Garmin’s new top of the line Fenix 9 Pro comes with faster mapping, an all-titanium case, and an even bigger screen. Tim’s already begun tracking his weeks to see how it performs.

I was explaining some of the features of the huge new Fenix 9 Pro Solar on my wrist the other day and was stopped in my tracks.

‘What do you mean, “the processor’s been updated”, like it’s a computer?’, my friend asked.

Pretty much! Modern smartwatches are small computers, just like your phone, but I think it’s easy to forget that as we’re so used to a watch being ‘just a watch’. Given that smartwatches need to fit onto your wrist and be basically indestructible, their capabilities are a few years behind our phones.

Still, they’re pretty impressive. The Fenix 9 Pro and its predecessor, which I reviewed, have inReach Connectivity. While this still doesn’t give you satellite coverage in Australia, the watches can access the LTE network to send and receive messages, and even make calls, without your phone.

Here’s what’s new and what it means:

Better Mapping Thanks to More RAM

The Fenix Pro 8 had a beautiful 36mm screen that offered full colour topographic mapping. It was wonderful for adventures, making it easy to navigate without a phone or other maps, but whenever you lifted your wrist there was a solid wait for the map to orient itself correctly.

This pause became particularly noticeable when you showed others, who impatiently looked at you like your watch was broken.

To solve this, Garmin’s put 50% more RAM into the watch, majorly increasing its short term memory. This has been paired with a faster processor (specs unknown), updated map engine, and doubled storage at 64GB. Apart from leaving my childhood computer in the dust, this is said to lead to 30% faster map panning.

In practice, I found it felt way faster, almost seamless. Backing themselves, Garmin has added a new ‘perspective’ view, like you’ll see on Google or Apple Maps, which relies on fast panning. It also lets you see a little more of the trail up ahead.

 

Perspective mode shows the map from a familiar 3D vantage point

Now in 43mm

The watch you see here is the largest 51mm Pro Solar model, which has an unchanged 36mm screen. However the AMOLED screen has been bumped to 38mm, the largest ever for Garmin.

It’s massive though, and the combo of a metal case and solar makes the watch even thicker. Weight has gone from 92g to 101g, including the strap.

So thankfully Garmin has brought the Pro model and inReach connectivity to its smallest 43mm model, which they didn’t with the Fenix 8 Pro. This size is preferred by a lot of women, and to be honest, a lot of men too.

 

The kind of watch that makes you put on your backpack right arm first, so it doesn’t get caught

New Field Tools Option

The Fenix series has long been one of Garmin’s adventure watches, thanks to its mapping, sapphire lens (the only thing harder to scratch is diamond), and rugged buttons and strap.

Tools such as a barometer, compass, and altimeter were all added over time, but they’ve now been put in a special ‘Field Tools’ tab in the activity menu, making them easier to find.

 

The big 51mm watch has a 26mm strap, and a clasp that absolutely should be grey

Red Light, Green Light!

The torch was one of my favourite things about the Fenix 8 Pro and the 9 adds a new colour option: green. Human eyes are much more sensitive to green light, allowing us to see details like a map much more easily, while still protecting night vision.

Compared side by side, the lights seem comparable in brightness despite the smaller LED. Initially the red light seemed far dimmer, but thankfully this changed after an update.

Unfortunately, the solar model I have uses a MIPS display, which needs a backlight to be seen. Even on the lowest setting I find it really bright at night in bed, whereas the AMOLED display (which is far brighter) can also go dimmer and red-shift the entire display.

Bigger Battery Life

Few watches are measuring their battery life in weeks but the Fenix 9 Pro series is one of them. The 9 bumps smartwatch mode battery life up to 30-31 days from 27. There’s a claimed 57 days of operation if you get three hours of sunlight (150,000 lux) onto the watch every day.

 

On this day I’d done an 80 minute trail run starting at 10am and I clocked more solar on the balcony taking photos

 

On Saturday I rode my gravel bike for two hours, then went for a jog and a swim at the beach in the afternoon, and hung my washing up outside. I cracked 50,000 lux total and was a touch sunburnt. It’s a lot of exposure for about 1% extra charge a day. The biggest power saving is probably the simpler MIPS display.

I’m running my own ‘real life’ usage test at the moment. So far it’s been seven days with GPS tracking an activity every day, bluetooth notifications from the phone, a bit of Spotify usage with headphones, and 24 hour tracking of my metrics and sleep.

We’re down to 41%. I’m keen to repeat the test with the Fenix 8 Pro I have that doesn’t have solar, to see how it compares.

Look out for my full comparison in the coming months and if you’ve got any questions be sure to add them in the comments!