The Garmin Fenix 8 and Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro are both built for the outdoors. One is a high-end multisport watch with years of refinement behind it. The other comes from Zepp Health and costs a lot less, but still manages to pack in serious hardware and tracking features.
That’s where the comparison gets interesting. Garmin gives you the option of solar charging, ECG, detailed training insights and more control over customisation. Amazfit leaves out a few of those extras, but still offers dual-band GPS, offline maps, a bright AMOLED screen and accurate health tracking. You don’t get the same ecosystem, but you also don’t need to spend a thousand dollars.
Here’s where Amazfit holds its own and where Garmin still leads.
View Amazfit T-Rex 3 on Amazfit / Amazon. View Garmin Fenix 8 on Garmin / Amazon.
Where the T-Rex 3 Pro holds its own
Zepp Health has steadily improved its outdoor watches to the point where the differences are no longer as one-sided. The T-Rex 3 Pro delivers a lot of what people expect from top-tier gear, without leaning on a legacy name.
Zepp Health nails the value equation
Let’s start with the obvious one.
What works in Amazfit’s favour starts with the $399 price tag. You’re getting a rugged, military-tested smartwatch with serious outdoor chops for a fraction of what a Fenix 8 will cost.
That includes materials like sapphire glass, a titanium bezel, 10 ATM water resistance and a body built to withstand extreme conditions. Garmin still leads in some areas, but the T-Rex 3 Pro gets pretty close on core durability and build.
Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro
Garmin tends to charge heavily for every tier upgrade. The Fenix 8 starts at $1,000 and climbs to $1,200 for the 51mm Solar edition. There’s also the Fenix E stripped-back option at around $800, but even that sits twice above the Amazfit price-tag.
It get’s even scarier. If you go for the latest Fenix 8 Pro, the starting price jumps to $1,200 and hits $2,000 for the MicroLED configuration! Yikes.
Garmin Fenix 8
So it’s really two different strategies. Garmin leans into ultra-premium positioning. Zepp Health tries to deliver as much as possible while keeping the T-Rex 3 Pro at a more accessible price point.
Furthermore, while both Garmin and Zepp Health currently include pretty much all features without a subscription, Garmin has introduced services like Connect+ that suggest a possible move toward more paid options in the future. Zepp Health, by contrast, continues to bundle everything into the upfront cost of the T-Rex 3 Pro.
Display, design and ruggedness hold up
The T-Rex 3 Pro comes with a 1.5-inch AMOLED screen at 480 x 480 pixels that reaches 3,000 nits of brightness. That makes it one of the brightest outdoor-ready displays available, and it manages this without putting too much strain on battery life.
Garmin’s Fenix 8 offers either a 1.4-inch AMOLED at 454 x 454 pixels with 1,000 nits of brightness or a MIP Solar panel at 260 x 260. The Fenix 8 E scales that down slightly to a 1.3-inch AMOLED at 416 x 416. You don’t get the MIP option with the Amazfit, so it’s AMOLED only, but on pure screen performance Amazfit takes the edge.
Materials are good whichever brand you choose. The T-Rex 3 Pro pairs sapphire glass with a titanium bezel and buttons, alongside a fiber-reinforced polymer case. It feels sturdy in the hand while staying lightweight at just 52 grams. The Fenix 8 starts at 73 grams and goes up depending on the build. So no big difference here.
Ruggedness is also comparable. The T-Rex 3 Pro is rated at 10 ATM with support for free-diving to 45 meters, plus scuba capability. Garmin’s Fenix 8 also offers 10 ATM resistance and adds a depth sensor for dives up to 40 meters. On paper, that makes them evenly matched for water sports, though Garmin adds a bit more depth tracking. Both can handle dust, shock and extreme environments.
Where Garmin pulls ahead is in variety. Zepp Health gives you the T-Rex 3 Pro in either 48mm or 44mm, both with AMOLED displays. Garmin offers the Fenix 8 in 43mm, 47mm and 51mm sizes, along with a choice between AMOLED and MIP Solar displays on the 47mm model. The Fenix 8 E comes in 47mm only, but it still adds another AMOLED configuration to the mix. So while Zepp Health nails the basics, Garmin gives you more flexibility to choose the exact fit and display type you want.
Features that make T-Rex 3 Pro versatile
The T-Rex 3 Pro comes with a built-in LED flashlight. A first for Zepp Health. It may seem like a small thing on paper, but it’s the kind of feature you start to miss once you’ve used it. Whether you’re hiking at night or just fumbling for something in a dark tent, having a light source on your wrist is useful. Garmin includes a flashlight on the Fenix 8, but not on the more affordable Fenix 8 E.
Amazfit also includes both a speaker and microphone on the T-Rex 3 Pro, letting you take calls, use voice assistants and hear alerts without touching your phone. Garmin offers the same on the Fenix 8, but the Fenix 8 E leaves both out. That split in feature set makes the difference more noticeable at lower price points.
Storage is another point of contrast. The T-Rex 3 Pro offers 26 GB of internal space for music and data. Garmin gives you more on the Fenix 8 with 32 GB, but the Fenix 8 E drops to 16 GB, putting Amazfit right in the middle.
Taken together, these extras make the T-Rex 3 Pro feel less like a stripped-down GPS watch and more like a true hybrid between outdoor tracker and everyday smartwatch.
It’s worth noting that both the Amazfit and Garmin use proprietary operating systems. You don’t get a wide ecosystem as you would on the Apple Watch or WearOS, but you do get excellent battery life.
Sports tracking is catching up
The T-Rex 3 Pro supports 180 sports modes, including some niche ones most people will never touch. Garmin covers just as much ground with the Fenix 8, offering a deep list of activities across outdoor, indoor and water-based sports. Both give you more than enough variety.
In my hands-on review of the T-Rex 3 Pro I tested it side-by-side for running against a Garmin. And the device held up well. GPS distance was nearly identical each and every time, and heart rate data was consistently within a beat or two. Peak values matched on multiple efforts. Zepp Health’s latest sensor setup clearly isn’t holding it back anymore.
Garmin still has the edge in post-run analysis, structured workouts, and sensor pairing. But Zepp Health now includes key metrics like VO2 Max, Training Load, and Vertical Ratio. For most users, the T-Rex 3 Pro offers tracking that’s reliable enough to train with, not just log workouts.
Battery that goes the distance
The 48mm T-Rex 3 Pro offers up to 25 days of typical use and up to 38 hours of continuous GPS tracking. That puts it near the top for AMOLED-based smartwatches in this price range. It handles daily use with notifications, activity tracking, music playback and GPS without needing to be charged every few days.
Garmin’s 47mm Fenix 8 with AMOLED delivers up to 16 days of smartwatch use, or 7 days with always-on display. GPS runtime is rated for up to 47 hours, or 37 with always-on. Switch to the MIP Solar version and those numbers go even higher. Smartwatch mode extends to 28 days with solar charging, and GPS tracking can last up to 92 hours under optimal light conditions. The Fenix 8 E is slightly more limited, with 16 days of smartwatch use and 42 hours of GPS.
Garmin still wins on raw battery longevity, especially with solar. But the T-Rex 3 Pro holds its own without needing aggressive power-saving or solar panels. Zepp Health’s software does a good job balancing features and battery, so most users will get solid endurance without having to turn things off just to make it through the week.
Navigation without added cost
The T-Rex 3 Pro offers offline maps, route guidance and point-of-interest search right out of the box. There are no subscriptions to manage and no extra payments required to unlock basic navigation tools. Everything is handled through the Zepp Health app, with support for importing GPX files and syncing planned routes.
Garmin still leads in overall mapping depth. The Fenix 8 series gives you access to rich topographic maps, turn-by-turn trail routing, and broader ecosystem sync with other Garmin devices. You can also build routes in more detail through Garmin Connect. For serious backcountry use or advanced training environments, it’s a more complete package.
But not everyone needs that level of complexity. If you’re mostly using maps for hiking, running or basic outdoor tracking, the T-Rex 3 Pro covers the fundamentals well. And it does so without adding more layers of software or steps to the process. That simplicity may appeal to users who just want reliable on-watch navigation without extra setup.
Where Garmin still leads
Garmin’s strength lies in the depth of its platform. From detailed performance charts to long-term training analysis, the tools are built for athletes who want to track progress over months, not just sessions. You can sync across devices like bike computers and satellite gear, making the ecosystem feel complete. Zepp Health has improved its app experience, but most of the value still sits on the watch itself.
Garmin also has the track record for reliability. Whether it’s mountain routes, ultra races or backcountry navigation, the Fenix 8 is built for pressure. It’s the watch people trust when the environment gets unpredictable.
In terms of health sensors, both watches cover heart rate, SpO2, temperature and stress tracking. But the Fenix 8 adds ECG support, which the T-Rex 3 Pro doesn’t offer. Still, overall accuracy across the Amazfit sensors is strong and consistent.
Garmin also gives you more control. You can fine-tune data fields, adjust activity profiles and set up the watch exactly how you want it. For users who care about those kinds of details, the flexibility is there.
For many users though, those extras won’t justify double or triple the price. The T-Rex 3 Pro may not win on every feature, but it covers enough ground to make you stop and think.
If you’re after durability, strong battery life, offline navigation and some practical extras, without locking yourself into an expensive ecosystem, this watch makes a convincing case.
View Amazfit T-Rex 3 on Amazfit / Amazon. View Garmin Fenix 8 on Garmin / Amazon.
Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro vs Garmin Fenix 8
Here is a tech specs comparison. It compares the mid size Garmin Fenix 8, the E version versus the 48mm Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro.
Feature
Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro (48mm)
Garmin Fenix 8 (47mm)
Garmin Fenix 8 E (47mm)
Release date
Sep-25
Aug-24
Aug-24
Case material
Titanium bezel and buttons, fiber-reinforced polymer case, silicone strap, sapphire glass
Stainless steel, titanium or DLC bezel, fiber-reinforced polymer case with metal rear, silicone/leather/titanium/nylon strap
Stainless steel bezel, fiber-reinforced polymer case with metal rear, silicone strap
Number of physical buttons
4
5
5
Shape
Round
Round
Round
Size
48 x 48 x 14 mm
47 x 47 x 13.8 mm
47 x 47 x 14.5 mm
Display type
AMOLED
AMOLED or MIP
AMOLED
Display resolution
480 x 480 pixels
AMOLED: 454 x 454, MIP: 260 x 260
416 x 416 pixels
Display size
1.5 inches
1.4 inches
1.3 inches
Weight
52 g
73–80 g
76 g
Sensors
BioTracker PPG 6.0 (5PD + 2LED), accelerometer, gyroscope, geomagnetic, air pressure, temperature, ambient light
Accelerometer, heart rate, altimeter, compass, temperature, GPS systems, PulseOX, ECG
Accelerometer, heart rate, altimeter, compass, GPS systems, PulseOX
LED Flashlight
Yes
Yes
No
Water-resistance
10 ATM, 45 m freediving, scuba
10 ATM, depth sensor (40 m)
10 ATM
GPS
Dual band, 6 satellite systems
Dual band, 6 satellite systems
6 satellite systems
Speakers
Yes
Yes
No
Microphone
Yes
Yes
No
NFC
Yes
Yes
No
Music storage
Yes (up to 26 GB)
Yes
Yes
Connectivity
WLAN 2.4GHz, Bluetooth 5.2 & BLE
Bluetooth, ANT+, WiFi
Bluetooth, ANT+, WiFi
Cellular
No
Only on Pro edition
No
Battery life
Up to 25 days typical use (48mm), 38 hrs GPS / 17 days typical use (44mm), 29 hrs GPS
AMOLED: 16 days (7 days AOD), GPS: 47 hrs (37 hrs AOD), MIP: 21–28 days (34–58 days with solar), GPS: 67–92 hrs with solar
16 days (6 days AOD), GPS: 42 hrs (30 hrs AOD)
Operating system
Zepp OS 5.0
GarminOS
GarminOS
Price
$399
$999 and up
$799
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