If you don’t mind its high price tag, the Garmin Fenix 8 is the best sports watch you can get, but if you’re in the market for a Fenix 8 you have to make a call on what size to get. There are three options in the range – 43mm, 47mm and 51mm – and Nick has been testing out the 47mm and 51mm Garmin Fenix 8 of late to hopefully provide a steer on the key differences in this video.
00:00 – Intro
00:58 – Price
02:08 – Design
05:01 – Battery Life
08:12 – Verdict
More ways to enjoy The Run Testers
Check out our website:
Best running shoes of 2024:
Best running watches of 2024:
Best carbon plate running shoes of 2024:
Subscribe:
Follow Us:
Listen to The Run Testers Podcast:
Watch The Run Testers Shorts:
Hello and welcome to run testers my name Is Nick we've got something a little bit Different today instead of comparing two Different watches I'm going to compare The same watch in different sizes got The Garmin phoenix8 51 mm and the Garmin Phoenix 8 47 mm now there is also a Smaller watch which I've not tested so I Wanted to compare the two larger watches Because it is a decision I think lots of People will be making whether looking at Buying the Phoenix 8 or indeed an older Model of the Phenix or epic you're Picking between these two different size Watches and difference in how they feel And how they perform I think is Interesting and I do think the Differences between them boil down Really into three key areas which is the Price the battery life and the design of The two watches so that's what I'm going To focus on in this review not going to Talk too much about the other features On the watches because they are Identical you've got our Phoenix 8 Review to dive into more details on Things like GPS accuracy heart rate Accuracy I'll say that straight away Heart accuracy has been exactly the same Across these two despite this being a Larger watch so in this video I'm going To focus on that price design and Battery life hopefully will help you Make a decision if you are looking at
These two watches So it comes to price and the 51 mm watch Is more expensive as you might expect I'm not going to dive into all the Prices of the individual models in the Range but I will flash them up on screen But in general you pay about 80 or 90 More or $100 more to go for the Equivalent 50m millimeter watch compared To the £ 447 mm watch whether you're Looking at AMOLED solar steel Sapphire Titanium that kind of thing so it is a Little rise in price and obviously That's a straight up Advantage for the Smaller Phoenix 8 47 mm you're going to Pay a little bit less and making that Saving is always nice but actually if You're not looking at making a saving Hook there is another advantage to the Fenix 847 mm which is that for the same Price in all these models you can get a Sapphire taranum model of the watch for The same price as a steel 51 mm Phoenix 8 with a glass screen and that's quite a Big upgrad in material so with the AMOLED watches you can choose between Steel and titanium models you just have To get a titanium model if you opt for a Solar watch but on the AMOLED side of Things you can get the lighter and more Durable titanium watch with that Sapphire screen which is useful upgrade Especially the screen I have scratched Glass Gins before but I've never
Actually managed to make a dent or Scratch a sapphire crystal one so it's Quite a big upgrade of materials there To get for the same price if you look at The smaller [Music] Watch onto the design then and the 51 mm Watch is obviously a bigger watch he got A k size of 51x 51 mm with a thickness Of 15.4 mm you got 47x 47 obviously on The phoenix8 47 mm watch and the Thickness is only listed as2 mm thinner But it feels I think considerably Thinner than that on the wrist compared To the watch in general it's just a lot Less noticeable this watch on the wrist Partly because it's also a lot lighter It's 59 G for the steel watch or 52 G For the titanium that's just the case And then with the Phoenix he it's 74 G For the steel or 64 G for the titanium So a big difference just in the case Weights if you add in the Silicon strap Which is OB thicker and bigger on the 51 Mm watch that's going to be an even Bigger jump in weight so certainly a Lighter watch you have here with the 47 Mm one if you're looking at the AMOLED Watch you're getting the same size Screen a 1.4 in screen on the smaller Watch compared to the bigger watch if You look at the solar model gin list the Screen size is 1.3 in if you're looking At the smaller 47 mm watch so you do get
A larger screen on the 51 mm but I Haven't actually tested the Sol one Myself throughout testing I've been Using AMOLED watches of both it's useful Before we talk more about design to know My wrist size which I think people have Asked about in videos before I do have Very very skinny wrist which obviously Makes a difference when you're wearing Large watches like this uh my wrist is About 15 1/2 or 16 cm or about 6.1 or 6.3 in the difference being that you Know whether I tighten it you know Really tight the watch when I'm going For a run or if I wear it a little bit Looser in the day that's why there's That kind of range of measurements there But either way look at it it's a very Skinny wrist I know that and that does Make a big difference when you're Wearing these two watches the 47mm Phoenix he just does feel a lot lighter And smaller on the wrist it's a little Bit easier to sleep with than the 51 mm Model and the really big difference I Think for me in terms of the Aesthetics Is that you got the same size screen on These watches which means the difference In size is all bezel and you have got a Much thicker bezel on the 51mm Phoenix a Amed and that just means I think the 47mm watch is more attractive because You look at the watch face and more of What you're seeing is the screen it's
The glass with the you know the display Underneath and that I think looks a bit Better than the chunky bezel on the 51mm Watch which some people might like I Don't know but I do think it makes the 47 mm a bit more of a looker so all Around with my frail skinny wrists I do Prefer the smaller feel of the 47 mm Watch when I was comparing them side by Side that said you do get used to the Larger watch and I did wear the Epic Pro 51 mm very happily for a year I'm not Someone who's worried about the look of A watch in my wrist if it looks too big Or anything like that I'm purely worried About how it feels and it felt fine over Time it's more just directly in Comparison that you do notice you know The lighter more comfortable feel of the Smaller watch so yeah that is something To consider like you will just get used To the 51 mm watch I think over time and I think that's definitely the case if You op for a nylon band so with both Watches I've used silicon and nylon Bands I think in particular with the 51 Mm watch I'd probably swap for a nylon Band it just gives it a slightly more Lightweight feel all around and makes it Less of an imposition on the wrist which Is what I did with the Epic Pro when I Wore it for a year so that might be Something to consider if you are looking At the larger watch and worried about
How big it will feel on the wrist Coming on to battery life and this is Obviously where the 51 mm watch has a Big Advantage across both the solar and AMOLED watches but I think really in Particular on the AMOLED watches I've Tested but so looking at some of the Stats on the solar Phoenix 8 you get About 9 days more use in watch mode out Of the 51 mm watch compared to the 47 mm And you get 20 extra hours of all Systems GPS but it's actually in sunny Conditions that the difference between The 47 and 51 mm fenix8 solar really Stands out because that larger watch is Just Harvest more sun it would seem so You get 20 more days of watch mode use From the 51 mm watch if you are using it In sunny conditions and you get 92 hours Of GPS compared to 59 on the 47 mm watch So that's a really big jump and then Obviously across the board the AMOLED Watch doesn't last as long as a solar Watch but the difference I think is Quite Stark you're going to get 16 days Of use in watch mode with a screen in Raised awake with a 47 mm watch and 29 Days with a 51 mm watch that's 7 Days of Always on use or 13 days always on with The 51 mm watch and I have found these Watches have hit those numbers even with A lot of GPS EDS so I've been getting More or less double the battery life From the 51 mm watch compared to the 47
Mm watch so with my use I have the Screen set to alls on I've got Notifications coming in I wear both for Sleep and I track a run basically every Day with the either all systems on or Multiband GPS mode so I've used the same GPS modes on both watches throughout the Phoenix at 47 mm watch has lasted me Usually six or 7 Days on a charge and Then the 51 mm watch has lasted me 12 or 13 days so that's really impressive Actually from both watches but the 51 mm Watch is pretty amazing for an AMOLED Watch like it's a bigger watch but a lot Of that space has been put towards Battery use and it really tells it Really does last a long time in terms of The actual individual activities you can Look at 68 hours of all systems GPS Tracking on the 51 mm watch or 38 hours With a 47 mm watch now that's with the Screen set to raiseed awake I think in All likelihood you probably like me You'll have the screen always on during Runs so that's 30 hours of tracking on The 47 mm watch and 54 on the 51 mm Watch now I I think what really stands Out here is not only the difference Between the 51 mm and the 47 mm watch it Really does kind of double your usage But actually both are pretty outstanding For ML watches and I will say having Used the Epic Pro 51 mm for a year and Really love that battery life and it
Really made a big difference having to Charge a bit less and stuff like that And I used it for an ultramarathon as Well although it was only a 50 m Ultramarathon it wasn't one where I was Going to have to spend multiple days out There stepping down to the 47 mm Fenix Hasn't been as big as a loss as I Thought it would be so I was using the Phenix 851 then when on to the 47 mm and Then tested them side by side and Actually it's still got really good Battery life this smaller watch like 7 Days of use is great even if you are Training really hard actually if you're A triathlete you might be doing you know Many more hours of GPS activities than Me I still think you're probably looking At 5 days of use with the screen or on Can easily extend it by going to raise To wake as well so although the 51 mm Battery life is pretty astonishing it's You know it's really incredible for an Amed watch you're still getting a lot of Use out the 47 mm watch so it's not one That I think really lets you down with Its battery life and then to come back To solar watches I think if you're in Sunny conditions that's a difference Definitely worth considering with the Larger watch because that's where it Really comes into play I think the Difference between them in normal Conditions isn't that big but if you
Look at how much longer the 51 mm watch Can last in sunny conditions that's Pretty [Music] Amazing so hopefully the verdict isn't The most important section of this video At all and it's actually the differences I've talked about in the previous Sections that you know will help you Make a decision just depending on what's Important to you but for me battery life Isn't that important because I'm not a Big Ultram marathoner I nearly always Have access to charging and the 47mm Watch is more comfortable on my wrist And I think looks a bit nicer as well so I would go for the smaller watch like I Say I have very happily worn the larger Epics Pro for the entire year and you do Get used to that size I do like the look And the feel of the smaller watch and The fact now got the same size screen in The Amed version I think makes a big Difference as well so yeah I'd look at The smaller watch but I've got very thin Wrists I'm not a big Adventurer if you Like the chunkier watch then you are Going to get the benefit of you know Some pretty fantastic battery life and If you are just really focusing on price In particular I kind of think it's worth The upgrade to get the titanium sappire Phoenix and to do that at the same price For 47 as a 51 mm watch that's a big
Jump in materials to get at the same Price and almost more important than the Actual size of the watch I think because The sappire crystal screen in particular Is very resilient and it's nicer to have The lighter watch
