Garmin Fenix 8: The Truth From a Longtime Garmin User

After 2 weeks of 24/7 use, here's what I think about the Garmin Fenix 8.

In this video, I break down my experience with the Garmin Fenix 8 after using it for a few weeks. This watch isn't cheap, and I wish I had known a few things before diving in. I'm not here to run through the specs like every other review; instead, I’m going to be a bit more critical since it's a big investment. For context, I’m coming from the Epix Pro 51mm and have been using Garmin watches all the way back to the Fenix 3.

First, the good news: tracking accuracy and battery life are pretty much on par with the Epix Pro. The GPS chipset and battery performance feel identical. The AMOLED screen is crisp and easy to read, though there is a weird dimming issue at night that hopefully gets addressed in a firmware update. Some button changes were made, allegedly for diving purposes, but I’m not sure these tweaks were necessary for us outdoor enthusiasts. It’ll take more time and some extreme conditions to really judge them. Garmin also revamped the operating system, but it's nothing groundbreaking. There are a few changes in navigation and course creation that you might notice if you're coming from an older model. The new features like voice commands and the "phone assistant" aren't really game-changers for me, and they don't work as seamlessly as on other smartwatches.

Where things get iffy is the overall experience. The new OS was buggy at launch, with random reboots and other issues that don't inspire confidence, especially when you’re relying on the watch for navigation on a hike. Garmin has pushed out some updates, but it's still not what I’d expect from a $1,200 smartwatch. Then there’s the Connect IQ store not working out of the box. And when it finally did, I found out Garmin is charging $5 for some of the watch faces. After shelling out for a pricey watch, having to pay extra for a watch face seems ridiculous. Honestly, this just didn’t feel like a premium experience, and I wouldn't recommend upgrading from an older model unless you have a compelling reason. If you have questions about the Fenix 8, leave them below. Thanks for your support—I bought this watch with your help to give you the unfiltered truth.

00:00 Before You Buy
00:47 Accuracy
01:09 Screen
01:48 Buttons
02:50 Flashlight
03:02 OS Changes
04:18 Bugs
05:11 Voice Features
06:03 Readability
06:22 Watch Faces
07:23 Buy It?
08:24 Fenix 8 Pro Leaks

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[Hikingguy]

What do you guys think? Am I being harsh or I am I right in expecting more for the price?

[gwgrote]

Thanks for your honest review. Having to pay $5 for a new Garmin watch face is unacceptable, given the price you paid for the watch. You've always been extremely helpful when it comes to us purchasing a new watch. I appreciate your channel!

[jimvicpas]

Thanks for the thoughtful review. The trend that I see in the consumer electronics market is: incremental changes with out of line price increases; consumers keeping older gear longer; suppliers finding ways to force people to buy new models by doing things like dropping support for older, but still useful models.

[twloughlin]

I've never owned a Garmin watch, but from what you're saying, this is following the same trend that's become quite noticeable in technology today - push products out in an unfinished state just to get people to buy them, and then promise they will add the features on "later." All the major tech companies are operating this way now. It's a bad trend, and why people are falling for it left and right is beyond this old man. You buy the unfinished watch, they get your money for their bottom line, and you're left waiting around for promised "updates" at some future point in time. This world just gets stupider and stupider. Thanks for not being stupid, Chris!

[mrnomercy]

I frickin love your review. Typically reviews fall into a couple of categories. You either get the "Access Review" where Garmin sends them a watch and they are very delicate about saying anything bad (if at all) and then you get the User Review where some poor guy just dumped 1200 bucks on his new Fenix 8 and refuses to give it a bad review because he doesn't want to be judged for wasting money on a bad product. Thank you for being fully transparent with this. I'd love to hear what kind of battery life you're getting from it under real world conditions.

[davidligon]

Thank you for the honest review. Wow! I would expect more for $1200, especially a wide variety of watch faces. I have not used a Garmin, but slow rendering maps would drive me crazy, as I like to pan and zoom to anticipate what is ahead and consider alternate routes, when I am on a hike.

[MigRx]

These were pretty much exactly the reasons why I returned mine. I was so stoked to get the 8 that I sold my Epix Pro and Apple Watch Ultra just to cover that ridiculous price. (Which I’m not gonna lie I thought about for a few minutes before placing the order.) but overall you said it perfectly, it did not feel like a premium experience. It felt very rushed out, lots of bugs, the watch faces were terrible, and the watch faces that Garmin sells are not any better plus you have to pay, it has the exact same features as the Epix pro except with a more modern UI, and the speaker/microphone Were not really that helpful. The times that I took calls or had to reply to messages it almost seemed easier to just pull out my phone than to try to reply through the watch or hear whatever was said from the microphone on a call. Overall, I was extremely disappointed ended up returning it, got a used ultra two and purchased my wife a titanium series 10… And still had money left.

[behindenemylines]

Great video once again. I've had the Fenix 7 for a couple years and love it. I will not be 'upgrading', thanks again!

[SteveHorne]

Got it, thanks. I’ll hang on to my Fenix 5X. Love your channel and thanks for your straightforward advice 👍

[Driji]

I totally agree, I got the Fenix 8 47mm. The state the software was in is a disgrace for a watch with that price. I also found the font worse than previous models. The response of the assistant or maps is also very slow. Speaker volume weak and for me almost unusable. Long delay when receiving a call. For me, all the above mentioned innovations are not worth it at all due to the fact that they are not debugged and for me this is the first disappointment from Garmin since the model 3. I returned the watch. Thx for video. I agree with you 100%

[eriktred]

As a long time Garmin/Fenix/Epix fellow user and trail enthusiast, your review was extremely helpful.

[alexlevy]

Thanks for the unbiased review. I’m happy with my forerunner 965 and will probably stay with this for awhile. This is my first Garmin watch. I left the Apple Watch Ultra for better battery life with the Garmin

[erikofthesaints]

I was waiting for this kind of review for weeks! I currently have the Epix Pro 51 and was seriously considering the F8 only for the sealed buttons (I don't dive though, it's just a safety feature that I like). I've been restless for the past days cause it's a tough decision due to the price point. Your video made me realize that the upgrade is not worth it for now. Thank you because you saved me a ton of bucks! Please keep honest and practical reviews coming. Subbed!

[hillandrewdavid]

So much respect for you and your channel. Thank you for giving us the straight facts. I've used some of your links to buy stuff in the past, and I will continue to do so in the future. Your hiking guides and reviews have been a mainstay in my outdoorsy social media content- thank you!!

[jfbk]

Thanks for the review. I’m still enjoying my Fenix 5 Plus.

[expatadventureturkey]

Thanks for the great honest review, currently a Garmin Enduro 2 Solar owner and debating whether to upgrade or not. As a hiker and ultra runner battery life is key along with other key features that Garmin offers. Last Garmin upgrade was from Garmin 6x to the Enduro 2 and happy to have done so.

[frstesiste]

I bought a 7X solar when it came out and thought I'd "never" would feel the urge to upgrade. The only way I'd get to try a Fenix 8 is to buy it so I haven't used one but seen a couple of reviews including this video. For me the two (related) new functions that make me want the Fenix 8 is voice commands and the ability to answer phone calls. Better battery life would of course also be welcome if it's only incremental, but the price is high, particularly since my watch isn't three years old yet.

[ActiveIdeas]

Join the club my man ❤️ Really appreciate your honest thoughts! I got a lot of criticism for calling this out on my video, nice to to know I’m not the only one experiencing bugs and being honest about it.. especially for the price🔥

[fbonde]

Charging for watch face is a bit crazy for Garmin. This whole Fenix 8 from 7 is just not Necessary, it's at best a 7+.. Thanks for the honest thoughts about this.

[FlyWithMe_]

Fenix should be the tool watch line from Garmin. If I want a nice toy, I’ll go Apple. I couldn’t care less about voice commands etc (and they made it so complicated that it’s basically useless anyway). Its core features should work no matter what. That it crashes during active navigation is unacceptable. I have an old Fenix 6 that suddenly installed a firmware update during a multi hour hike, lost my whole gps track for the day and had to play around with the watch when I least wanted to. They need to get the basic stuff right first, including the mess of different apps for inReach, navigation, devices etc. Not including features nobody asked for. Charging for watch faces has to be a joke. Thanks for your review.