Disappointing Discovery With Fenix 8 Hardware

paulreis said:

Fenix 8 is just a Descent MK3 body design with Fenix software?!

paulreis said:

hardware that’s over a year old

I can't find the speaker and microphone on the MK3. Where is it?

And where did you get the information about the chips installed?

Just because the watches are SIMILAR does not mean that they are SIMILAR. They are not even identical on the outside.

Adding a speaker and microphone doesn’t change the overall design language which was the point of my post. If you take a look at the MK3 you can clearly see that with the exception of the “speaker and microphone” the rest of the watch is identical 

Several reviews from renown YouTubers have stated the chip set is the same as Fenix 7 Pro as well as the heart rate and pulse ox sensors and GPS as for the design take a look at the MK3 and tell me I’m imagining it. 

paulreis said:

If you take a look at the MK3 you can clearly see that with the exception of the “speaker and microphone” the rest of the watch is identical 

Nope. 
The buttons are different, and the bezel is also different. As is the attachment of the bezel.

Yes very well spotted, you nailed it. A couple of screws and the way the bezel attaches to the body is exactly what makes the design language different. Oh and yes the buttons. And while we are at it the MK3 also has a few more grooves on the bezel ring. Right. Well that has definitely set me straight and I stand corrected the design language of both watches is completely different and the professional reviewers on YouTube are probably also wrong about the chipset and sensors being from the previous 7 Pro. 

paulreis said:

as for the design take a look at the MK3 and tell me I’m imagining it. 

That's obviously the case. The watches are not visually identical. They are similar. But what do you want to do? Both are watches, both are round. Both have a polymer case. That has always been the case. Should Garmin have made the Fenix square so that it had enough difference to the mk3?

That’s not what I initially stated, I simply stated that the design language of both watches is very similar overall and that it feels like they took the hardware of one existing line (with minor cosmetic changes) put the sensors of the existing fenix 7 line together with a half baked software upgrade (if you can call it that given all the issues) and sold it at a never before marked up price ($300-$400 more) and I’m somewhat disappointed with the end product. 

paulreis said:

That’s not what I initially stated, I simply stated that the design language of both watches is very similar overall

I quote

paulreis said:

Fenix 8 is just a Descent MK3 body design with Fenix software

paulreis said:

hardware that’s over a year old and is taken from another product line

And if you disagree (which clearly you do) that’s fine we are both entitled to our opinions as consumers. I’m just another guy on a product forum voicing my opinion on a product I paid for and am not fully satisfied with. Just like everyone else 

I stand by my initial post that the design of both watches is very similar and it seems like they meshed both lines together all be it with some minor cosmetic changes.