{"id":175,"date":"2025-09-04T00:11:31","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T00:11:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/175\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T00:11:31","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T00:11:31","slug":"garmin-reveals-fenix-8-pro-an-ultra-hardcore-2000-smartwatch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/175\/","title":{"rendered":"Garmin reveals Fenix 8 Pro, an ultra hardcore $2,000 smartwatch"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday, Garmin announced its new flagship smartwatch, the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, which arrives with some groundbreaking features, including a first-of-its-kind microLED display. Conveniently announced just days before Apple\u2019s launch event<\/a>, Garmin’s latest wearable is designed for hardcore outdoor athletes, and it comes with a hardcore price tag.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Fenix 8 Pro comes in two models. The first features an AMOLED display and comes in 47mm and 51mm sizes, priced at $1,199.99 and $1,299.99, respectively. Opt for the model with the microLED display (which comes in 51mm only) and the price goes up to $1,999.99.<\/p>\n

\"the<\/p>\n

\n The new Garmin smartwatches have 24\/7 health and fitness tracking.
\n Credit: Garmin\n <\/p>\n

\"close-up<\/p>\n

\n The Fenix 8 Pro comes with features designed for serious outdoor athletes.
\n Credit: Garmin\n <\/p>\n

Garmin makes some of the most rugged smartwatches on the market, including some of our favorite fitness trackers<\/a>, and the Fenix 8 Pro seems ready-made to compete with the soon-to-be-released Apple Watch Ultra 3<\/a>. (Apple’s new Ultra wearable is also rumored to have a microLED display.)<\/p>\n

\n Mashable Light Speed\n <\/p>\n

The Garmin’s microLED display is pretty impressive. It\u2019s comprised of more than 400,000 LEDs, which gives it a maximum brightness of 4,500 nits. That makes it the brightest smartwatch display on the market by a fairly wide margin. For reference, the Apple Watch Series 10<\/a> features a 2,000 nit display, and the Galaxy Watch 8<\/a> sports a 3,000 nit display.\u00a0Like other Garmin smartwatches, it also sports an LED flashlight, also handy for hikers and outdoor athletes.<\/p>\n

\"garmin<\/p>\n

\n The Garmin Fenix 8 Pro has an on-board flashlight.
\n Credit: Garmin\n <\/p>\n

Among other things, the biggest draw for the Fenix 8 Pro is its connectivity. Per Garmin<\/a>, the smartwatches will feature a mix of satellite and cellular connectivity. That, combined with Garmin\u2019s inReach technology, will allow watch owners to summon emergency services, communicate via Garmin\u2019s Messenger app, and even send their location to other Garmin inReach users. Voice calls are also possible, although the other person has to be using a Garmin inReach-compatible device as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This brings smartwatch owners another step closer to being able to leave the smartphone at home while hiking. The cellular connectivity isn\u2019t quite as good as the latest offerings from Samsung<\/a> and Apple<\/a>, but the inclusion of satellite connection definitely helps when out in the wilderness, where cell towers are much less abundant.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"garmin<\/p>\n

\n The sensors on the Fenix 8 Pro.
\n Credit: Garmin\n <\/p>\n

\"emergency<\/p>\n

\n The Fenix 8 Pro has satellite and cellular connectivity.
\n Credit: Garmin\n <\/p>\n

For emergencies, the watch sends a signal to Garmin\u2019s Response Center, which will then assist in rescue efforts. The inReach system is a subscription service that starts at $7.99 per month. The new Fenix 8 Pro watches are available on Garmin\u2019s website<\/a> and will be available starting Sept. 8, just one day before Apple\u2019s launch event.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n Topics
\n Smartwatches<\/a>
\n Gadgets<\/a>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On Wednesday, Garmin announced its new flagship smartwatch, the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, which arrives with some groundbreaking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":176,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[356,111,139,69,145],"class_list":{"0":"post-175","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gadgets","8":"tag-gadgets","9":"tag-new-zealand","10":"tag-newzealand","11":"tag-nz","12":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}