The Garmin Fenix 8 is the latest smartwatch in the company’s ultimate outdoors watch range. But Android users looking for a rugged smartwatch might have their head turned by the new Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra.
Both are AMOLED smartwatches with a rugged edge, which have impressed in our testing in very different ways.
If you’re currently weighing up these two watches for a space on your wrist and looking beyond the specs sheets to see what they really deliver, we’ve been testing them both to find that out.
We’ve been wearing both watches for a few weeks now to tell you about the biggest wins and losses to help you decide which is the best fit for you.
Price and versions
If you want size and display options, then it’s the Fenix 8 that’s going to give you that. Along with a 47mm Fenix 8, there’s also 43mm and 51mm models. The Fenix 8 also has alternative solar charging model, which coming in 47mm and 51mm versions.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra comes in a 47mm case size only, matching the middle size of the Fenix 8 range.
In terms of pricing, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is the cheaper option sitting at £599, which is significantly more affordable than the Fenix 8 where pricing starts at £949/$999 and can go over the £1,000/$1,000 mark if you opt for the biggest and most feature-packed Fenix 8 model.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (on price) and Garmin Fenix 8 (on versions)
Specs comparison table
| Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra | Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED | |
| Case size options | 47mm | 43mm, 47mm and 51mm |
| Waterproof rating | 100 metres | 100 metres and 40m for diving |
| AMOLED screen | 1.5-inch, 480 x 480 Super AMOLED | 1.4, 454 x 454 AMOLED (47mm) |
| Dual-frequency GPS | Yes | Yes |
| Full colour maps | No | Yes |
| Navigation and route import | Yes | Yes |
| Battery life | Up to 100 hours | Up to 16 days |
Design, display and build
Both of these watches, irrespective of size options, are going to live on your wrist. Even if you opt for the 43mm Fenix 8 solar, these are designed to both be big, rugged watches.
They both use titanium in those watches to keep things high quality in look and feel but also ensure they don’t weigh heavy either. We’ve been living with the 51mm Fenix 8 compared to 47mm Ultra and both offer attractive, tough looks.
You’re also getting a combination of touchscreen and physical buttons, to give a mixture of controls with both offering really top notch AMOLED screens that are bright, vibrant and responsive to touch.
Samsung uses fewer buttons than Garmin, including its dedicated Quick button to offer shortcuts to features like a siren mode. Garmin’s extra buttons means more controls and we’d always take more buttons. Garmin offers a built-in LED flashlight, which is a handy feature to have and discreetly built into the watch case.
In terms of durability, you’re well covered on both fronts. Both use sapphire crystal to offer strong protection against scratches and can be submerged in water up to 100 metres. Garmin does offer additional protection to make it suitable for recreational diving up to 40 metres depth.
Winner: Garmin Fenix 8
Smart features and OS
Garmin and Samsung want their watches to be useful when you’re not going for a proper hike, so that means a heady mix of smartwatch features. You’ll be able to put those to the test on the Ultra if you own an Android phone. For the Fenix, it’s Android and iPhone-friendly so that’s a win on the compatibility front.
Samsung offered a great smartwatch experience on its Galaxy Watch and that continues on the Ultra. It uses Google’s Wear OS 5, which promises you access to Google apps like the Play Store to grab third party apps. Its standout features include the actionable notifications, music playback support and does offer the ability to make contactless payments. Unlike Garmin, you do have the option of LTE connectivity to use it without your phone nearby.
The Garmin is no slouch in this department and running Garmin’s proprietary operating system gives you access to the Connect IQ Store, which isn’t quite brimming with apps in the same way as the Google Play Store is.
It gives you 32GB of storage to play with and does offer offline playlist support for music services like Spotify just like Samsung. It also gives you payments, likeable notification support and some albeit not groundbreaking voice features like the ability to record voice notes and summon modes on the watch without pressing a button. Samsung can of course do that as well and has been offering those features for a while.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra
Battery life
If you want the watch with the best battery life, then it’s a pretty clear cut one. Whatever model you go for with the Fenix 8, it’s going to trump the Galaxy Watch Ultra.
We’ve had the largest Fenix 8 model with an AMOLED to test and despite having that big colourful display it’s managed to go for weeks. Garmin suggests it can go for anywhere from 29-48 days in smartwatch mode. In comparison, the Watch Ultra promises a maximum of 2-3 days in similar usage, and usually on the lower end of that scale – especially if you use the always-on display.
Even if you opt for using these watches with the screen set to always-on, Garmin’s will go further. The Ultra struggles to get to two days, while our 51mm Fenix 8 can comfortably manage a week. Even if you compare the 47mm Fenix 8 AMOLED’s numbers it can go further than the Watch Ultra.
It’s a similar story for GPS battery life too. The Fenix 8 will simply give you more and sees a smaller dent in battery for similar usage.
Winner: Garmin Fenix 8
Tracking performance
If you’re looking for a watch that offers great GPS performance, mapping and navigation features and boatloads of training and analysis, then that’s exactly what you get with the Fenix 8. It’s been accurate in our GPS tests, possesses the best mapping and navigation support out there.
It’s also packed with performance analysis features that anyone trainining for major events will love. If your training is productive or when you should train, it’s got you covered.
Samsung can’t really get close to that kind of detail. Even tracking accuracy was a mixed experience in our testing.
On the GPS front, Samsung has added the dual-frequency GPS that’s been packed into Garmin watches for a few years now. It certainly provided the best results GPS support we’ve seen on a Samsung, but still came up short in more intense testing near tall buildings and heavily wooded areas where it promises improved accuracy.
While Samsung does offer the ability to import routes and navigation features to help you explore new environments, it doesn’t include any sort of full mapping.
Samsung does better than Garmin if you’re turning to for serious health monitoring or looking for something to offer detailed and more reliable sleep tracking. The Fenix 8 doesn’t give you an ECG sensor or support blood pressure monitoring. And Samsung’s sleep tracking and coaching is also excellent – better than you’ll get on Garmin.
That said, Garmin’s Training Readiness scores are more focused on those pushing their limits in terms of training load, so there’s a clear split in the two audiences.
Garmin offers the option to pair up external heart rate sensors, which you can’t do on the Samsung.
Winner: Garmin Fenix 8
Verdict
So we’ve given you a window into our testing with these two AMOLED outdoor smartwatches, but which one should you go for? Here’s our take.
Buy Garmin Fenix 8 if…your training and performance is truly important to you. The big battery life, incredible analysis and the best mapping and navigation support available make this a winner for those who are really pushing their limits.
Buy Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra if…you want a day-to-day smartwatch that can offer some extra features more occasional weekend jaunts.
Also consider: Garmin Epix Pro – With the Fenix 8’s arrival you can grab the Epix Pro for a bit less and still get a great AMOLED watch with excellent core tracking, mapping and big battery life too.
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