Smartwatches · owner-verdict comparison

Fenix 8 vs Garmin Forerunner 970: what real owners say

Real owners lean toward the Garmin Forerunner 970: 68% of 75 owners recommend it, vs 59% of 110 for the Fenix 8.

Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score

Fenix 8

59%of 110 owners recommend
59% recommend · 16% neutral · 25% don't
Owners praise
  • Rock-solid reliability for many owners — repeated reports of zero bugs, zero issues, and smooth performance out of the box
  • Strong battery life, especially on Solar/MIP models, with owners citing 13+ day stretches and no more daily charging anxiety
  • Sharp, bright AMOLED display and a readable-in-sunlight MIP option praised as the best screen in the Fenix lineup
Owners complain about
  • Price is the single biggest complaint — many call the cost (often $1,000+) unjustified given how minor the upgrade feels
  • Software bugs and glitches at launch, with some saying Garmin released it too early or felt like a beta product
  • Missing cellular/LTE connectivity is a recurring dealbreaker for owners who wanted it
Full owner report →

Garmin Forerunner 970

68%of 75 owners recommend
68% recommend · 9% neutral · 23% don't
Owners praise
  • Remarkably light, slim, and comfortable for all-day and 24/7 wear
  • Packs the full Fenix-level feature set into a smaller, cheaper package
  • Strong battery life in typical use, often a week or more
Owners complain about
  • Ghost touches and an oversensitive touchscreen, sometimes unusable until disabled
  • Battery can drain badly, dying mid-run or dropping to around 30 hours
  • Reboots and reliability issues during workouts, with slow Garmin support
Full owner report →

Which should you buy?

Get the Fenix 8 if
  • ✓Hikers, divers, and outdoor athletes who want rugged multisport tracking with solar/long battery options
  • ✓Upgraders from older Fenix/Forerunner models wanting AMOLED or MIP display choice, buttons, and a bigger sunlight-readable screen
  • ✓Users who value the flashlight, mic/speaker, and offline voice commands for daily and outdoor use
  • ✓Owners who prioritize build quality and QUICK-FIT strap swapping over chasing every new smartwatch feature
Skip it if
  • Buyers on a budget, since many feel the price hike isn't justified by the incremental upgrades
  • Anyone needing built-in LTE/cellular, which the Fenix 8 lacks and reviewers repeatedly flag as a dealbreaker
Get the Garmin Forerunner 970 if
  • ✓Runners wanting a lightweight, full-featured GPS watch
  • ✓Small-wrist users needing a thin, comfortable watch
  • ✓Fenix owners wanting the same features but lighter
  • ✓24/7 wearers who track sleep
Skip it if
  • Those wanting a rugged, heavy-duty build
  • Budget-conscious buyers put off by the high price

What Fenix 8 owners think

Most Fenix 8 owners are genuinely happy, praising its reliability (many report zero bugs or issues), strong battery life on the Solar/MIP models, a sharp AMOLED or sunlight-readable MIP screen, scratch-resistant build quality, and small surprise wins like the built-in flashlight. A vocal minority pushes back hard, though, centered mainly on price — repeated complaints that the cost, often north of $1,000, isn't justified by what's actually new. That group also cites launch-period software bugs and glitches, the lack of cellular/LTE, accuracy regressions in heart-rate and GPS versus older Fenix and Forerunner models, and a sense that the upgrade over the Fenix 7 is too incremental to bother with. In short: owners who bought in love the day-to-day experience, while skeptics are mostly staying on older watches over price and diminishing-returns concerns rather than any single hardware failure.

What Fenix 8 owners say

“Its amazing especially because it is an extremely dangerous sport when being a type 1 diabetic”
— @Tentoumushi69 on YouTube
“I came from Apple Watch to the Fenix 8 about 2 months ago, love it. Zero issues, zero bugs.”
— @rb3tactical145 on YouTube
“Price is ridiculous and the features do not justify it.”
— @bellosthomas on YouTube

What Garmin Forerunner 970 owners say

“I just upgraded from the 935 to the 970 and I am very happy with this decision!”
— @WolfgangUllrichPhoto on YouTube
“getting the Flashlight for a forerunner is amazing!”
— @vpnconsult on YouTube
“Garmin overpriced the 970.”
— @mccask on YouTube

Fenix 8 vs Garmin Forerunner 970: frequently asked questions

Is the Fenix 8 or the Garmin Forerunner 970 better?

Real owners lean toward the Garmin Forerunner 970: 68% of 75 owners recommend it, vs 59% of 110 for the Fenix 8.

Who should get the Fenix 8?

Owners point the Fenix 8 at hikers, divers, and outdoor athletes who want rugged multisport tracking with solar/long battery options, and upgraders from older Fenix/Forerunner models wanting AMOLED or MIP display choice, buttons, and a bigger sunlight-readable screen.

Who should get the Garmin Forerunner 970?

Owners point the Garmin Forerunner 970 at runners wanting a lightweight, full-featured GPS watch, and small-wrist users needing a thin, comfortable watch.

What do owners complain about?

The most-cited downside of the Fenix 8 is price is the single biggest complaint — many call the cost (often $1,000+) unjustified given how minor the upgrade feels. For the Garmin Forerunner 970, it's ghost touches and an oversensitive touchscreen, sometimes unusable until disabled.