Garmin’s back with two new rugged smartwatches: the all-new Fenix 8 and Enduro 3. The $999.99 Fenix 8, one of Garmin’s top-of-line flagships, will get a built-in speaker and microphone, along with several new training features. Meanwhile, the $899.99 Enduro 3 will feature an LED flashlight plus solar charging to extend battery life up to 320 hours in GPS mode.
If there’s any theme to the Fenix 8’s updates this time around, it’s in making the device smarter while also giving athletes more choices. For example, it now has a built-in speaker and microphone so you can make and take phone calls from the wrist. You’ll also be able to issue voice commands like “set a timer for 5 minutes.” For voice commands, a connection to your phone isn’t necessary either.
This isn’t new to the Garmin ecosystem — the Venu 2 Plus was the first to add voice capabilities — but it wasn’t something you could do on the Fenix lineup. Garmin is also adding a new Garmin Messenger app, which will allow you to communicate with friends and family from the wrist. (The caveat is you and the person you’re texting both need the Garmin Messenger app installed on your phones.)
The Fenix 8 will also let you choose whether you want an OLED display or an always-on solar charging display. The former will be available in 43mm, 47mm, and 51mm. It continues Garmin’s trend of adding OLED to all of its watches.
However, many outdoors enthusiasts prefer lower-power displays that last longer during activities. For those folks, Garmin says the new solar display option is more effective this time around — though that always depends on usage. The solar models are available in 47mm and 51mm, with a respective estimated battery life of 29 and 48 days. That’s significantly longer than the standard Fenix 8 models, which get 10 (43mm), 16 (47mm) or 29 (51mm) days.
Design-wise, the Fenix 8 is also adding a new sensor guard and “leakproof” metal buttons. It’ll also have the nifty LED flashlights and EKG capabilities that Garmin introduced on the Fenix 7 Pro and Epix Pro models last year. For new fitness features, Garmin is adding advanced strength training with targeted 4-6 training plans tailored to specific sports. It’s also adding diving capabilities and a new map interface.
Meanwhile, the Enduro 3 is also getting some of the same updates. Namely, the built-in flashlight, the advanced strength training plans, Garmin Messenger app, EKGs, and now, solar charging. The solar charging makes sense for the Enduro line, which, as the name suggests, is targeted toward ultra-endurance athletes. The solar lens will purportedly get up to 320 hours in GPS mode, and 120 hours of GPS with the more power-intensive dual-frequency GPS.
Both the Fenix 8 and Enduro 3 will be available from today. The Fenix 8 will start at $999.99, though some models may retail up to $1199.99. The Enduro 3 will retail for $899.99.
