Garmin Fenix 8 Solar vs Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar

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I picked Garmin’s Fenix 8 Solar and Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar for a direct comparison.

The rationale behind picking the Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar edition variant amidst the remaining Fenix 7 Solar models can be explained on the basis of following –

  1. Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar is a 47 mm watch. And Fenix 8 Solar is also a 47 mm watch.
  2. Both smartwatches are Solar in nature and use Power Sapphire glass for solar charging through the PV or Photo-voltaic cells.
  3. Both share almost identical battery capacity, display size, display technology, and silicon band size.

So, given these similarities, our comparison effort becomes quick, easy, and to the point.

The idea is to help you figure out the core functionalities of both watches in less than 3 minutes of this quick comparison. So, let us hit the comparison below.

Suggested Reading – Are Solar Watches worth it?

Main differences

  • Fenix 8 Solar includes GPS satellite networks for QZSS and BeiDou GPS networks in addition to GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo networks.
  • Fenix 8 Solar is DIVE-ready and comes with a dive sensor to track depths to the level of 40 m under water surface levels. It has a 4 ATM DIVE rating to affirm the DIVE ratings.
  • Fenix 8 Solar has an in-built speaker and microphone.

These 3 can be considered the core differences between Fenix 8 Solar and Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar smartwatch.

For a matter of reference, Fenix 8 Solar ($1099.99) is pricier than Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar ($899.99) by $200.

I expand on these main points below in slight detail here under.

GPS

Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar and Fenix 8 Solar come with sensors for GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo networks.

In addition to these 3, Fenix 8 Solar also includes sensors for QZSS and BeiDou.

QZSS is a Japanese satellite network and BeiDou is China’s satellite network. So, additional sensors for QZSS and BeiDou will make substantial qualitative differences to GPS connections in China, Japan and other countries in the far-east part of Asia.

It remains to be seen if the QZSS and BeiDou network sensors bring any tangible improvements for US, Canada, or European users.

DIVE-ready

Fenix 8 Solar is dive ready. What this means is that the watch could easily be used for scuba diving.

It comes with depth sensor that can track your activities up to 40 meter below the water surface level.

Garmin also added diving profiles for apnea diving and scuba diving to the software of Garmin Fenix 8 Solar smartwatches.

Now, both Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar and Fenix 8 Solar have similar water resistance rating of 10 ATM. The differential lies in DIVE sensor and software improvements in Fenix 8 Solar to offer user-friends apps for tracking depth and diving efforts.

Speaker and microphone

Fenix 8 Solar has an in-built speaker and mic. So, you can make calls or answer calls directly off the Fenix 8 Solar.

This is a much under-appreciated feature. But, the fact is that you can use the smartwatch to answer an incoming call without relying on the paired smartphone. And, this could make a solid difference for frequent callers.

Fenix 8 Solar easily supports and handles Bluetooth calling.

Summary

Apart from these 3 technical differences or improvements, most core features are similar in Fenix 8 Solar and Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar.

So, I suggest spending additional money only if you gain out of these feature improvements in Fenix 8 Solar over the Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar smartwatch.