If you’re looking for a smartwatch that does it all and offers long battery life, consider Garmin. If you want to go all out with the brand’s best, the newly announced Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro are the way to go. These smartwatches build on the brand’s top-end lineup, offering refinements like a brighter AMOLED screen, a thinner body, and premium materials like titanium.
It comes in three different models: the Fenix 9, Fenix 9 Pro, and Fenix 9 Pro Solar. This watch starts at $1,000, more than anything offered by Apple, Samsung, or Google. It’s a different league, but we don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Garmin makes a splash
The Garmin Fenix 8 was released about two years ago, so it’s nice to see that the brand is introducing something new when it thinks it is needed. When it comes to the specifications, you’re getting the same core features. So, you shouldn’t worry about that. However, there are some differences when it comes to the hardware.
The Fenix 9 and 9 Pro will both feature an AMOLED screen with a resolution of 460×460, but the Fenix 9 Pro can reach 3,000 nits of brightness. The Pro Solar model will rely on a transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) screen. It’ll look great under the sun, but will look a bit washed out in other scenarios. Also, the resolution is a bit worse at 260×260. It’s not bad, it’s just different technology.
All the watches are made from titanium and feature a sapphire crystal on the screen for protection. The Fenix 9 and Pro 47mm models will come with a 1.4-inch screen and have a thickness of 13.8 mm thick. While the Fenix 9 Pro Solar 47mm model will be a touch thicker at 15.8mm and have a screen slightly smaller at 1.3 inches.
The battery life on the Fenix 9 will last up to 16 days, while the Fenix 9 Pro will get around 18 days. The Fenix 9 Pro Solar will hit 21 days and reach 34 days if solar charging is maximized and in use. Internal storage on the watch has increased from the previous model, with 64GB for each model.
You can get a larger screen and more battery life by jumping up to the 51mm model if needed. But that model is quite large and you’ll want to test it out on your wrist to see if it works out for you. Most people will probably be leaning towards the 47mm model or the smaller 43mm version. Again, the smaller watch will have a smaller screen and smaller battery.
The watches can track your health and fitness metrics, along with sleep and stress levels. They can help you train and also keep you on the trail with built-in maps and navigation. The latter will feel smoother than previous models thanks to the increase in RAM on the Fenix 9 series.
And since this is a smartwatch, you can stay connected with notifications and call straight to the wrist. You can use Garmin Pay to check out at compatible terminals too. If you’re looking for the latest from Garmin, you can’t go wrong here. If the price is a touch high, you might want to check out some of the older models that might be on sale.
