In addition to its new Fenix 8, Garmin announced the Garmin Fenix 8 Solar, a watch with a solar-charged MIP display and a battery life of over 40 days.
If some people feared that the announcement of the Garmin Fenix 8 would signal the end of watches “outdoor » with a MIP screen at Garmin, this is not the case.
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Alongside its new high-end watch, the American manufacturer unveiled this Tuesday a more accessible and much more autonomous version of the Fenix 8, the Garmin Fenix 8 Solar.
A solar-charged watch
As its name suggests, this new Garmin Fenix 8 Solar is equipped with a solar charging system. Enough to benefit from a much greater autonomy than that of the classic Garmin Fenix 8.
Concretely, here are the autonomies announced by the manufacturer according to the use and the format of the watch (provided there is sufficient lighting):
| Fenix 8 47 mm | Fenix 8 Solar 47 mm | Fenix 8 51 mm | Fenix 8 Solar 51 mm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode smartwatch | up to 16 days | up to 28 days | up to 29 days | up to 48 days |
| Smartwatch mode with always-on display | up to 7 days | up to 28 days | up to 13 days | up to 48 days |
| GPS tracking | up to 47 hours | up to 92 hours | up to 84 hours | up to 149 hours |
| GPS tracking with always-on display | up to 37 hours | up to 92 hours | up to 65 hours | up to 149 hours |
Concretely, the solar charging of the Garmin watch obviously allows to considerably increase the autonomy of the watch, but this is not its only argument on the autonomy side.
A more energy-efficient MIP display
Indeed, unlike the standard Fenix 8, the Fenix 8 Solar has a transflective MIP screen, and not Amoled. Enough to allow it to permanently display information on the screen without draining its battery.
This type of display also allows for better readability in direct sunlight, but is more limited in terms of definition, contrast and color rendering. As a reminder, until now, the watches in the Fenix range all benefited from a MIP panel when Amoled was the preserve of the Epix range.
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The other main difference between the Fenix 8 and the Fenix 8 Solar is the choice of sizes. For its solar-charged model, Garmin only offers two sizes: 47 and 51 mm, without the 43 mm version of the classic Fenix 8. Given the location of the solar surface, the watch also benefits from a slightly smaller screen:
- Garmin Fenix 8 Solar 47 mm : 1,3 pouce, 260 x 260 pixels
- Garmin Fenix 8 Solar 51 mm : 1,4 pouce, 280 x 280 pixels
For comparison, the Fenix 8 47 mm benefits from a 1.4-inch panel with a definition of 454 x 454 pixels.
As for the other features, the Fenix 8 Solar has the same new features as the classic Fenix 8, with microphone and speaker for calls, diving functions up to 40 meters, LED flashlight, dual frequency GPS or Elevate Gen 5 heart rate sensor.
Also note that Garmin presented its Garmin Enduro 3, without microphone or speaker, but with up to 3 months of battery life.
Garmin Fenix 8 Solar Price and Availability
The Garmin Fenix 8 Solar comes in two sizes, 47 mm or 51 mm. It is available from this Tuesday at 1099.99 euros for the small size and 1199.99 euros for the large size.
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