Garmin Fenix 9 Pro hands-on: lighter, brighter, and a new Epic feature

For the past two years, the Garmin Fenix 8 has been widely considered the best performance smartwatch on the market. The Fenix 8 Pro added integrated inReach technology, making it a top choice for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. In the months before the Fenix 9 announcement, speculation focused largely on battery life improvements and a slimmer case. The actual release brought those changes, along with a series of software upgrades.

One of the most immediate differences is physical size. The Fenix 9 Pro is now available in a 43mm case, which the reviewer described as “dainty” and easy to wear daily, unlike the 47mm or 51mm sizes of the Fenix 8 Pro that looked “positively ridiculous” on a smaller wrist. The 43mm version uses a titanium case and bezel, while the standard Fenix 9 uses a fiber-reinforced polymer and titanium blend. Nano moulding technology contributes to a construction that is roughly 16% thinner than the Fenix 8 in the same size.

The display is also a major step forward. The Fenix 9’s AMOLED screen is twice as bright as its predecessor, and the Pro version reaches 3,000 nits. During the field test, the reviewer found it easy to read in both bright sun and low light, noting that the new screen made the Fenix 8 Pro look dim by comparison. A 51mm version of the Fenix 9 is the first in the series to feature a 1.5-inch AMOLED screen.

The most exciting new feature for the reviewer is Garmin Epic, which lets users combine multiple activities and metrics into one group. This is designed for multi-day adventures such as backpacking trips, ski holidays, or marathon training blocks. It shows cumulative distance, elevation, calories, heart rate, sleep, recovery and performance gain across all logged activities, with a single map view for an entire trip. Users can keep an Epic alive for up to 92 days. In the test, the journalist created an Epic called “Chamonix,” added a morning hike, a 5km ruck, and a trail-running descent, and was able to see the combined totals at a glance.

Another notable addition is a green LED light function. According to the review, Amazfit introduced a green light on the T-Rex Ultra 2 earlier this year, reasoning that green light makes it easier to see objects and terrain than red light, which is better for night vision. Garmin has now adopted the same idea. The reviewer went out after dark and found the green light significantly better than the red light for navigating trails.

Despite the promising first impressions, the reviewer cautioned that after only a few hours of use, a final verdict would be dishonest. Several features, including long-term battery life, real-world GPS accuracy, and the full potential of Garmin Epic, require more extensive testing. The article’s headline mentions one area that still needs work, but the review text does not specify it, leaving that detail for a future update.