Garmin Fenix 8 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra
Garmin Fenix 8 and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra are both top picks for Android users—but Garmin is the only choice for true athletes
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 heads 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 spec sheets to see what they really deliver, we’ve been testing them both 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.
Read the reviews: Garmin Fenix 8 review | Galaxy Ultra review
Price and versions
If you want size and display options, then it’s Fenix 8 that’s going to give you that. Along with a 47mm Fenix 8, there’s also 43mm and 51mm models. Fenix 8 also has an alternative solar charging model, which comes in 47mm and 51mm versions.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra comes in a 47mm case size only, matching the middle size of the Fenix 8 range.
In terms of pricing, Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is clearly the cheaper option, with Fenix 8 costing roughly twice as much.
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 | 100m | 100m and 40m for diving |
| AMOLED screen | 1.5-inch, 480 x 480 Super AMOLED (47mm) | 1.4-inch, 454 x 454 AMOLED (47mm) |
| Dual-frequency GPS | Yes | Yes |
| Full color maps | No | Yes |
| Navigation and route import | Yes | Yes |
| Battery life | Up to 100 hours | Up to 16 days |
| Retailers | Currently listed on Amazon | Currently listed on Amazon |
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, it still retains the rugged design and durable build that define the range.
They both use titanium to keep a high-quality look and feel while ensuring they don’t feel heavy. We’ve been living with the 51mm Fenix 8 compared to the 47mm Ultra, and both offer attractive, tough looks.
You’re also getting a combination of touchscreen and physical buttons for versatile controls, with both offering top-notch AMOLED screens that are bright, vibrant, and responsive to touch.
Samsung uses fewer buttons than Garmin but still includes a dedicated Quick button for shortcuts to features like siren mode. Garmin’s extra buttons mean more control, and we’d always take more buttons. Garmin offers a built-in LED flashlight—a handy feature that’s discreetly integrated into the watch case.
In terms of durability, you’re well covered on both fronts. Both use sapphire crystal for 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 colorful mix of smartwatch features. You’ll be able to put those to the test on Ultra if you own an Android phone. Fenix is 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 Ultra. It uses Google’s Wear OS 5, which promises you access to Play Store for third-party apps. Its standout features include actionable notifications, music playback support, and contactless payments. Unlike Garmin, you do have the LTE connectivity option, so you can use it without your phone nearby.
Garmin is no slouch in this department, and running Garmin’s proprietary operating system gives you access to Connect IQ Store, which isn’t quite brimming with apps in the same way as 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, notification support, and some 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. Whatever model you go for with Fenix 8, it’s going to trump Galaxy Watch Ultra.
We’ve had the largest Fenix 8 model with an AMOLED to test, and despite that big colorful display, it held up for weeks. Garmin suggests it can go for anywhere from 29 to 48 days in smartwatch mode. In comparison, 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. 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 numbers, it can go further than Watch Ultra.
It’s a similar story for GPS battery life too. Fenix 8 will simply give you more and see a smaller impact on battery life 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 Fenix 8. It’s been accurate in our GPS tests and offers one of the best mapping and navigation support available.
It’s also packed with performance analysis features that anyone training for major events will love. Whether you want to know 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 dual-frequency GPS that’s been packed into Garmin watches for a few years now. It certainly provided the best results in GPS support we’ve seen on a Samsung but still came up short in more intense testing near tall buildings and heavily wooded areas—ironically, places 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 it for wellness monitoring or looking for detailed and more reliable sleep tracking. Fenix 8 doesn’t have an ECG sensor, and it doesn’t support blood pressure estimates. Additionally, Samsung’s sleep tracking and coaching is 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 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 are 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 for more occasional weekend jaunts.
Also consider: Garmin Epix Pro—with Fenix 8’s arrival, you can grab Epix Pro for a bit less and still get a great AMOLED watch with excellent core tracking, mapping, and big battery life, too.
