I’m Having A Hard Time Finding Anything To Dislike About My New Garmin Watch

Recently, my trusty Garmin Approach S70 randomly gave up the ghost. It was odd and sad. But, when one door closes, another opens. And if my trusty S70 dying was what got me the chance to try out the premium Fenix 8 watch from Garmin, it was well worth it.

Let’s get this out of the way first. The Fenix 8 is not cheap. It’s priced above similar entrants into the premium sport watch category (Apple Watch Ultra, Galaxy Watch Ultra, etc.) but after spending nearly a month with it, I wholeheartedly believe the functionality warrants this type of premium price tag.

You don’t have to buy it. I’m not saying you should even consider buying it. What I am saying is that if you want the most premium smartwatch experience possible WITH added capabilities of a golf GPS, you won’t find a device better suited for the task.

There are plenty of capable GPS watches. Garmin’s lineup even includes a few budget ballers that get the job done well. But none pack in the “daily driver capabilities” that my Fenix 8 has.

Let’s break down my four favorite features (and one or two gripes).

1. Garmin Golf

We have to start with the golf functionality. The Fenix 8 does everything the award-winning Approach S70 does when it comes to on-course features. It has green maps, accurate GPS yardages, shot tracking plus so much more.

2. On-board flashlight

This one sounds like a gimmick but the Fenix 8 has a built-in flashlight. A double tap of the upper left button turns on a small but capable flashlight that’s perfect for running down the stairs in the middle of the night to make my nine-month-old a bottle.

3. Feature-packed fitness

The Fenix 8 is designed to be a fitness workhorse. The GPS tracking for outdoor cardio is lightning-quick to find signal and the sheer number of sports-specific workout modes is almost too many to count. Add that to the host of wellness features including sleep tracking and even V02 max monitoring and this baby is designed for the premier athlete (or the budding one).

4. Durability

The Fenix 8 features a saphire crystal screen and titanium bezels for ultimate durability. I’ve already smacked this thing against the wall a time or two and it doesn’t bear a single scratch. Did I mention it’s capable of submersion under water up to 100 meters (330 feet)? And it’s got 16-day battery life to boot.

So what’s not to like?

There are two things that give me some hesitancy when fully recommending this watch. No. 1 is the OS (operating system). I don’t love the flow of the menus. The main feature menu can be hard to navigate at times because it’s cyclical rather than linear.

No. 2, as I mentioned, is price. Because I’ve been able to experience and use the watch for nearly a month, I can say with certainty that I understand the value. But for the shopper who’s on the fence and can’t give it a test drive, $1,000 and beyond can be a hard pill to swallow.

If you’re serious about fitness and golf, there isn’t a better device that I’ve tried. But if you can deal with some durability trade-offs and lesser battery life, an Apple Watch or one of Garmin’s more budget friendly alternatives may be your best bet.