The new Garmin Fenix 8 Pro has a micro LED screen

Lorenz Keller

4/9/2025

Translation: machine translated

For the first time, a major manufacturer is incorporating a micro-LED screen into a smartwatch. And it's not Apple or Samsung, but Garmin with the new Fenix 8 Pro.

The new Fenix 8 Pro is available in two versions. As before, the normal version has an Amoled screen in 47 and 51 millimetre sizes. However, Garmin also offers the 51-millimetre version with a 1.4-inch MicroLED display. This puts the manufacturer ahead of industry giants such as Samsung and Apple.

Bright, but also an energy guzzler

MicroLED has many advantages - but also one major disadvantage. And we don't want to hide it here: This display technology requires a lot of energy. The battery life is only ten days. The Amoled version with an always-on display can last 27 days.

MicroLED is much brighter: the screen with 454 by 454 pixels achieves a brightness of 4500 cd/m2 (candela per square metre). For comparison: the top models from Samsung or Apple achieve 3000 cd/m2.

The display consists of 400,000 small LEDs, each pixel lights up individually and can also be switched off completely. This means perfect black levels and high contrasts. The screen should be noticeably easier to read in sunlight than Amoled screens.

MicroLED is still an expensive technology at the moment. That's why the Fenix 8 Pro MicroLED costs around 2000 francs or euros. With a normal screen, the watch is available from 1200 francs or euros.

Emergency call on a plan

The second major innovation in the Pro version of the Fenix 8 is the connection of the watch via mobile phone and satellite. However, this costs around 10 francs or euros per month. The smartwatch uses the Iridium satellite network for this. This allows you to make emergency calls, share location data and send messages even without a mobile network.

If you have an LTE connection, you can use the Garmin Messenger to make calls, send voice messages, share live tracking or call up weather forecasts. You don't need to have a smartphone nearby.

The Fenix 8 Pro has waterproof metal buttons, a metal sensor protection and a sapphire crystal screen protector. The bezel is made of titanium. The design differs in some details from the already available Fenix 8 without the Pro add-on. However, the other software and tracking functions are basically the same.

The Fenix 8 Pro will go on sale on 8 September. It will also be available in our shop a few days later.

Lorenz Keller

Senior Editor

Lorenz.Keller@digitecgalaxus.ch

Gadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.

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