Garmin has launched one of its toughest-ever smartwatches, the Tactix 8, available in 47mm and 51mm case sizes.
Built to US military standard (MIL-STD-810) for thermal, shock and water resistance, it has a 40-meter dive rating with leakproof buttons and a new sensor guard to help protect essential sensors. A scuba diving activity feature tracks entry and exit location of dives and provides underwater navigation through a digital compass.
The 47mm AMOLED display offers up to 16 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, while the 51mm solar model with an always-on display offers up to 48 days of battery life.
It features a titanium bezel and scratch-resistant sapphire lens. With a built-in speaker and microphone you can make calls from this watch when paired with a compatible smartphone.
Voice commands like “start a hiking activity”, “set a timer for 5 minutes”, “save waypoint” and more can be activated straight from the watch without requiring a phone connection.
A new dedicated activity profile allows users to input pack weight to better understand the physical exertion associated with rucking.
Users can view terrain contours on TopoActive. A newly integrated map interface allows users to customise map layers. They can enter a distance on the watch and receive suggested routes to stay on track and on time with dynamic round-trip routing.
An Outdoor Maps+ subscription (purchased separately) provides users with premium mapping content, like satellite imagery, public land maps, hunting units, burn zones and more directly on the watch.
SatIQ and multi-band GPS help provide positioning accuracy. Users can create or find existing courses in Garmin Connect and sync them to their watch to get turn-by-turn directions.
The smartwatch also has a built-in multi-LED flashlight. While in Night Vision Goggle (NVG) mode, the display dims to levels functional to the primary user (including those wearing night optic devices) but almost invisible to anyone else.
Users can also activate Stealth Mode which turns off wireless communications but still collects distances traveled and biometric data without recording location data.
Tactix 8 offers targeted strength training plans, real-time stamina tracking, sport-specific workouts and a full range of built-in sports apps.
It features 24/7 health monitoring features including a wrist-based Pulse Ox, Body Battery energy monitoring, jet lag adviser, advanced sleep monitoring, nap detection and more.
All Tactix 8 models are also compatible with the ECG app, an FDA-cleared app that can help users record their heart rhythm and checks for signs of atrial fibrillation.
The watch comes preloaded with Applied Ballistics (AB) Ultralight solver, giving users access to advanced aiming solutions for long-range marksmanship.
Civilian and military aviators can use Tactix 8’s Direct-To-Navigation feature, which allows users to navigate straight to a location or waypoint or use the “Nearest” function to activate a path to a nearby airport.
The Tactix 8 starts from A$2,299 for the 47mm AMOLED version. The solar version is available from A$2,499 and the Solar AB: Elite is priced at A$2,799. The Garmin Tactix 8 is available to order in Australia from February 21.
