Customer Ratings & Reviews

Upgraded from an apple watch 6. This is a fantastic smartwatch and I am very happy I got it. It looks great and gets lots of complements. The battery lasts forever even in always on mode. It's durable for hiking and great for diving, and as with all garmin devices, the gps is fantastic. The only complaint I can think of is the number of apps you need on your phone to get access to all of the features, at least if you are using an iphone. It seems like every time I try to activate a new feature it has me download a new garmin app.

Pros: 1. AMOLED Display: The Fenix 8 comes with a crisp AMOLED display that’s vivid and easily viewable in bright sunlight, offering sharpness and clarity that’s ideal for both everyday use and outdoor adventures. 2. Durability: The sapphire glass and titanium DLC case provide high-end toughness, perfect for those into extreme sports or demanding outdoor environments. 3. Advanced Fitness Tracking: From heart rate monitoring to multi-sport tracking and GPS, it covers all bases for serious athletes. 4.Battery Life: Despite the AMOLED screen, battery life remains excellent, especially in expedition mode. 5.Customizability: With multiple watch faces, data widgets, and strap options, it allows for plenty of personalization. Cons: Price Point:As a premium product, it’s quite expensive, though it offers a lot of advanced features for the cost.

I purchased this 2 months watch to use in conjunction with the garmin app to help me with my weight loss journey and to give me a way to track my progress. The connection with my S25Ultra was seemless and it has never lost connection. The screen is bright with punchy colors and it does a good job of detecting when i raise my wrist to look at my watch. Ive used it to help map out my hiking paths and it worked great. Comparing the stats with the treadmill and the elliptical at the gym, they are spot on everytime with distance, time and colories burned. Also being able to create a work out on my phone through the app, loading it onto the watch, and just selecting it before i start has been amazing. The only thing that been hit or miss has been the strength training. Not all of the machines i use at the gym for strength traing are on the app (or are named differently) and it makes it hard to chose the right workout when building my training routine. That leads to inconsistent measurment of reps, and leaving me to having to adjust the reps on my watch, taking away time during my workout. Battery life has been excellent also. I am getting an average of 19 days of battery life, physically interacting with the watch 7 days a week. All in all its been an amazing watch and i highly recommend buying it!

The Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED is a game-changer for fitness enthusiasts! The stunning AMOLED display makes it easier to read stats in any light, while still keeping the rugged, long-lasting durability we expect from the Fenix series. It tracks everything — from intense workouts to sleep — with pinpoint accuracy, and the battery life is unmatched even with the always-on display. The real standout? Advanced performance metrics and training readiness insights that help optimize recovery and workouts. Whether you’re into running, hiking, cycling, or multi-sports, the Fenix 8 adapts to every activity and environment. For anyone serious about fitness, this watch is more than a tracker — it’s a personal coach, adventure partner, and lifestyle upgrade all in one!

An expensive but amazing piece of technology. Just like my Fenix 5 the battery life is long. It lasts 12 days, with everything turned on (including the incredible Amoled display). This is also the titanium version so the crown shouldn’t scuff up as much as the steel on the old one, although to be honest it was still incredibly impressive. The only caveat is that as far as I am aware the newest Fenix battery cannot be replaced. I did that with my old one after like 5 or 7 years myself just by following a youtube tutorial. Highly recommend if you can afford it. Apple watch has nothing on this baby!!!

Watch does what I wanted it for. Bought it to go hunting out west. I got this one because my buddy said his 7 pro solar was sometimes hard to see and the Amoled is supposed to be brighter, haven’t had any problem seeing the screen even in full sun. Still trying to figure out how to work it really. But. Maps work with no service. And battery lasts wayyy longer than my apple watch I replaced, wasn’t even getting a full day with that. The Garmin is going on 2 weeks no charge and says it still has 16 days of charge left. There’s still a lot of features I haven’t learned yet and apps and such. Only thing I wish differently is that they could get with Apple and have it work better with iOS and iPhones.

Bought the 8 51mm Amoled DLC Titanium, Experiencing 0 lags, I believe the updates from Garmin fixed the initial issues. Love the green/red shift mode. ECG monitor is ok, could be better, but cool feature to have. Battery Life on the Amoled is 21 days, with Pulse OX on the whole day, and Always on display turned off. If you have all the bells and whistles on, your gonna get max 11 days, which is still better then the 6X at 10 days! Super happy with it. Ive come to love the red light/flashlight when getting up in the middle of the night to go pee lol Alot of Customization in each activity which is nice. I like the phone assistant which i can communicate to my fenix 8 through mh watch, texts, play music, make phone calls, etc. The price tag is hefty, but worth it! Love the contrast and colors vs the MIP originally screens too!

The best compares with my previous ones.better screen and battery is ok

I originally bought an Apple Watch Ultra, but I ended up trading for this instead. If you purely care about the smart watch features, Apple is the way to go. But if you care about fitness/health goals, Garmin is unbeatable (and it’s still a great smart watch). And the battery life on the Garmin is mind boggling. Depending on your settings, two weeks to a month of battery life compared to the Ultra’s two days is phenomenal!

Solid watch. Had the instinct 2 before and wanted the ability to take calls, much worth the upgrade. Durability was something I worried about when I saw the glass screen but no scratches at all thus far.

Great watch, if you are looking for long battery life and a great health monitor this is the goto watch, my husband gifted me the small version and it’s just great!! It now tracks naps as well which is a plus!! And it’s very comfortable and customizable!!

 I own the Garmin watch 19 days, I gave it a full charge and it still says it has 14 days left of being charged, so far so good. Everything’s working great.

Best smart watch I’ve had on my wrist by far very hands on at work and thing is holding up extremely well

I am loving the Fenix 8. As a female, I opted for the 47mm vs the 43. While the 47 is maybe a little big, you loose features, mainly battery power with the smaller size. The 47 was a little manly, so I just swapped out the watch band. I do wish Garmin offered bands to fit the 47 that were a little more feminine like they do for the 43.

Awesome watch with great customization and analytics. IT is also a cool looking watch where you can not only change the face but also wear many different style bands.

This Garmin Fenix 8 51mm is an amazing watch. Dick Tracy, eat your heart out.

Great wat h great for golf, health, weather, diving, and a hundred other things. Lots of actions and programs.

Love this watch. Came from AWU, it’s an upgrade for sure. The fitness metrics are so much more detailed. Feels like a watch. Not a iPhone.

I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding the profoundly frustrating and incompetent handling of my recent order, which has resulted in a significant financial loss and a complete loss of faith in Best Buy's customer service. Weeks before the scheduled delivery date, I proactively contacted Best Buy via live chat on multiple occasions (chat transcripts saved and available upon request) because the FedEx tracking showed a delay that would result in the package arriving while I was out of town. I explicitly requested that the order be either canceled or held at a facility until my return. On each occasion, the agent dismissed my concerns, telling me not to worry and stating there was nothing they could do, despite my clear warnings. Tragically, my prediction came true. FedEx delivered the package late, left it unattended on a porch (which, according to the delivery photo, was not even mine), and it was stolen, presumably by porch pirates or the delivery person themselves. When I contacted Best Buy for assistance, the experience was appalling. Instead of taking ownership of the issue their inaction caused, the customer service agent was rude, repeatedly provided unhelpful scripted responses, and told me to contact local authorities myself before hanging up on me. This is an unacceptable way to treat a customer, especially one who tried to prevent this exact situation.

I’ve used Garmin watches for years, and the fēnix 8 AMOLED is easily one of the best on paper—but in reality, it still has some major flaws. The AMOLED display is a huge improvement—brighter, clearer, and much easier to read in all lighting conditions, whether I’m in the gym, on a run, or under a ruck. Despite the upgraded screen, battery life is still solid—I’m getting around 10 days with mixed GPS and smartwatch use, which is impressive. Fitness & Training Features: The heart rate tracking, VO2 max, and training load features are on point. HRV status and recovery time estimates actually feel useful, unlike some wearables that just throw random numbers at you. GPS is accurate even in dense terrain, and the multi-band GNSS support makes a real difference when tracking rucks and runs in wooded areas. The PacePro and real-time stamina tracking are great additions for long-distance training. Durability & Usability: As expected from a fēnix, this thing is built like a tank. I’ve taken it through gym sessions, rain, and even airborne ops—no scratches, no issues physically. The buttons + touchscreen combo works well, but I still prefer physical buttons for quick inputs during workouts. Major Issue: Watch Freezing & Restarting For a watch that’s supposed to be rugged and reliable, it randomly freezing or restarting mid-workout is unacceptable. This happened to me multiple times, and when it rebooted, all my workout data was completely gone. No recovery, no syncing—just lost progress. For anyone serious about tracking runs, rucks, or lifting sessions, this is a dealbreaker. Garmin IQ Still Feels Like a Joke For all the hardware improvements, Garmin still hasn’t figured out its app store. Garmin IQ is still a bare-bones ecosystem—there aren’t enough useful apps, and most of what’s available feels outdated or unnecessary. Compared to Apple’s or even Wear OS’s app stores, it’s not even close. If Garmin wants to compete beyond fitness, they need to take app development seriously. Minor Gripes: • Random Freezing & Restarts—ruins workouts. • The watch is big—not an issue for me, but smaller wrists might find it bulky. • Price is steep, but you get what you pay for. • Garmin Pay is still hit or miss depending on your bank. Final Verdict: The fēnix 8 AMOLED should be the best multisport watch on the market—but software bugs ruin the experience. If you’re spending this kind of money, you shouldn’t have to worry about your watch crashing during a workout. Garmin needs to fix these issues ASAP, or they’re going to start losing serious athletes to other brands. 3/5 stars—Amazing hardware, but unreliable software. Not worth the risk until they fix it.