I took the Garmin Fenix 8 on hikes around the UK - here's why it's worth buying in the sale this week

The Fenix 8 might be a little bulkier and more rugged than some of our best Garmin watches, but who said that was a bad thing? This smartwatch outperforms practically any other in function and design.

There's no doubt looks matter when it comes to choosing your fitness tracker (especially if you plan to wear it to the office or to brunch), but runners, hikers, and off-roaders of all kinds (or just those who want a little more space to read their stats) will welcome this watch with open arms.

With pristine GPS, updated navigation tools and a torch, plus smartwatch features like voice command, I found this to be a truly excellent toy for those who want it all.

My Garmin Fenix 8 review

First impressions 

When it was first released, the Garmin Fenix 8 was eagerly anticipated - and for good reason. This smartwatch has taken the winning formula of the previous model (the Fenix 7) and ramped up the intensity, delivering more navigation tools, a crystal-clear AMOLED display, voice commands, and more smartwatch features, such as the ability to make and receive phone calls.

While the bulky design of this watch might put many women off, there are multiple case sizes to choose from, with the smallest being 43mm - the same as the wrist-friendly Forerunner 165. The other options are 47mm and 51mm, and they all come with the option of solar charging.

Along with regular features you'll find on most Garmin watches of this calibre, like Training Readiness Score, Race Predictor, Body Battery, VO2 Max, the Fenix 8 offers updated heart rate sensors (so it's even more accurate), better GPS tracking, and Dynamic Routing, so backcountry runners and hikers can now access really nifty functions, like being guided back to your starting point.

If you're following a preloaded route, the topographical maps are brilliantly clear, even in the smallest case, though I did have to open the Garmin Connect app to get it to refresh. Once you're out on the trail, the GPS is super sharp and responsive if you get off route.

Of course, you'll still get all the basics - from live heart rate and step count data, with over 100 workout modes (all viewable in the Garmin Connect app), to deep insights into your sleep health and stress levels.

The battery life is also better, with specs claiming up to 21 days in smartwatch mode and 67 hours in GPS-only mode. Crucially, though, it offers up to 48 hours if you're using it in All Satellite Mode, which means greater accuracy but a faster drain on your battery. It also has an energy-saving mode. In my field test, I had to charge it every five or six days when using it to track a run, hike, swim or yoga for typically at least 90 minutes a day. Still, compared to anything like the Apple Watch Ultra or even some other Garmin devices, this is excellent.

Specifications

• Case sizes: 43mm, 47mm or 51mm
• Display: AMOLED or Solar options
• Weight (43mm): 2.1oz / 60g
• Battery life: 21 days in smartwatch / up to 28 hours in GPS mode / 28 days in solar
• Water rating: 10ATM
• Materials: Titanium bezel, Power Sapphire lens, fibre-reinforced polymer case
• Price: £650+

Design

I tested the 43mm case, which is the smallest size, but it's still surprisingly high profile. There's no denying that this is a big, bulky watch. It took up most of my wrist, so if you have particularly small wrists, it might be a struggle. I'd suggest the Fenix 7S instead.

For the first couple of days, I found I had a slight bruise on my wrist from wearing it. I got used to that, but I do find that this watch is a little awkward, and I found it uncomfortable to sleep with it on, so I largely missed out on sleep data after a quick test.

I tested it during winter, so I was trail running and hiking, wearing multiple layers, all with long sleeves. The size of this watch means that clothes are both difficult to get on and off when wearing it, and also that it's exceptionally difficult to pull up my sleeve to check the map. For that reason, I've mostly resorted to pulling all my sleeves up over it and hiking or running with a cold right hand. I'm sure it's great for people who run in T-shirts in summer, and you can buy long-sleeved tops with a hole especially designed for a smartwatch to poke through.

The flip side of this is that it's a really robust build. Not only can it withstand being dropped and bashed around, I also don't find myself accidentally pressing buttons and pausing it, ever. I can't say the same for other smartwatches, and I can see all the data clearly on the screen.

Garmin Fenix 8: in the field 

I gave Garmin Fenix 8 an initial three-week test during which time I used it for six trail runs (two in remote mountainous terrain), one road run, three hikes, two pool swims and nine yoga classes. I then wore it on my trek to Everest Base Camp, and more recently on a five-day thru-hike in the Lake District National Park.

I also compared it to the Coros Pace 3, one of our best running watches, to compare the two in terms of metrics. This watch has since been taken off sale, however, and replaced with the Coros Pace 4.

This watch is brimming with features, having taken all the best ones from the rugged Fenix line and added more smartwatch features, so I'm focusing on the newer ones and the ones I've used the most. If you're looking for a good overview of the features on all Garmin watches, read our guide to buying Garmin watches.

I started off with the Back to Start function in the maps, which I pulled up live during my run. I think it's a genius feature for people like me who like to just hare off into the hills without a plan. To be on the safe side, I used it in a huge, meandering country park where I never seemed to be able to create the same running route twice, but was sure I wouldn't end up too lost. Instead of trying to figure out my route or memorise my return, I just ran until I reached about 4k, then hit Back to Start and followed my watch the way I came. It's so easy.

The voice command works great and means that I can just double-press the Options button and say "start trail running" rather than having to scroll through the menu. I also found I really liked the touchscreen, something I had disabled on my Coros Pace 3.

You can make and receive calls on the watch, just like the Apple Watch, and pair your workout headphones directly, linking up with Spotify, Deezer, or YouTube Music (but not Apple Music) to listen on the move without your phone. Always a welcome function, even though women's running shorts have a lot more pockets these days.

I also need to mention the torch. It's such a great feature. I was having issues with my headlamp on a night run, and the flashlight function on this watch absolutely saved me. It was really bright (and adjustable) and surprisingly good at lighting up the path, even though it was on my wrist rather than a focused beam. It also means I always have a secondary light source for backup when I'm fiddling with my headlamp.

Best of all, when I stopped to enjoy the stars, I could quickly turn it down to red light to avoid dazzling my friends. I also use the red light function regularly now when I get dressed in the dark for my 6:30 am yoga class, so I don't disturb my boyfriend.

Performance

This was my first time using a Garmin – I've been wearing the Coros Pace 3 for over a year, and I was a bit worried that it would be overly complicated to use when I saw it had five buttons compared to two on my Coros. However, as soon as I fired it up, I got a handy graphic from Garmin showing me what each button does, and I was away. The touchscreen function helps, but I found the whole interface to be instantly intuitive, even if there are myriad options.

To test the updated GPS, I first used a preloaded map during an 11k night run in the Campsies, which are hills not too far from Glasgow, where I live. These hills are well-travelled by hikers, but they're not known for great paths, so I was keen to see how my watch would handle them. Even though I'm familiar with the area, I downloaded the map from AllTrails, one of the best walking apps, to follow, a process which I found fairly painless. Although it did require me to log onto Garmin via my laptop, I'd prefer to be able to do it all via the app on my phone.

Once I got going, I could tell almost instantly that the GPS was spot-on, giving me an alert if I veered off route, which I did once or twice to avoid boggy areas.

Next, I made sure to test this on a route I'd never hiked before, and it was a tricky enough route that I don't think I'd have managed it without my watch, which kept me right the whole way.

I love the maps function so much that I decided to bring it along on my recent five-day long-distance hike, and I was so glad I did. The 75-mile trail really wasn't that well waymarked, and the weather wasn't great, either. Because I had pre-downloaded the GPX file to my watch, I was able to breeze past every confusing trail junction, which saved me a lot of time and gave me a lot of confidence in remote areas.

Just out of interest, I also tried doing a Zone 2 trail run to see how well it worked. It was pretty straightforward, alerting me every time my heart rate got too high and then again when I was back in Zone 2. That part worked brilliantly, with the only real issue being that I find it impossible to run in Zone 2 - but that's another article.

The problem with this was that for my next run, which was a four-hour mountain run with a group, I just went back to Trail Running and hit start, not realising that it had saved my previous options. The result was my watch beeped at me annoyingly every 30 seconds, even when I was eating lunch (surely if I was stationary, it would know I wasn't trying to be in Zone 2?). I was the least popular person on the trail that day, and although I accept it must have been user error, I think it would be better for it to default back to regular settings than assume you want to run in Zone 2 until you die, since I still haven't figured out how to turn it off.

Garmin says the heart rate sensor has been updated, too, which is the main reason I wore this watch in tandem with my Coros Pace 3 for every activity. In every activity, the two watches were only about three beats per minute off, which I think is a good sign they're both pretty accurate.

Finally, battery life. This is a complicated thing to estimate because how long you get out of any watch all depends on which version you buy and how you use it. Basically, I used mine for an activity or two every day, usually for a minimum of 90 minutes, often with GPS, sometimes without (as in yoga) and sometimes with the battery-draining flashlight I love so much. What I discovered is that with this level of use, I had to charge every five or six days. That's a lot more frequently than my Coros, but miles better than an Apple Watch. If you wear yours for a more moderate 30 - 60 minutes five days a week, I reckon you'll get more like twice that, and if you're training for an ultra or doing a long-distance hike, you'd better bring a portable charger.

Value

There's no denying that this is a phenomenally expensive watch. In 2026, it's on sale for about £800, down from the £900+ it was when it was first released. Will you get one of the best-performing smartwatches on the market for that price? Undoubtedly. But do you really need so much functionality? That's really up to you.

I can't help but think the overlap between people who really love smartwatch functionality and rugged outdoors features might be small, but then again, there's a big market of people who just like great gadgets.

There is one workaround that's worth knowing about, and that's the Garmin Fenix E, which comes in 47mm only, for £529.99. It has an AMOLED display but a stainless steel case, a shorter battery life, and no torch. The other alternative is the Garmin Fenix 7, which is even cheaper at £379 from most retailers. It's a great watch with many similar features to the Fenix 8, but you won't have the AMOLED display, and you won't be able to make or receive phone calls.

Garmin Fenix 8: the bottom line 

After years of saying 'I'm not a Garmin person', it turns out I could be a Garmin person if there's a flashlight and excellent navigation thrown in. If you love adventuring, fancy gadgets with tons of tech and have a wad of cash burning a hole in your pocket, this watch is definitely for you.

It's clearly one of the best from Garmin yet, but its price, bulk, and weight are something to consider if you're on the smaller side.