Garmin Fenix 9 Preview: Is it Worth the Upgrade?

The Garmin Fenix 9 is one of the updates that might be worth coughing up the big chunk of cash for. With the announcement of the new Garmin Fenix 9, some significant upgrades are in store for Garmin devotees, along with an advanced Pro version and a Solar version.

The new Garmin Fenix 9 will feature a brighter AMOLED display, improved maps and navigation, and a new Stamina metric that gives you an idea of where you’re at, fitness-wise. But there are also a lot of other new features coming up, which we’ll get into shortly.

Garmin Fenix 9 Overview

Right off the bat, we can point out the fact that the Garmin Fenix 9 base model will be $100 less than the base model Fenix 8, which starts at $1099.99. In an economy bogged down with rising prices, kudos to Garmin for bucking the trend.

What will remain the same between the Fenix 8 and Fenix 9 is the premium build and rugged durability for which Garmin watches are known.

The next biggest feature is a big increase in RAM. Garmin is increasing the RAM in the Fenix 9 up to 64 GB, which will lead to 30% faster map panning, as well as twice as many maps and up to 7,000 songs.

The AMOLED display will also feature an upgrade of 50% in brightness, improving visibility in daylight conditions.

The Fenix 9 will also take up less space on your wrist, with a slimmer design and titanium bezel.

Garmin Fenix 9 Features

Let’s dive into the details of the different features and what I found in testing.

Stamina Metrics

Garmin is adding Stamina Curves to help Garmin users improve their stamina by viewing how their pace over varying distances affects their training. Fenix  9 enhances stamina features so athletes can better understand the connection between endurance and performance.

Rucking also sees an upgrade, with users now able to create custom workouts based on target metrics, such as heart rate or calories burned

Users can also check out rowing and rucking enhancements.

Activity Tracking

Rowers will enjoy metrics like rowing VO2 max, curve power, functional threshold power, and lactic threshold to help them manage their intensity and see how their training is impacting their fitness and performance.

Military personnel or those wearing weighted vests on everyday walks can use rucking enhancements to create custom workouts around their target metric, such as calories burned, while inputting weight data for better tracking.

And for the social media moguls in all of us, Garmin is adding a new feature called Garmin Epic, which allows users to group multi-day activities into one shareable story on Garmin Connect. So if you’re bold enough to tackle something like a 100-miler or you’re thru-hiking the PCT, Garmin now has a feature to share multiple days’ worth of activities in one post.

In addition to the Fenix 9, the Fenix 9 Pro and Fenix 9 Pro Solar are dropping to fill out the Fenix lineup. The Fenix 9 Pro will come fully ensconced in a titanium case, with a slightly larger and brighter display versus the base Fenix 9.

Better Connectivity 

The Garmin Fenix 9 Pro models will have inReach connectivity, which will provide users with LTE and Satellite coverage for two-way messaging, voice calling, live tracking, and SOS messages.

Garmin Fenix 8 Vs Fenix 9

The Garmin Fenix 9 builds on the rugged, feature-packed design of the Fenix 8, but the newer model brings several meaningful hardware and training upgrades.

The biggest differences are:

• Brighter Display: The Fenix 9 has an AMOLED display that is twice as bright as the Fenix 8, making it easier to read in bright outdoor conditions.
• Faster Maps: Twice the RAM and an updated map engine allow the Fenix 9 to pan through maps 30% faster.
• More Storage: The Fenix 9 has 64 GB of storage, allowing for twice as many maps and up to 7,000 songs.
• New Features: Enhanced Stamina features, along with new rowing and rucking tools, give athletes more ways to track and manage their training.
• Connectivity: The Fenix 9 Pro adds expanded inReach LTE and satellite connectivity, including messaging, SOS, calls, and LiveTrack.
• Price: The Fenix 9 base model starts $100 less than the Fenix 8 did, making the newer model particularly appealing for anyone buying their first Fenix.

If you already own a Fenix 8, the Fenix 9 is a less essential upgrade, although the brighter display, faster maps, and increased storage are worthwhile improvements.

For anyone coming from an older Fenix generation, I’d be much more inclined to make the jump to the Fenix 9.  As someone coming from a Fenix model a few years back, the Fenix 9 is a significant upgrade.

After comparing the Fenix 9 to the Fenix 8, I would still be inclined to agree it is a less significant, but still significant enough upgrade.

The additional features like the brighter AMOLED display and inReach connectivity – provided you step up to the Pro model – are a big enough step up in quality and features to make the Fenix 9 worthwhile. The increases in processing speed and storage space also provide enough incentive to take that expensive leap for the dedicated Garmin user.

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