We may earn a commission from links on this page.
Two new versions of Garmin’s Fenix 8 were announced today. Both have the ability to make emergency calls, and one has the first microLED screen I’ve seen on a smartwatch. This is a new display technology that should allow for incredible brightness, even in sunlight, but with a tradeoff: shorter battery life, and a hefty purchase price.
The two new watches
Both new watches are versions of the Fenix 8, a top-of-the-line fitness smartwatch that launched last year. There were already variants with AMOLED displays or MIP displays with a solar panel. Today Garmin adds two more watches to that family:
-
Fenix 8 Pro AMOLED ($1,199.99 and up): This is similar to the Fenix 8 AMOLED, but adds LTE and satellite connectivity for emergency texts and calls. It comes in a 47-millimeter and 51-millimeter size (it’s $100 more for the bigger size).
-
Fenix 8 Pro MicroLED ($1,999.99): This also has LTE and satellite connectivity, and also comes in a 51-millimeter size. It adds a microLED display, which is a brand-new display type that allows much brighter screens than before.
Both watches will be available to purchase on September 8, 2025.
Why microLED is a big deal for wearables
Most smartwatch screens are OLED or AMOLED displays; this is the kind with glowy pixels that you’re used to seeing on Apple Watches or, for that matter, your smartphone. A few older-style watches use a MIP or LCD display, which reflects the light around you or can be lit up with a backlight. (I have a breakdown of the pros and cons of both display types here.)
But microLED is a new technology, not seen in a smartwatch until now. LEDs can now be made small enough—hence the “micro”—to be roughly pixel-sized. The microLED version of the Fenix 8 Pro has over 400,000 tiny LEDs in its round 454×454 pixel screen. (Both versions of the watch have the same resolution.)
The main difference for users is that these screens are bright. MicroLEDs don’t have an organic component (the “O” in OLED or AMOLED) and this lets manufacturers put a lot more power into them without fear of burn-in.
Garmin says their microLED screen can deliver 4,500 nits of brightness. For comparison, the Apple Watch series 10 has a 2,000-nit display, while the Apple Watch Ultra 2 bumps to 3,000 nits. Garmin doesn’t usually give nit ratings for their AMOLED watches, so it’s hard to compare, but safe to say 4,500 is a lot more brightness than you can expect from any other model.
You definitely pay for that in battery life, though. The microLED version of the Fenix 8 Pro burns through battery far faster than its more traditional AMOLED sibling, based on these comparisons for different use scenarios:
-
Smartwatch mode: 10 days for microLED, 27 days for AMOLED
-
Smartwatch mode, always-on display: 4 days for microLED, 15 days for AMOLED
-
All satellite systems (during an activity): 37 hours for microLED, 60 hours for AMOLED
-
All satellite systems, but with the display always on: 16 hours for microLED, 47 hours for AMOLED
-
All satellite systems, multi-band, and LTE livetrack: 17 hours for microLED, 21 hours for AMOLED
-
As above, with LTE livetrack, but with the display always on: 10 hours for microLED, 19 hours for AMOLED
The Fenix 8 Pro has cell and satellite connectivity, but it’s not as useful as you might hope
Both Fenix 8 Pro models (the microLED and the regular AMOLED) have two types of connectivity for emergency communications. Unfortunately this is not the kind of connectivity that can give you casual notifications from various apps, the way you might expect from something like an Apple Watch.
The Fenix 8 Pro gets its connectivity two ways. One is LTE connectivity. This uses LTE-M signals, a low-power type of cell signal that is available in most places that have cell coverage. The other is a type of satellite communication, similar to what’s available from the InReach line of emergency satellite communicators. (Garmin brands the new connectivity as “InReach on your wrist.”)
These technologies allow voice calls and texting, so long as the person you’re calling or texting has the Garmin Messenger app on their phone (or is also wearing a Fenix 8 Pro). So you’ll be able to receive texts from your partner who knows you’re out in the woods, but you aren’t going to get casual messages from coworkers or friends who haven’t installed the app.
You’ll need an InReach subscription to make use of these features, including the SOS Response that can contact a Garmin call center and potentially get a search-and-rescue team out to you in a serious emergency. According to this Garmin page, InReach subscriptions run either $7.99/month or $14.99/month, depending on which plan you choose. Fenix 8 Pro users are able to waive the $39.99 activation fee. That page also notes that the Fenix 8 Pro cannot use satellite connectivity for live location tracking.
