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Disappointment - No Fenix 8 Pro MIP Solar

Nine
1 month ago

I've been a long-time Garmin user, starting with the Fenix 3 HR, and have always appreciated what Garmin stood for, reliable, rugged devices with exceptional battery life, especially through MIP Solar technology.

So I've to say, I'm extremely disappointed with the Fenix 8 Pro launch.

No MIP Solar version? Seriously, what was the product team thinking?

I was really hoping for a Fenix 8 Pro with MIP Solar, LTE-M, and InReach tech. That would've been the perfect upgrade. But instead, Garmin seems to be abandoning MIP technology altogether, in favour of AMOLED and now MicroLED.

I get it,  AMOLED screens look flashy and help sell units to the general smartwatch crowd. But Garmin isn’t just another smartwatch company. It's a brand trusted by athletes, outdoor adventurers, and serious users who depend on durability, visibility in all conditions, and, most importantly, battery life.

MIP displays have improved significantly since the Fenix 7 series. They're  more efficient and more readable in sunlight, something AMOLED still struggles with. Battery life on MIP Solar watches is one of Garmin's biggest strengths, and it’s why so many of us chose Garmin over other brands.

AMOLED or MicroLED makes sense on the Marq series, sure. But for a watch marketed as a “multisport GPS smartwatch for serious athletes and adventurers” AMOLED makes no sense. The always-on AMOLED feature is a battery hog and not remotely comparable to the efficiency and reliability of MIP. 

I’ve tried both the Epix Gen2 and the Fenix 8 AMOLED models and they’re just not for me. The displays are undeniably vibrant, but the hit to battery life, visibility in direct sunlight, and general usability in outdoor environments make them a poor tradeoff, especially for long-term daily use and frequent travellers.

Even worse, I'm seeing reports of up to 60% reduction in battery efficiency with the Fenix 8 Pro MicroLED models. This is just baffling for a product that’s supposed to be designed for endurance use.

MIP Solar is Garmin’s niche and a major differentiator in the wearables space. If they’re truly planning to abandon it, I imagine many loyal users will start looking elsewhere. Myself included.

If this is the new direction for the Fenix series, then after nearly a decade in Garmin’s ecosystem, I may have to move on.

Anyone else feeling the same way?

  • 0 1 month ago in reply to ted360

    I had a mk2i mip solar and i really liked it and in sunlight its readability is amazing theres no contest, im not sure if it dims under water when in dive mode but brightness is easily adjusted, there are also red and green shift for legibilty if needed

    Unfortunately its the way its going, who else uses mip? microled was supposed to be far more efficient cw amoled, that seems to be nonsense at the moment

  • 0 1 month ago in reply to 7000518

    We can't directly compare the running time of MIP and Amoled. MIP is always on and shows information, and if Amoled is with AOD (mimicking the functionality of MIP), then Amoled runs 3 times less than MIP.

  • 0 1 month ago in reply to Octopus 82

    So what are the alternatives? Coros Nomad and what else? So you would actually sacrifice all your data and jump ship just because of MIP? Just curious! I've got a Tactix 7 AMOLED and MIP and while I really like MIP and use it quite a lot, I enjoy the AMOLED display too. I think as long as you don't insist of getting Garmin's latest and greatest, you can enjoy Garmin MIP watches for many many years to come...and if you don'T insist on new watches, you can safe a lot of money in the process. I bought the Tactix ´7 MIP for 400 and the AMOLED and 510.

  • 0 1 month ago in reply to clonetrooper

    There aren't many alternatives as I really want maps and I like my Garmin ecosystem but I would rather buy the last MIP Fenix 7s Pro to use it when my 7s dies than invest in something new with AMOLED and dreadful battery life in a lot worse AoD mode.

  • 0 1 month ago in reply to ted360

    The decision making involves many variables, for me diving legibility was important, but it doesn't have AI compared to descent which doesnt come in 47mm, or a mip version, and is a generation behind fenix.

    AOD is a pain but all of this shows with garmin there always seems to be a compromise in what you want or can have because theyre not consistent in what they release, its quite frustrating.  I got fenix for a great price in hope of waiting till mk4i comes out, no idea what that line up will look like when it arrives or whether it'll be worth it, for an all in one with good battery life theres no other brand out there at this time

  • 0 1 month ago in reply to 7000518

    I've a feeling that MIP version got lower priority for a while, and that the team was focused on optimization of AMOLED, not MIPS. That would explain why this bug isn't resolved even that it was accepted https://forums.garmin.com/outdoor-recreation/outdoor-recreation/f/fenix-8-series/407070/bug-13-35-jittery-animation-during-breathwok---fenix-8-solar

    For the reference, this bug is only present on MIPS, on AMOLED everything works well. 

  • 0 1 month ago in reply to clonetrooper
    clonetrooper said:
    So you would actually sacrifice all your data and jump ship just because of MIP?

    Myself I wouldn't rule out abandoning my data. For the first it's still there for the reference, for the second, I'm mostly using Stryd, and Runalyze, and it's also on Strava. So the one who would stop getting access to data in case I decide to switch at some point would be Garmin, not me. Also, I've switched ecosystems in the past and know that it's not the end of the world. 

    When I was choosing which ecosystem to go for I was selecting between Polar, Coros, Suunto, and maybe the time to give a try to a different ecosystem is closing.
    When I was choosing my first watch, on the top of my list I wanted it to be MIPS display, and it didn't change so far. Maybe at some point I'll grow more tolerant to AMOLED, but  my wife and friends have Garmins with AMOLED and so far I'm not impressed. 

    clonetrooper said:
    So what are the alternatives? Coros Nomad and what else?

    As for alternatives, how about Suunto Vertical? It even has solar version, and should correspond to all my needs, it's more affordable too even in solar titanium version. I've seen it in action too and so far it looks as a decent watch.

    Of course, other brands may abandon this technology too, but I have a feeling that at least one would keep it, so let's see how it rolls out. 

  • 0 1 month ago

    Same here I was going to upgrade from the 8 solar MIP to the pro to have the LTE option.  Since it isn't offered no change. 

  • 0 1 month ago in reply to sensovision
    sensovision said:
    I've a feeling that MIP version got lower priority for a while, and that the team was focused on optimization of AMOLED, not MIPS

    I've got a slightly different take. I suspect that they'll eventually produce MIPs variants, but they're wanting to see how well the 8 Pro sells prior to committing to another large spend to produce it. Garmin's always been pretty cautious and seem to preference limited runs initially in order to test the consumer appetite for a technology. They needed to produce an LTE enabled device as the market was demanding it. In fact the market seemed to be pushing for it around 2020, so this is their answer.

    So in short, I think we'll see an LTE Fenix 9 with the full AMOLED and MIP variants on offer within a year - likely integrating a lot of the discrete components that has made the Fenix 8 Pro so chunky. This will be the big seller.

  • 0 1 month ago in reply to 2529455

    I could imagine that Garmin will leave MIP for the Enduro only. Fenix lineup will be AMOLED and MicroLed. LTE will probably available for both, even though I read somewhere that you can't have and LTE enabled watch at certain Triathlon (?) events anymore and that would rule out Garmin too. I am concerned about prices because it gets only more expensive from here. So I wouldn't be surprised if the Fenix and all its derivatives will be constantly way beyond the 1000 threshold. I can only hope that Gen 9 will bring more real innovation in terms of sensors and not in screen brightness and battery life.