lens upgrades.
We’ll break down the brand new {hardware} and software program tips for each the Garmin fenix 8 and Enduro 3 beneath. In any other case, Garmin is livestreaming its fenix and Enduro launch at Charmonix beginning at 7a ET at the moment, if you wish to get a better hands-on look.
Garmin fenix 8
Apart from changing the Epix collection, the Garmin fenix 8 may also encroach on Descent territory: It will have “leakproof steel buttons” and a “40-meter dive score” with scuba and apnea dive actions added. That is along with the identical MIL-STD-810H score for thermal, shock, and water resistance because the fenix 7.
Like earlier than, it will have a built-in mic and speaker for cellphone calls and passthrough instructions for Google Assistant, Siri, or Bixby. For the primary time, Garmin is including on-watch instructions like “set a timer for five minutes,” “save waypoint,” or “begin a power coaching exercise.” This function is lengthy overdue, as less expensive health manufacturers have such instructions, and I hope Garmin will convey this function to the Venu 3 and last-gen fashions.
What I am most enthusiastic about, nonetheless, is the brand new “Superior Power Coaching” replace. Garmin guarantees that athletes will obtain “focused 4–6-week power coaching plans to assist meet private targets, plus sport-specific exercises for athletes of every kind, together with path runners, surfers, skiers, and extra.”
Many Garmin watches have hundreds of animated exercises with muscle maps, however Garmin’s indoor exercises are too restricted: creating your individual exercises is sluggish and you will not discover a wide-enough vary of premade exercises. Garmin’s new superior power coaching seems like the answer, the equal of a Garmin Coach cross-training calendar that adjusts based mostly in your capability degree, tools, and favourite sports activities.
Whereas solely the fenix 7X and Professional had LED flashlights, it seems all fenix 8 sizes may have an LED flashlight on your nighttime exercises. And you may now have entry to the Garmin Messenger app on the watch itself, in case of an emergency.
Garmin additionally guarantees a “new map interface” for its TopoActive maps that permits you to “customise map layers,” however the press launch does not elaborate the way it’ll work.
What’s extra thrilling (in my thoughts) is the brand new “dynamic round-trip routing.” Principally, it seems you can select a mountaineering vacation spot and meant distance, and have Garmin present you potential routes again and the way lengthy every would take. This can assist hold your native park trails recent, prevent time discovering new trails on Alltrails, and make sure you return to your automobile earlier than it will get darkish.
These are all the new Garmin fenix 8 options the corporate has revealed so far. In any other case, you will discover loads of acquainted coaching instruments: Coaching readiness, endurance rating, hill rating, VO2 Max, PacePro, ClimbPro, and Garmin Coach. You additionally get ECG readings, HRV Standing, Pulse Ox, and sleep teaching with nap detection.
In comparison with different Garmin watches, you will get extra superior sports activities modes, TopoActive Maps, multi-band GPS, longer battery life, and a extra sturdy design with the fenix 8 collection.
Garmin Enduro 3
As talked about above, the Garmin Enduro 3 beats the Enduro 2 for solar-backed smartwatch days (90 vs. 46 days), GPS hours (320 vs. 150 hours), and multi-band GPS hours (120 vs. 81 hours), due to a brand new photo voltaic panel.
I assume it is the identical revamped photo voltaic panel added to the Intuition 2X Photo voltaic in 2023, because the Enduro 2 launched in 2022. For context, that watch lasts 145 GPS hours or 36 multi-band GPS hours. The Enduro 3 prices twice as a lot and lasts twice as lengthy, so you’ll be able to determine in case you want that additional capability or not.
After all, the Enduro 3 has different perks in addition to battery life: A titanium bezel, sapphire lens, built-in LED flashlight, and a correct 1.4-inch MIP show that may show extra textual content than an Intuition’s low-res, two-window show.
Just like the fenix 8, it has preloaded topographic, golf, and ski maps, plus the brand new dynamic round-trip routing and superior power coaching plan options. Additionally, you get ECG readings for AFib detection and a built-in LED flashlight for the primary time.
Garmin says the Enduro 3 weighs 63g (I assume with out the band) and ships with an UltraFit nylon band. The band-less Enduro 2 weighs 64g, so I assume the expertise will really feel comparable. It is also necessary to notice that the Enduro 3’s boosted battery comes from getting a number of hours of daylight per day. Relying on the circumstances the place you reside or hike, your Enduro 3 may not final so long as what Garmin guarantees on paper.