FENIX 8 IS OFFICIAL! THOUGHTS and REACTIONS

Livestream review The Phoenix eight is now out in official Garmin. Hold a live stream at 7 a.m. this morning, and I postpone my morning run just to be sure to watch it all. Now, in typical Garmin, we do our own thing fashion. It was streamed not on YouTube, the largest streaming service in the world, but rather on Korea cast, which is an odd French site I know nothing about. Maybe it's an amazing site and you can tell me why I should know about it in the comments. The selection makes a little sense though, given the location of the presentation. Anyway, it seemed like a very Garmin presentation, not the glitz and glamor of an Apple or Samsung Live event, but a few guys hanging out on a small stage backdrop by. And I don't speak French, so no bullying me in the comments. Shamone Valley and Mom belong where the Utmb finals are about to take place. The Garmin reps were top product managers, and I immediately stopped trusting Martin after he said this. Phoenix, which is the most significant update that we ever did on the Phoenix. Like Come on now I get hoping a product, but let's respect the customers to For reasons I'm not aware of, there are continuous shots of people paragliding in the background. I'm not sure if that's something people do all the time at Mont Blanc, but they couldn't help but cut to the wide shots whenever someone flew by. But anyways, yeah, let's get into the Fenix coverage. Fenix 8 Features They discussed a new lineup that we've already gone over in previous videos. The Fenix eight, which is the new moniker for the Fenix with the OLED display, comes in three sizes and an option of stainless steel and Gorilla Glass, or titanium and sapphire. The Fenix Solar, which is the new MIP model, comes in two sizes and only, with titanium and sapphire. In addition to those watches, we have the new Fenix E as well as the Enduro three. But in this video, we're focusing on the Fenix eight. Now, I did cover some new features that will be discussed quite a bit in future videos. They included map improvements, dynamic round trip routing, voice assistant functions, voice commands, voice notes, Leakproof buttons which enable scuba diving, snorkeling. they talked about some strength training improvements and programs. Listen, I'm going to do a full review when I get my hands on one, which will be real soon, We Nailed The Leaks But I'm going to go ahead and say I'm proud that I'm Dave. Does fitness. We nail the overwhelming majority of leaks that we're covered on this channel, so congrats to everyone that follows the channel. You knew exactly what was coming on the Fenix eight and even what day it was going to be announced. So now that it's all official, where does that leave us? Pricing Thoughts Here's the thing. This is the best all around sports watch on the market. Easy. Hands down. I'm about to cover some of the new features, but first I do have to touch on the pricing. Listen, I know Garmin flagships have always been premium. There's no doubt about that. And inflation is real and it's hitting hard lately. And I knew that the hardware revision to the buttons, which enabled the dive certification, would likely mean a higher and price, but I still think the jump in pricing is a bit much for the value delivery, and will make many of the Garmin faithful stop and reflect for a long minute before they decide to commit over $1,000 on a sports watch upgrade. Now I cover the anticipated pricing, which was accurate so we knew what to expect price wise. But I also thought that would come with some form of improved processing display sensors or some other internal upgrade to boost performance that we didn't yet know about. And that would help justify the pricing. New Feature Comparison Real quick, I have to say that while the new Fenix eight has an eye watering price tag, showing support for my channel costs absolutely nothing, and I appreciate every thumbs up and sub way more than Garmin appreciates a paraglider in the background of their presentations. All right, back to it. So what exactly are we getting in the Fenix eight? As I just mentioned, I've got one on the way and we'll do a hands on impressions and review once it arrives. But just looking at it on paper, what are the differences to improve upon the Epix Pro or Fenix seven Pro? I took a look at the Garmin comparison tool on their website and there was so much. It was exactly the same. I looked solely at the differences and there really wasn't much listed. It looks like the Fenix eight actually loses a skin temperature when compared to the Pro line, and I'm not sure if that's accurate or not, but not sure why they'd remove something like that. It seemed like a useful feature. And tactical features. It looks like zero locations is not included any longer. And you may say, what's that? I've never used that. Well, apparently it works with zero branded both sites. So yeah, it's for both hunting. That's probably why I don't know about it. Looks like we're also losing the gaming activity and game on app compatibility. So sorry, looks like it's game over for the gamers. Under training and analysis, apparently the Fenix eight is gaining a workout benefit feature. I'm not sure if that's supposed to be different than training effect. I mean it sure sounds the same, but perhaps it ties into the improved training programs they really focus on. And in outdoor recreation, the Fenix eight loses reference points again. I'm hoping that just isn't accurate. Perhaps it's called something else now with navigation, but I don't know why you take that out. Then we get to the elephant in the room, the mic and speaker, as well as diving and snorkeling. Now I will say I've heard stories of people having serious issues with their waterproof garmins after doing open water swims. I imagine it was from button presses while in the water. So even if you aren't a diver, this will seal the watch up and protect it for any water activity. And I think it's a really good upgrade for anyone that goes in the water. But okay, aside from the mic, speaker and diving activities, depending on the model, you're also getting an extra point one inch of display on the Fenix eight, and the Fenix eight is also listed for an extra day of battery life, with the always on display going from 6 to 7 days, but somehow the same 16 days with res to wake, which is a little questionable. It does look like a lot of the battery life measurements have improved in other activities, though. Oh, and it's also just under a millimeter less depth to the watch, so maybe it catches less under shirt cuff, I don't know, but really that's about it. That's a some of what the Fenix eight comes down to as a generational improvement. And on paper it doesn't look too amazing if I'm being completely honest with you. Worth the Upgrade? Now, as I mentioned, I was holding out hope there would be some type of internal upgrade to the elevate five sensor. Mentioned of a faster processor or higher pixel density on the display, some type of performance improvement to the watch. And of course, I was really hoping for LTE connectivity, but it seems like the majority of the internals are the same as the Pro lineup when it comes to what's actually powering the watch. Now here's the thing the Fenix and Epix were already industry leading watches with what is now the previous pro generation, and the new Fenix lineup has improved. So to me, this watch is still the king. If you want the best of the best sports watch, there is. Then there's still no comparison out there. Whether Apple, Suunto or Coros come up with some serious challenges in the near future remains to be seen. You know, it could be argued that the top competition for the Fenix eight is the Epix Pro and the Fenix seven Pro. So now that it's all out and official, what do you think about the Fenix eight? Do you think it will live up to the hype as the next edition of the storied Fenix lineup? Do you think it is worth an upgrade? If so, what watch are you upgrading from? I'm genuinely curious to hear about that. I myself am upgrading an Epix Gen two Stainless Edition, and I'm excited at what I'm getting with a multi-generational jump. But also, if I'm being honest with you, if I didn't want it for the sake of Dave does fitness, then I'd likely be doing some. Dave does waiting for a sale, but the improvements will all be welcome, and I'm excited to test some of the new features and bring some great training information your way real soon. Y'all Awesome As always, if you made it to the end, I appreciate you taking the time to hang with me today. If you liked the video, be sure to throw a thumb. If you want to see the hands on videos coming real soon, be sure to subscribe! I'm Dave and this is Dave. Does Fitness have an awesome day and stay fit? Keep.