The Garmin fēnix® 8 might just be the perfect blend of health, sports and smarts

The Garmin fēnix® 8 has been officially unveiled, and is now available at Currys. For years, Garmin has been one of the world's leading brands in the realm of wearables. Offering consistently high-quality products, the best Garmin watches are a blend of premium design, accurate tracking, and a plethora of metrics that appeal to a wide range of users – from elite athletes, through to anyone who needs a helping hand as they start their fitness journey.

The brand's latest smartwatch – the Garmin fēnix® 8 – builds on that legacy, creating a device that's perfect for outdoor enthusiasts and serious sportspeople. Anyone looking for an outstanding sports watch with unbelievable battery life should certainly consider the fēnix® 8.

What is the Garmin fēnix® 8?

The Garmin fēnix® 8 is the newest smartwatch in the fēnix® range. It follows on from the outstanding Garmin fēnix® 7, and the fēnix® 7 Pro. It also shares a few features with the Garmin Epix Pro, another of Garmin's premium multisport smartwatches.

The Garmin fēnix® 8 is the most advanced watch Garmin has ever produced. Built for the outdoors, and filled with health and tracking features, this is a watch that's designed to cope with all kinds of environments. Whether you enjoy trail running, rock climbing, skiing, or an ultramarathon (among many, many others), this gives you all the tools you need to optimise your training and recovery, and support you while you're enjoying the great outdoors. So, what exactly does the Garmin fēnix® 8 offer?

Design

Let's start with design. The Garmin fēnix® 8 offers a range of options to help you find your perfect set-up. There are three sizes – 43mm, 47mm and 51mm, so you'll be able to choose the one that's just right for your wrist. The size of the watch does influence battery life, which we'll cover in more depth later.

And now, for the first time on a fēnix® device, you benefit from a gorgeous 1.4-inch AMOLED display, further strengthening an already brilliant flagship offering. It's crystal clear, and easily visible in bright sunlight. Scratch-resistant glass helps keep it looking pristine.

Built for the outdoors

The fēnix® range has the outdoors very much in mind in terms of its build – and this is the toughest fēnix ® to date. As standard, you get a polymer and stainless-steel case with Gorilla Glass, to help withstand anything the world might throw at it.

Inspired by Garmin's Descent™ series of watches, the watch is dive-rated to depths of 40 metres and features leakproof buttons. A metal sensor guard cover keeps those all-important sensors protected. It has also been tested to US military standards for thermal, shock and water resistance. No matter what your preferred outdoor pursuits, chances are this device will cope.

For anyone who is outside in the dark, the built-in LED flashlight will be valuable. You can set the intensity of it to make yourself – or your surroundings – easier to see. Strobe mode can match your running cadence as well.

Finally, a built-in microphone and speaker mean that you can make and take calls on your wrist (although your watch will need to be paired with a compatible smartphone to do this). The mic can also give you updates during your workouts – for instance, updating you on your running stats when you complete a lap. And if you've gone out without your phone, the mic will let you use voice commands to interact with the watch and its features.

Features

GPS and maps

GPS is one area where Garmin has traditionally excelled. Here, multi-band GPS supports all the major GNSS operators, so you can expect highly accurate location tracking, even in difficult terrain.

There's plenty of navigational support too, with features such as Up Ahead (to steer you towards points of interest) and Back to Start. A dynamic Round Trip Routing feature lets you enter how far you want to go and get suggested routes that will guide you back on time.

Comprehensive health tracking

Garmin has always put health and fitness at the front and centre of its watch designs. And with the Garmin fēnix® 8, there are myriad features designed specifically to help you hit your fitness goals. Whether that's sports specific training, or something more generalised, there are tools that are designed to make your life easier.

In terms of health tracking, all the usual metrics are included. Garmin's latest Elevate Gen 5 sensor allows for sleep, stress, heart rate, blood oxygen, respiration and heart rate variability tracking. It's the most accurate sensor Garmin has built.

You'll also enjoy Garmin's excellent Body Battery and Morning Report tools, among many others. The Garmin Connect app is incredibly comprehensive, so if you like granular detail, you won't be disappointed.

Fully loaded for fitness

Fitness and performance tracking is another area in which Garmin has long held a reputation for excellence. The Garmin fēnix® 8 has a wealth of tools designed to help improve your performance.

There are activity profiles to track a wide range of sports, including running, cycling, watersports, winter sports, and many more. Targeted strength training plans, plus sports-specific workouts and Garmin Coach, will help boost your performance.

Whatever activities you pursue, the watch can collate all that data to provide detailed training analysis. Tools such as the Training Readiness Score and Training Status will let you see whether it's a day to go hard, or if recent tough training sessions mean you need to take things a bit easier. Metrics such as your fitness age and VO2 max score can help you see how your training is affecting your fitness.

Battery life

Battery has long been one of Garmin's strengths, and the Garmin fēnix® 8 is similarly impressive. Battery life is determined by which size of watch you choose.

The smaller 43mm version offers a very respectable 10 days in smartwatch mode, and up to 28 hours in GPS mode, while the 47mm model lasts up to 16 days in smartwatch mode, and up to 47 hours in GPS mode. The 51mm AMOLED version of the fēnix® 8 manages an incredible 29 days in smartwatch mode, and up to 84 hours in GPS mode. Whichever size you prefer, you can be confident that the battery is going to last for almost any adventure you take.

Price

The Garmin fēnix® 8 is undoubtedly a premium product, featuring high-quality materials, that beautiful AMOLED display, and all those health, performance and smart features. It's Garmin's most advanced, most feature-rich smartwatch yet.

The price does vary depending on what size you choose. The 43mm and 47mm models cost £869, while the larger 51mm model costs £949.

Who is it for?

For anyone who wants the best that Garmin has to offer, this is it. This watch has comprehensive performance and training support, detailed health tracking, and is built to last.

If you're someone who lives for the outdoors, and you need a watch that's going to keep up with you, the Garmin fēnix® 8 is undoubtedly a device you should be thinking about.

The Garmin fēnix® 8 is available at Currys, which promises to price match any other UK retailer, online or in-store. Exclusions and conditions do apply, and claims must be made within seven days. Visit currys.co.uk for details.

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Steven Shaw is a Senior Tech Writer and Reviewer for What's the Best. Steven writes how-to guides, explainers, reviews and best-of listicles covering a wide range of topics. He has several years of experience writing about fitness tech, mobile phones, and gaming.

When Steven isn't writing, he's probably testing a new smartwatch or fitness tracker, putting it through its paces with a variety of strength training, HIIT, or yoga. He also loves putting on a podcast and going for a long walk.

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