What happened to the UI?

I completely understand the frustration that arises from the diverse expectations people have for the Fenix line. It's true, Garmin has cast a wide net, trying to cater to a broad range of users, from those who prioritize rugged, long-lasting performance to those who are looking for more advanced smartwatch features like AMOLED displays and LTE connectivity.

However, it's crucial to remember what the core of the Fenix line stands for: durability, long battery life, and functionality in extreme outdoor conditions. This line was designed primarily for endurance athletes, hikers, and adventurers who rely on their devices in environments where power and reliability are non-negotiable. Introducing features like AMOLED displays and LTE might be appealing to some, but they inevitably compromise the very essence of what the Fenix line is all about—endurance and resilience.

While Garmin does offer other models that cater more to the "smartwatch" crowd, the Fenix should remain true to its roots. It’s built for those who need a watch that can survive and function optimally in the harshest conditions, with a display that’s readable in bright sunlight and a battery that lasts for days, if not weeks, on end.

This doesn’t mean that those who want LTE or AMOLED are wrong—it's just that their needs might be better met by other models.

In the end, it’s about maintaining the integrity of what the Fenix line was originally intended to be. While there’s room for evolution, pushing it too far towards being another smartwatch risks diluting its purpose. Garmin has a portfolio of products for a reason, and the Fenix should continue to be the go-to for those who prioritize outdoor performance and endurance over the latest tech gadgets.

Edit: I'm also not fully against AMOLED, I just wouldn't buy it because I do not like it's consequences, I also am not fully against LTE, but I think in the end it should be reliable for tracking and base messaging, and not fully phone like feature sets. Basically functionality should be darn stable, features should be reliable and battery should last at least a week when used to track trainings.

I'm not necessarily refuting your assertion, but I can read mine very well (AMOLED Sapphire, 51MM) and really like it.  I was a bit surprised that the watch faces were sparse compared to my 6xPro standard watch faces.  Thus far, I really happy with it.

I have a Fenix 1, 3, 5x+, 6xPro, skipped 7, 8 AMOLED, 51mm.  Just a few quick observations from the comments below.  I've only had it for 24 hours and one run.
-The larger, more readable display for me is awesome.
-The display really is bright, colorful and vivid.  Impressive.
-Disappointed in the default watch faces. There are 5 but none that look clean and they are packed with gradients and stacked numbers.  With the additional real estate, they actually made data fields smaller than my 6xPro.  Not a huge deal as there are a few custom faces but I'm reluctant because I don't know how they will minimize power consumption.
-Menu navigation is a little laggy but minimal.
-The charts (heart rate graph and others) available as data fields in activities are remarkable.
-Notifications are crisp and legible.
-Glances are remarkable looking and detail filled.
THE MENUS
-The verdict is out.  If you already got used to the changed from 3-5-6xPro, there is a minor learning curve.  I'm wondering if the complaints are from re-learning an entire Garmin UI layout or the layout itself.
-Default is two clicks of the upper-right button instead of one before you get to the activity.  But- It is nice to have the gps status, menu below and above for configuration you would have to long press on the middle button before.
And many think the voice command (needs long button) is stupid but I like not having to look down during a trail run to skip a track. 

So overall - I think it rocks.  But I totally get the complaints of the watch faces.  And they have the MIP version so you just have to pick your preference.  For me - I love the clarity and look of the AMOLED over my MIPs. 
I reserve the right to come back later and post that I was wrong on everything above! :).  Enjoy the watches.

bw said:

However, it's crucial to remember what the core of the Fenix line stands for: durability, long battery life, and functionality in extreme outdoor conditions. This line was designed primarily for endurance athletes, hikers, and adventurers who rely on their devices in environments where power and reliability are non-negotiable

Agreed, but the regular non-ultra folks who buy the Fenix in droves are essentially funding the development of the watch we love. Fewer customers means fewer update cycles and features. More sales equates to more developers on the product which is theoretically better for everyone. It's Garmin's job to ensure that we're all kept happy.

bw said:

Introducing features like AMOLED displays and LTE might be appealing to some, but they inevitably compromise the very essence of what the Fenix line is all about—endurance and resilience

Which is why we have the Enduro 3 which is better and cheaper than the Enduro 2. That's a good thing!

bw said:

While Garmin does offer other models that cater more to the "smartwatch" crowd, the Fenix should remain true to its roots. It’s built for those who need a watch that can survive and function optimally in the harshest conditions, with a display that’s readable in bright sunlight and a battery that lasts for days, if not weeks, on end

But then you risk losing folks like me as a customer to the likes of Apple. I run ultras and hike multis where the extreme endurance is needed (where I want to be able to turn that LTE radio off), but I also do short runs during the week where I would really appreciate LTE. Should I be forced to buy two Garmin watches, or just one Apple watch if Apple get their battery life up there?

My argument is that Garmin are doing the smart thing by trying to cater to us all with specifically targeted watches like the Enduro and more diverse yet still capable like the Fenix AMOLED. It's amazing we have this choice.

The same thing happened when Porsche produced the Cayenne and then the Cayman. My God, the outrage that ensued because the "911 was perfection, and you don't dilute perfection". The Cayenne literally saved the company and allowed development of the 911 continue. Perhaps it's a wild analogy, but I look at the Fenix AMOLED with its microphone versus the Enduro in the same way. (We still have the GT3 RS and the Enduro, both representing what can be achieved when you're hyper focused and unapologetic with a product design).

I worry that there may be a handful of us in here who want the Fenix to remain some kind of elite status symbol that you can spot at the airport or mall and give the wearer a silent nod, knowing that they share the same values / grit etc that you do. We're beyond that now. Fenix is for everyone.

jmto said:

What it comes to microphone and speaker. I don't get. Who the h... would like to speak to their watch. I don't speak to my mobile either. Stupid teenagers or something.

Even if you think the voice assistant and voice commands are useless, lots of ppl have asked for voice notes, especially in the context of Venu 2 Plus / Venu 3, which have a mic (but no voice notes capability), and Garmin has finally delivered. Sure, they could've done this without adding a mic/speaker (and relying on bluetooth earbuds instead), but it makes a lot of sense this way.

Personally I don't care about a voice assistant or voice commands on my watch, but Siri is useful for simple stuff like setting a timer or setting a quick appointment or reminder (even if touch is used to add additional details later.). You could even set a Siri shortcut to perform fairly complex actions using the Shortcuts app.

2529455 said:

We just have very different use cases.

Yep, You clearly need Garmin Bounce for being free and having LTE at the same time. 

Have you had AMOLED Garmin or are you just speculating that it wouldn't work for you? I have had my Garmin AMOLED on bike's handlebars without AOD. I just tap it if I want to see something from there. If I have route, it will lid itself for the turning instructions etc. And the map also looks better. Of course one can argue that in some MTB tracks it would be hard to do the tapping, but then get a MIP. 

If you compare Fenix 8 51mm AMOLED (gesture) vs SOLAR (without solar), there is not much difference there. That would pretty much the comparison for me, as from my experience from 955 Solar, the Solar is just a gimmick with these latitudes.

FlowState said:

As a runner, I never bring my phone with me on runs.

As a runner, I have my phone with me 99% on my runs and I don't need to glance my watch whole the time. So LTE is just totally pointless for me. 

I used to glance the time from the 24/7 use from the MIP watch and thought that it's going to be big annoyance with AMOLED. It was not.. 

FlowState said:

Even if you think the voice assistant and voice commands are useless, lots of ppl have asked for voice notes, especially in the context of Venu 2 Plus / Venu 3, which have a mic (but no voice notes capability), and Garmin has finally delivered.

I haven't seen any of those. Maybe the feature should have been put then to Venu series, not to Fenix?

jmto said:

Yep, You clearly need Garmin Bounce for being free and having LTE at the same time.

Simply integrating the voice and text messaging of the Garmin Bounce into the Fenix would be a great first step!

jmto said:

Have you had AMOLED Garmin or are you just speculating that it wouldn't work for you? I have had my Garmin AMOLED on bike's handlebars without AOD. I just tap it if I want to see something from there.

I haven't, but I'm one of the weirdos that wants that map or metrics on the screen 100% of the time and glanceable so that I don't need to take my hands off the bars. More so when I'm mountain biking. I'm definitely not poo-pooing AMOLED, in fact I would prefer it for those times where I'm scrolling around a map during a hike and wanting to see small detail. It's just that the MIP display satisfies all of my use cases well enough and has that glanceability aspect which I find pretty critical.

jmto said:

955 Solar, the Solar is just a gimmick with these latitudes.

Probably doesn't make all that much sense if you're up in the Arctic (or the UK), but down in Australia or the southern USA, solar makes a difference.

jmto said:

I haven't seen any of those. Maybe the feature should have been put then to Venu series, not to Fenix?

Ok, so I'm an engineer who sometimes moonlights as a product guy, and for whatever reason I seem to have all of my most inspirational ideas and thoughts on long runs, long drives, or when I'm in the shower . Perhaps it's the lack of other distractions, but in those moments I'd really appreciate having a device that allows me to blab these complex and somewhat mad thoughts at it so it's some later point I can think "Jesus what was I thinking.. delete" or "that's actually going to be our next product" and write a paper on it. Perhaps I'm alone with this, but I've got a sneaking suspicion I might not be.

Are we getting a bit of a feel as to how we've all got different use cases and that they're all correct for us as individuals?