May 1, 2025 • 17 mins
A detailed 15-minute friendly discussion about the Garmin Fenix 8 discussing pros, cons, the latest features and answering that age-old question, "Is it worth it?"
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Source Written Article by the5krunner: “https://the5krunner.com/2024/09/16/garmin-fenix-8-review/”
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to the deep dive. Today we're getting into the
Garmin Phoenix 8. It's that latest premium sports
smartwatch everyone's talking about.
Right. And we know you, our listener,
the learner you want the essentials.
Exactly what's new, what's good,What are the potential snags,
but without, you know, wading through pages of specs.
So our mission today is really to pull out those core Nuggets
(00:22):
about the Phoenix Eight, help you get informed fast.
We've looked at a lot of reviews, especially digging into
what the 5K runner had to say, and of course DC Rainmakers
super detailed analysis. OK, let's jump in then.
The first thing that kind of jumped out at me was the naming.
Seems like they've shaken thingsup a bit.
They really have O the Phoenix series.
(00:42):
You might remember the one with the MI display memory and Ixel.
The one that's great in sunlight.
That one, it's now being called Phoenix 8 Solar.
But the epics line, the one withthe bright AMOLED screen, Yeah.
The colourful 1. That's now just Phoenix 8,
simple as that. The Epics brand itself seems to
be well on the shelf for now. So basically they took 2 watches
(01:03):
that were pretty much identical inside, just different screens.
Exactly. Software features all the same,
mostly. And put them both under the
Phoenix name. It does make the lineup look
cleaner, I suppose. It definitely simplifies it from
one perspective, and if you're specifically after that MIP
display, the Enduro series is still carrying that torch.
(01:23):
The new Enduro 3 keeps the MIP screen.
OK, that makes sense. So moving to the watch itself,
the Phoenix 8, what are the big new things design wise?
I saw photos with this like orange stripe.
Ah yes, that orange bit between the buttons on the right.
It's not just for looks. Interestingly, it actually
houses the speaker and the barometer and gives them some
(01:45):
protection. Seems like they borrow that idea
from their descent dive watches.Clever.
And the buttons themselves, I read they're leak proof.
What's going on there? That's actually a pretty neat
bit of engineering for durability.
Instead of a physical connectiongoing through the case, they use
an inductive connection. Think like wireless charging
almost. There's no actual hole in the
(02:06):
inner case for the button mechanism.
Wow OK, so less chance of water getting in.
Precisely. The fuel might be a touch
different initially, I think the5K runner noted that, but they
seem solid. Right.
And the watch face, that's always the first thing you
notice. Heard some initial takes weren't
exactly glowing, especially fromthe 5K runner.
(02:26):
Yeah, the default one they ship with maybe didn't wow everyone
right out-of-the-box, but the customization available for the
watch faces is apparently a big step up.
Ah, classic garment always options.
Always options. You can still build your own in
the Connect IQ app, download tonnes of free ones or even buy
premium designs. Now they're saying it's like
their most flexible watch face system yet.
(02:48):
OK, beyond the face, how you actually use the watch the UI
that's seen some changes too, hasn't it it?
Has and it looks like part of a bigger Garmin strategy, trying
to make the experience more consistent across their watches.
Like bringing different lines together.
Sort of blending elements from the Epics Pro, the Forerunner
965, maybe even the VU 3. The idea seems to be a more
(03:08):
unified feel, whichever Garmin you pick up.
That's smart. Less relearning if you switch
models. So what specific changes will
you see day-to-day? Well, the widgets or glances,
they look a bit more polished. Charts use more screen space,
look cleaner and you can tap on them now to get more detail
which is handy less menu diving.Nice.
What about the main settings menu?
(03:30):
That could be amazed sometimes. They've definitely tackled that.
It's been significantly reorganised.
Things you use often are higher up and related settings are
grouped more, let's say logically good.
Yeah, the 5K runner pointed thatout as a real positive.
Should help new users and frankly existing users find
stuff easier. It shows Garmin's listening
maybe to feedback about menu complexity.
(03:53):
And the flashlight that became such a fan favourite.
Glad to see it's standard now. Absolutely that LED flashlight
from the Phoenix 7 Pro and EPIX Pro.
It's on every Phoenix 8 model now.
Same setup. Yep, 3 white brightness levels,
one red light for night vision. Still super practical.
Gets mentioned all the time as afeature people actually use.
And the heart rate sensor still the same reliable one it.
(04:15):
Is it's the same elevate Gen 5 optical sensor as the last pro
models? Hardware wise it can do ECG
right the. Electrical cardiogram.
But that feature is still only switched on for users in EU
right now. OK, now the big headline stuff.
Voice and speaker features. That's new territory for
Phoenix, isn't it? It really is, and it enables
(04:36):
quite a few new things because there's now a physical speaker
and microphone actually on the. Watch so you can what take
calls. Yeah, take calls from your
wrist. If your phone's nearby, you can
talk to your phone's Voice Assistant, like Siri or Google
Assistant. Through the watch.
Through the watch, Yeah. There's also an offline Garmin
Voice Assistant for some basic tasks.
You can play music out loud fromthe watch speaker and even
(04:57):
record voice notes. OK, let's unpack that.
The offline Garmin assistant, how does that work?
Is it like, hey Garmin? Not quite.
Hey Garmin, you press and hold the pop right button.
It's meant for simple stuff you can do without needing the
Internet. Like starting a run, setting a
timer, asking what's my heart rate, saving your location,
controlling music. It's handy for basics.
(05:18):
And it quirks. The phrasing can sometimes be a
bit specific, like the 5K runnermentioned, needing to say show
me the timer instead of just timer, little things like that.
And using your phone's assistant, Siri or Google.
How smooth is that? You access it via the apps menu.
The watch basically acts like a Bluetooth mic, sends your
(05:38):
command to the phone. But the answer comes back on the
phone. Exactly.
The answer comes from your phone, not the watch speaker, so
it's more like a remote trigger.OK.
And taking calls on the wrist. How's the quality?
It works like a standard Bluetooth headset using the
watch, mic and speaker. You can dial from the watch,
pick contacts, transfer calls back to the phone with.
The sound. It's reported as you know.
(05:59):
OK, decent. But like most watches, if you're
outside with a lot of noise, it's gonna struggle a bit.
Predictable really, right? And the voice notes feature
could be useful. Definitely.
It's another offline thing. In the apps menu, record quick
memos. You can even turn on geotagging
so you know where you recorded it.
Where do they save? On the watch for now, Garmin
(06:22):
says they're planning an update so you can transfer them to your
phone, which would make it much more practical long term.
OK, let's switch from talking tothe watch to tracking with it.
Sports and navigation changes. The screen where you start an
activity looks different, I saw.It does.
It's got this horizontal split now.
Your favourites and recently used activities are right there
(06:42):
at the top. Easier access.
That's the idea. Then below that there's a folder
with all the other sport profiles trying to speed things
up for your common workouts. And inside a sport profile, the
settings. Big change there.
All the settings for specific sport data fields, alerts,
everything are now in one long continuous scrolling list.
(07:03):
Sinto does it. A bit like that, yeah.
The thinking is it makes features less hidden, especially
if you're new to Garmin and don't know where to look in the
old nested menus. Makes sense and for navigation
if you're using courses or maps.There's a new saved area that
pulls together your courses, save locations, waypoints, all
that NAV stuff in one place. Easier to find your routes.
(07:24):
Hopefully. And when you're actually
following a course during an activity, they've sort of
structured it into three lanes. Lanes, yeah.
You've got your normal data screens and there's a dedicated
music control page and then a lane for navigation and
settings. You access the NAV lane by
swiping over to controls. Dedicated NAV lane useful or
redundant? Mixed feedback actually.
(07:45):
Some reviewers, including the 5Krunner felt it sometimes just
duplicated info you already haveon your data pages, and there
were some early mentions of a slight issue with Climb Pro
showing up correctly in that lane.
OK. Now probably the biggest new
capability is the diving stuff, built in dive computer.
That's huge. It really is.
(08:06):
It positions the Fenix 8IN an interesting spot, more capable
than, say, an Apple Watch Ultra running a third party app.
Like Oceanic plus gimes. Right, but not as advanced as
Garmin's own dedicated dive computers like the Descent MK3I.
So what dive features does it have?
It covers the basics for recreational diving well, single
gas, multi gas like nitrox gaugemode, apnea modes for free
(08:28):
diving plus a dive planner and the key data fields you need
underwater. But what's missing compared to
the high end descent? You don't get wireless air
integration. Can't see your tank pressure on
the watch, no wireless dive network for seeing other divers,
no diver readiness score, no trimix support for technical
diving, and none of the really advanced modes.
(08:51):
Gotcha, they mentioned an EN1331teen certification.
What does that actually mean forsomeone just snorkelling or
doing a reef dive? It's a pretty tough European
standard for dive equipment. It means the watch went through
a whole battery of tests. Temperature shocks, impact
resistance, Saltwater corrosion,pressure tests, button function,
Underwater readability. So it's properly tested for
(09:12):
diving. Exactly.
It's certified against that standard down to 40 metres.
That's separate from its general100 metre water resistance
rating. It basically gives you assurance
it's built and tested for recreational diving.
Countering that idea, you need some crazy depth rating for just
normal holiday diving. How does it work in the water?
Does it start automatically? Yep.
It kicks in when you go below about four feet or so.
Shows your depth, time, NDL call, ascent rate, the usual
(09:35):
stuff. You use the buttons to change
screens. Gives you alerts for ascent
rate, safety stops, deco limits.And stops when you surface.
Automatically ends the log a fewminutes after back on the
surface. One small quibble mentioned by
the 5K runner and others was thesurface interval timer resets if
you dip below 4 feet again, evenbriefly.
But having it built in, no subscription needed, that's a
(09:58):
plus. Huge plus, especially if you're
diving somewhere with spotty Internet.
We're relying on a own app and subscription could be a pain.
OK, back to basics. GPS and heart rate accuracy,
right? Still the gold standard.
Pretty much it uses the same hardware as the Fenix 7 Pro and
EPIX Pro, the multi band dual frequency GPS and the Elevate
(10:19):
Gen 5 heart rate sensor. And the performance?
Testing by both the 5K Runner and DC Rainmaker shows it's
basically identical to those previous models.
Which means, yeah, excellent. Still top tier for tracking runs
in cities or hikes and mountains.
Definitely still industry leading GPS accuracy and tricky
conditions. Right up there with what Apple
(10:40):
and Suntu are doing. Same story for the optical heart
rate. Among the best you can get from
the wrist. Very comparable to Apple.
I read about a new GPS correction feature, something
automatic. Yeah, this is interesting and a
bit hidden. There's an option now where the
watch can automatically process your GPS track after the
activity. It uses the internal sensors,
(11:00):
accelerometer, gyro to look for parts of the track where the GPS
signal might have been dodgy, like during walking or maybe
open water swimming. If it finds a potentially iffy
track, it flags it to get corrected using Garmin Connects
Cloud Processing. So it cleans up bad tracks.
That's the idea. A bit like Santos Fuse GPS
maybe, but leveraging online processing.
(11:23):
It only kicks in if the originalG pink state of suspect though,
not on every single file. Battery life always the big
question with bright screens andtonnes of features.
How's the Phoenix 8 holding up? The claims are strong and
testing seems to back them up pretty well.
Even the. AMOLED version.
Especially the AMOLED version that's seen a big improvement
over the Epics 2 Pro. It's now getting endurance
(11:44):
closer to what the old MIP Phoenix models offered, which is
impressive. So how often are people
charging? Reviewers running a pretty hard
Max accuracy GPS, lots of use. We're often getting around 4
days, maybe more. And for long GPS activities.
GPS tests like on long hikes of 810 hours, even using navigation
and the always on display showedthe Phoenix 8 often beating
(12:07):
Garmin's own specs, particularlyusing the Saudi Q mode.
Really solid. OK, but it can't all be perfect.
Let's talk potential drawbacks. The price tag seems to be, yeah,
significant. Yeah, that's probably the
biggest hurdle for a lot of people.
There's a noticeable price jump compared to previous
generations. It's a serious investment, no
doubt. And the new Voice Assistant
(12:28):
sounds cool, but how useful is it really?
It's a step, but the actual command part is maybe a bit
limited right now. Sometimes just pressing a button
is faster and easier. And using it to trigger your
phone's assistant. That integration feels a little
clunky according to some reports, not quite seamless yet.
Call quality, we touched on it, but just to confirm.
It's OK in quiet places, but yeah, ambient noise outdoors
(12:50):
really effects it. Standard smartwatch limitation?
Really. And the UI, even with the
tweaks, is it still potentially overwhelming for a newcomer?
It's still a very deep, feature packed watch.
So yes, while they've tried to streamline things, there's
definitely still a learning curve if you're new to Garmin.
Some felt the widgets could lookbetter visually, too, and the
new sports start screen wasn't amassive leap for everyone.
(13:13):
Any performance hiccups? Map lag was sometimes an issue
before. There are indications the
processor inside hasn't really changed.
Some benchmark tests suggest that, and that probably explains
why people are still seeing somelag when, you know, redrawing
maps, zooming or panning. OK.
And connect IQ data fields, you can add more per sport now,
right? 4 instead of 2.
(13:34):
Yes, you can have four per profile, but.
There's always a but. The total memory pool for all
CIQ stuff hasn't increased, so if you use 4 fields, each one
gets less memory than when you could only use two.
So more complex memory hungry data fields might struggle.
Could be an issue, yeah. Potential compatibility or
performance problems for those really big data fields.
(13:56):
That orange sensor guard we mentioned?
You're stuck with it. On the models that have it, yes,
it's fixed. Rotects the barometer, no
swapping it out if orange isn't your colour A definite aesthetic
consideration for some and. The AMOLED screen visibility
during exercise. That debate continues, I guess.
It does. The always on display dims
significantly to save power. Some users find it harder to see
(14:20):
quickly during a run, especiallyin bright sun compared to amip
screen. Which gets clearer and bright
light and you can force the backlight on.
Exactly. With the AMOLED you rely more on
the wrist gesture to brighten itfully.
Many get used to it. DC Rainmaker seems OK with the
gesture, but it's not the same as having that constant backlit
MIP visibility during a workout.If that's what you prefer, you
(14:42):
can't force the AMOLED backlightto stay on constantly during
exercise like you could with MIP.
Any other little niggles or bugsreported?
A few things. Some minor bugs mentioned around
turn by turn prompts in map layer selection.
Some users still find Garmin's data export and offline
management less intuitive than other platforms.
Also, it seems the native Spo 2 data field Blood Oxygen might
(15:05):
have been removed. You'd need a CIQ field for that
now during activity. And just the general point that
Garmin's AMOLED AO dimming isn'tthe same tech as Apple's LTPO
variable refresh rate, leading to different power brightness
trade-offs, and that ongoing discussion of what always on
really means or should mean. OK, quite a few points to weigh
(15:25):
there, but let's flip back to the positives.
What are the absolute standouts?Definitely the improved watch
faces, especially on AMOLED. They look great and are super
customizable. Big leap in solar charging
performance on those models. Battery life overall, especially
for. AMOLED huge improvement there.
Yes, getting the larger 1.4 inchscreen option on the smaller 43
millimetre and 47 millimetre bodies is great for usability
(15:48):
without the bulk. The new inductive buttons for
durability, yeah. The mic and speaker adding voice
features opens potential for thefuture too.
Built in dive computer, no subscription.
Big value add for divers and fundamentally still top tier GPS
and heart rate accuracy. Plus that new auto GPS
correction feature. And things like strength coach
and Garmin Connect, adjustable font sizes on the watch, lots of
(16:12):
solid improvements across the board.
So wrapping it up, the Phoenix 8looks like a really packed,
powerful update. It definitely is a major
evolution. You could say consolidating the
displays, boosting that AMOLED battery life, adding voice,
adding dive. These are significant steps.
But not without some debate. No.
(16:32):
The price, some of the UI choices, how some new features
work in practise. There's definitely a mix of
reactions out there. Well, we hope this deep dive
pulling from folks like the 5K Runner and the wider reviews has
given you, the learner, a reallysolid, digestible picture of the
Phoenix 8. Which leaves you with a final
thought to chew on. Considering this blend, this mix
(16:52):
of really high end sports tracking and these new
smartwatch features. Does the Garmin Phoenix eight
hit that sweet spot for your needs?
Or are there specific things, maybe the price, maybe a
specific feature or limitation that make it either a definite
yes or a maybe not right now foryou?
Definitely worth digging into more detailed reviews based on
what matters most to you.
Welcome to the deep dive. Today we're getting into the
Garmin Phoenix 8. It's that latest premium sports
smartwatch everyone's talking about.
Right. And we know you, our listener,
the learner you want the essentials.
Exactly what's new, what's good,What are the potential snags,
but without, you know, wading through pages of specs.
So our mission today is really to pull out those core Nuggets
(00:22):
about the Phoenix Eight, help you get informed fast.
We've looked at a lot of reviews, especially digging into
what the 5K runner had to say, and of course DC Rainmakers
super detailed analysis. OK, let's jump in then.
The first thing that kind of jumped out at me was the naming.
Seems like they've shaken thingsup a bit.
They really have O the Phoenix series.
(00:42):
You might remember the one with the MI display memory and Ixel.
The one that's great in sunlight.
That one, it's now being called Phoenix 8 Solar.
But the epics line, the one withthe bright AMOLED screen, Yeah.
The colourful 1. That's now just Phoenix 8,
simple as that. The Epics brand itself seems to
be well on the shelf for now. So basically they took 2 watches
(01:03):
that were pretty much identical inside, just different screens.
Exactly. Software features all the same,
mostly. And put them both under the
Phoenix name. It does make the lineup look
cleaner, I suppose. It definitely simplifies it from
one perspective, and if you're specifically after that MIP
display, the Enduro series is still carrying that torch.
(01:23):
The new Enduro 3 keeps the MIP screen.
OK, that makes sense. So moving to the watch itself,
the Phoenix 8, what are the big new things design wise?
I saw photos with this like orange stripe.
Ah yes, that orange bit between the buttons on the right.
It's not just for looks. Interestingly, it actually
houses the speaker and the barometer and gives them some
(01:45):
protection. Seems like they borrow that idea
from their descent dive watches.Clever.
And the buttons themselves, I read they're leak proof.
What's going on there? That's actually a pretty neat
bit of engineering for durability.
Instead of a physical connectiongoing through the case, they use
an inductive connection. Think like wireless charging
almost. There's no actual hole in the
(02:06):
inner case for the button mechanism.
Wow OK, so less chance of water getting in.
Precisely. The fuel might be a touch
different initially, I think the5K runner noted that, but they
seem solid. Right.
And the watch face, that's always the first thing you
notice. Heard some initial takes weren't
exactly glowing, especially fromthe 5K runner.
(02:26):
Yeah, the default one they ship with maybe didn't wow everyone
right out-of-the-box, but the customization available for the
watch faces is apparently a big step up.
Ah, classic garment always options.
Always options. You can still build your own in
the Connect IQ app, download tonnes of free ones or even buy
premium designs. Now they're saying it's like
their most flexible watch face system yet.
(02:48):
OK, beyond the face, how you actually use the watch the UI
that's seen some changes too, hasn't it it?
Has and it looks like part of a bigger Garmin strategy, trying
to make the experience more consistent across their watches.
Like bringing different lines together.
Sort of blending elements from the Epics Pro, the Forerunner
965, maybe even the VU 3. The idea seems to be a more
(03:08):
unified feel, whichever Garmin you pick up.
That's smart. Less relearning if you switch
models. So what specific changes will
you see day-to-day? Well, the widgets or glances,
they look a bit more polished. Charts use more screen space,
look cleaner and you can tap on them now to get more detail
which is handy less menu diving.Nice.
What about the main settings menu?
(03:30):
That could be amazed sometimes. They've definitely tackled that.
It's been significantly reorganised.
Things you use often are higher up and related settings are
grouped more, let's say logically good.
Yeah, the 5K runner pointed thatout as a real positive.
Should help new users and frankly existing users find
stuff easier. It shows Garmin's listening
maybe to feedback about menu complexity.
(03:53):
And the flashlight that became such a fan favourite.
Glad to see it's standard now. Absolutely that LED flashlight
from the Phoenix 7 Pro and EPIX Pro.
It's on every Phoenix 8 model now.
Same setup. Yep, 3 white brightness levels,
one red light for night vision. Still super practical.
Gets mentioned all the time as afeature people actually use.
And the heart rate sensor still the same reliable one it.
(04:15):
Is it's the same elevate Gen 5 optical sensor as the last pro
models? Hardware wise it can do ECG
right the. Electrical cardiogram.
But that feature is still only switched on for users in EU
right now. OK, now the big headline stuff.
Voice and speaker features. That's new territory for
Phoenix, isn't it? It really is, and it enables
(04:36):
quite a few new things because there's now a physical speaker
and microphone actually on the. Watch so you can what take
calls. Yeah, take calls from your
wrist. If your phone's nearby, you can
talk to your phone's Voice Assistant, like Siri or Google
Assistant. Through the watch.
Through the watch, Yeah. There's also an offline Garmin
Voice Assistant for some basic tasks.
You can play music out loud fromthe watch speaker and even
(04:57):
record voice notes. OK, let's unpack that.
The offline Garmin assistant, how does that work?
Is it like, hey Garmin? Not quite.
Hey Garmin, you press and hold the pop right button.
It's meant for simple stuff you can do without needing the
Internet. Like starting a run, setting a
timer, asking what's my heart rate, saving your location,
controlling music. It's handy for basics.
(05:18):
And it quirks. The phrasing can sometimes be a
bit specific, like the 5K runnermentioned, needing to say show
me the timer instead of just timer, little things like that.
And using your phone's assistant, Siri or Google.
How smooth is that? You access it via the apps menu.
The watch basically acts like a Bluetooth mic, sends your
(05:38):
command to the phone. But the answer comes back on the
phone. Exactly.
The answer comes from your phone, not the watch speaker, so
it's more like a remote trigger.OK.
And taking calls on the wrist. How's the quality?
It works like a standard Bluetooth headset using the
watch, mic and speaker. You can dial from the watch,
pick contacts, transfer calls back to the phone with.
The sound. It's reported as you know.
(05:59):
OK, decent. But like most watches, if you're
outside with a lot of noise, it's gonna struggle a bit.
Predictable really, right? And the voice notes feature
could be useful. Definitely.
It's another offline thing. In the apps menu, record quick
memos. You can even turn on geotagging
so you know where you recorded it.
Where do they save? On the watch for now, Garmin
(06:22):
says they're planning an update so you can transfer them to your
phone, which would make it much more practical long term.
OK, let's switch from talking tothe watch to tracking with it.
Sports and navigation changes. The screen where you start an
activity looks different, I saw.It does.
It's got this horizontal split now.
Your favourites and recently used activities are right there
(06:42):
at the top. Easier access.
That's the idea. Then below that there's a folder
with all the other sport profiles trying to speed things
up for your common workouts. And inside a sport profile, the
settings. Big change there.
All the settings for specific sport data fields, alerts,
everything are now in one long continuous scrolling list.
(07:03):
Sinto does it. A bit like that, yeah.
The thinking is it makes features less hidden, especially
if you're new to Garmin and don't know where to look in the
old nested menus. Makes sense and for navigation
if you're using courses or maps.There's a new saved area that
pulls together your courses, save locations, waypoints, all
that NAV stuff in one place. Easier to find your routes.
(07:24):
Hopefully. And when you're actually
following a course during an activity, they've sort of
structured it into three lanes. Lanes, yeah.
You've got your normal data screens and there's a dedicated
music control page and then a lane for navigation and
settings. You access the NAV lane by
swiping over to controls. Dedicated NAV lane useful or
redundant? Mixed feedback actually.
(07:45):
Some reviewers, including the 5Krunner felt it sometimes just
duplicated info you already haveon your data pages, and there
were some early mentions of a slight issue with Climb Pro
showing up correctly in that lane.
OK. Now probably the biggest new
capability is the diving stuff, built in dive computer.
That's huge. It really is.
(08:06):
It positions the Fenix 8IN an interesting spot, more capable
than, say, an Apple Watch Ultra running a third party app.
Like Oceanic plus gimes. Right, but not as advanced as
Garmin's own dedicated dive computers like the Descent MK3I.
So what dive features does it have?
It covers the basics for recreational diving well, single
gas, multi gas like nitrox gaugemode, apnea modes for free
(08:28):
diving plus a dive planner and the key data fields you need
underwater. But what's missing compared to
the high end descent? You don't get wireless air
integration. Can't see your tank pressure on
the watch, no wireless dive network for seeing other divers,
no diver readiness score, no trimix support for technical
diving, and none of the really advanced modes.
(08:51):
Gotcha, they mentioned an EN1331teen certification.
What does that actually mean forsomeone just snorkelling or
doing a reef dive? It's a pretty tough European
standard for dive equipment. It means the watch went through
a whole battery of tests. Temperature shocks, impact
resistance, Saltwater corrosion,pressure tests, button function,
Underwater readability. So it's properly tested for
(09:12):
diving. Exactly.
It's certified against that standard down to 40 metres.
That's separate from its general100 metre water resistance
rating. It basically gives you assurance
it's built and tested for recreational diving.
Countering that idea, you need some crazy depth rating for just
normal holiday diving. How does it work in the water?
Does it start automatically? Yep.
It kicks in when you go below about four feet or so.
Shows your depth, time, NDL call, ascent rate, the usual
(09:35):
stuff. You use the buttons to change
screens. Gives you alerts for ascent
rate, safety stops, deco limits.And stops when you surface.
Automatically ends the log a fewminutes after back on the
surface. One small quibble mentioned by
the 5K runner and others was thesurface interval timer resets if
you dip below 4 feet again, evenbriefly.
But having it built in, no subscription needed, that's a
(09:58):
plus. Huge plus, especially if you're
diving somewhere with spotty Internet.
We're relying on a own app and subscription could be a pain.
OK, back to basics. GPS and heart rate accuracy,
right? Still the gold standard.
Pretty much it uses the same hardware as the Fenix 7 Pro and
EPIX Pro, the multi band dual frequency GPS and the Elevate
(10:19):
Gen 5 heart rate sensor. And the performance?
Testing by both the 5K Runner and DC Rainmaker shows it's
basically identical to those previous models.
Which means, yeah, excellent. Still top tier for tracking runs
in cities or hikes and mountains.
Definitely still industry leading GPS accuracy and tricky
conditions. Right up there with what Apple
(10:40):
and Suntu are doing. Same story for the optical heart
rate. Among the best you can get from
the wrist. Very comparable to Apple.
I read about a new GPS correction feature, something
automatic. Yeah, this is interesting and a
bit hidden. There's an option now where the
watch can automatically process your GPS track after the
activity. It uses the internal sensors,
(11:00):
accelerometer, gyro to look for parts of the track where the GPS
signal might have been dodgy, like during walking or maybe
open water swimming. If it finds a potentially iffy
track, it flags it to get corrected using Garmin Connects
Cloud Processing. So it cleans up bad tracks.
That's the idea. A bit like Santos Fuse GPS
maybe, but leveraging online processing.
(11:23):
It only kicks in if the originalG pink state of suspect though,
not on every single file. Battery life always the big
question with bright screens andtonnes of features.
How's the Phoenix 8 holding up? The claims are strong and
testing seems to back them up pretty well.
Even the. AMOLED version.
Especially the AMOLED version that's seen a big improvement
over the Epics 2 Pro. It's now getting endurance
(11:44):
closer to what the old MIP Phoenix models offered, which is
impressive. So how often are people
charging? Reviewers running a pretty hard
Max accuracy GPS, lots of use. We're often getting around 4
days, maybe more. And for long GPS activities.
GPS tests like on long hikes of 810 hours, even using navigation
and the always on display showedthe Phoenix 8 often beating
(12:07):
Garmin's own specs, particularlyusing the Saudi Q mode.
Really solid. OK, but it can't all be perfect.
Let's talk potential drawbacks. The price tag seems to be, yeah,
significant. Yeah, that's probably the
biggest hurdle for a lot of people.
There's a noticeable price jump compared to previous
generations. It's a serious investment, no
doubt. And the new Voice Assistant
(12:28):
sounds cool, but how useful is it really?
It's a step, but the actual command part is maybe a bit
limited right now. Sometimes just pressing a button
is faster and easier. And using it to trigger your
phone's assistant. That integration feels a little
clunky according to some reports, not quite seamless yet.
Call quality, we touched on it, but just to confirm.
It's OK in quiet places, but yeah, ambient noise outdoors
(12:50):
really effects it. Standard smartwatch limitation?
Really. And the UI, even with the
tweaks, is it still potentially overwhelming for a newcomer?
It's still a very deep, feature packed watch.
So yes, while they've tried to streamline things, there's
definitely still a learning curve if you're new to Garmin.
Some felt the widgets could lookbetter visually, too, and the
new sports start screen wasn't amassive leap for everyone.
(13:13):
Any performance hiccups? Map lag was sometimes an issue
before. There are indications the
processor inside hasn't really changed.
Some benchmark tests suggest that, and that probably explains
why people are still seeing somelag when, you know, redrawing
maps, zooming or panning. OK.
And connect IQ data fields, you can add more per sport now,
right? 4 instead of 2.
(13:34):
Yes, you can have four per profile, but.
There's always a but. The total memory pool for all
CIQ stuff hasn't increased, so if you use 4 fields, each one
gets less memory than when you could only use two.
So more complex memory hungry data fields might struggle.
Could be an issue, yeah. Potential compatibility or
performance problems for those really big data fields.
(13:56):
That orange sensor guard we mentioned?
You're stuck with it. On the models that have it, yes,
it's fixed. Rotects the barometer, no
swapping it out if orange isn't your colour A definite aesthetic
consideration for some and. The AMOLED screen visibility
during exercise. That debate continues, I guess.
It does. The always on display dims
significantly to save power. Some users find it harder to see
(14:20):
quickly during a run, especiallyin bright sun compared to amip
screen. Which gets clearer and bright
light and you can force the backlight on.
Exactly. With the AMOLED you rely more on
the wrist gesture to brighten itfully.
Many get used to it. DC Rainmaker seems OK with the
gesture, but it's not the same as having that constant backlit
MIP visibility during a workout.If that's what you prefer, you
(14:42):
can't force the AMOLED backlightto stay on constantly during
exercise like you could with MIP.
Any other little niggles or bugsreported?
A few things. Some minor bugs mentioned around
turn by turn prompts in map layer selection.
Some users still find Garmin's data export and offline
management less intuitive than other platforms.
Also, it seems the native Spo 2 data field Blood Oxygen might
(15:05):
have been removed. You'd need a CIQ field for that
now during activity. And just the general point that
Garmin's AMOLED AO dimming isn'tthe same tech as Apple's LTPO
variable refresh rate, leading to different power brightness
trade-offs, and that ongoing discussion of what always on
really means or should mean. OK, quite a few points to weigh
(15:25):
there, but let's flip back to the positives.
What are the absolute standouts?Definitely the improved watch
faces, especially on AMOLED. They look great and are super
customizable. Big leap in solar charging
performance on those models. Battery life overall, especially
for. AMOLED huge improvement there.
Yes, getting the larger 1.4 inchscreen option on the smaller 43
millimetre and 47 millimetre bodies is great for usability
(15:48):
without the bulk. The new inductive buttons for
durability, yeah. The mic and speaker adding voice
features opens potential for thefuture too.
Built in dive computer, no subscription.
Big value add for divers and fundamentally still top tier GPS
and heart rate accuracy. Plus that new auto GPS
correction feature. And things like strength coach
and Garmin Connect, adjustable font sizes on the watch, lots of
(16:12):
solid improvements across the board.
So wrapping it up, the Phoenix 8looks like a really packed,
powerful update. It definitely is a major
evolution. You could say consolidating the
displays, boosting that AMOLED battery life, adding voice,
adding dive. These are significant steps.
But not without some debate. No.
(16:32):
The price, some of the UI choices, how some new features
work in practise. There's definitely a mix of
reactions out there. Well, we hope this deep dive
pulling from folks like the 5K Runner and the wider reviews has
given you, the learner, a reallysolid, digestible picture of the
Phoenix 8. Which leaves you with a final
thought to chew on. Considering this blend, this mix
(16:52):
of really high end sports tracking and these new
smartwatch features. Does the Garmin Phoenix eight
hit that sweet spot for your needs?
Or are there specific things, maybe the price, maybe a
specific feature or limitation that make it either a definite
yes or a maybe not right now foryou?
Definitely worth digging into more detailed reviews based on
what matters most to you.
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