While Garmin is a manufacturer that specializes in developing smart tech designed to withstand the elements such as GPS systems, the brand is also a force to be reckoned with when it comes to smart wearables meant for athletes, adventurers, or even everyday users who want a reliable watch with smart features. That said, Garmin recently expanded its rugged smartwatch lineup with the new – and aptly named – Tactix 8, which takes its spot as top dog within Garmin’s premium watch lineup.
Priced starting at at a whopping $1,300, the Tactix 8 takes outdoor wearable durability to a new level, with a lineup of hardware and software features that Garmin hopes will be enough to sway would-be buyers from rivals such as the Apple Watch Ultra and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, both of which are also designed to bring rugged outdoor durability to users’ wrists. What sets the Tactix 8 apart from its mainstream competition though?
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In terms of design, the Tactix 8 comes in two sizes with 47mm and 51mm variants, and features Garmin’s signature design that’s made to withstand the elements. There’s a titanium bezel that surrounds a scratch-resistant sapphire display, flanked by leakproof buttons on the side. Going back to the display, Garmin offers an AMOLED variant alongside a model with an “enhanced solar” display which features always-on technology and is able to charge via sunlight. This whole design also integrates a built-in speaker and microphone so you can take and answer calls whenever the watch is paired to your smartphone.
For fitness, the watch packs a nice selection of activity profiles including rucking, targeted strength training plans, real-time stamina tracking, sport-specific workouts, and a wide array of built-in sports apps. There’s also a daily training readiness score that advises users on workout intensity, and support for tracking different progress metrics such as endurance score, hill score, VO2 max. The tactix 8 also features 24/7 health monitoring with wrist-based Pulse Ox, Body Battery energy monitoring, a jet lag advisor, advanced sleep monitoring, and nap detection. All tactix 8 models are also compatible with an FDA-cleared ECG app, enabling users to record their heart rhythm and check for AFib directly from their wrist.
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Other features include 40-meter dive rating and support for both scuba and apnea diving, preloaded Applied Ballistics Ultralight solver as well as compatibility with the AB Quantum app and AB Elite solver integration, advanced mapping and navigation tools with TopoActive maps, and Dynamic round-trip routing that allows users to input a desired distance and receive suggested routes.
