New Product Highlight: Garmin Tactix 8
Garmin’s flagship smartwatch is the best piece of tech you can get to communicate, shoot, travel, stay fit, and go way, way off-grid.
PPT Editor. Marine vet, hunter, and long-range shooter. Articles in 10+ major publications
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Garmin is practically unopposed in its dominance of the adventure watch market, largely because the juggernaut innovates and rolls out new technology before the competition knows what hit them.
Need an example? Check out the newly released Garmin Tactix 8. This do-it-all smartwatch took an already impressive platform and raised the bar with new sizes, features, and capabilities.
Let's check it out!
Garmin Tactix 8 Specs & Features
Specs
- Display: AMOLED, sunlight-visible transflective memory-in-pixel
- Display Size: 35.56 mm
- Display Resolution: 454 x 454 (AMOLED), 280 x 280 (Solar)
- Case Diameter: 47 mm, 51 mm
- Material: Fiber-reinforced polymer case, titanium rear cover, titanium bezel, sapphire lens
- Battery Life: 29 days (AMOLED), 48 days (Solar) in smartwatch mode
- Waterproof Rating: 10 ATM
- Memory: 32 GB
- Navigation: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, SatIQ
- Sensors: Heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, altimeter, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, thermometer, ambient light sensor, depth sensor (to 40 meters)
- Ballistics Software: Applied Ballistics Ultralight (AMOLED, Solar), Applied Ballistics Elite (Solar: AB Elite)
- MSRP: $1,299.99 - $1,599.99
Features
- Now with a speaker and microphone
- All Tactix 8 watches come with Applied Ballistics software
- New 47-millimeter case size available (AMOLED only)
The biggest news? The Tactix 8 has a microphone and speaker, so you can make phone calls and dictate text messages when it’s paired with your phone and control the watch with voice commands when you’re out of cell service.
We’re psyched to learn that Garmin is loading Applied Ballistics software on every model. Applied Ballistics Ultralight comes standard, and the top-spec Tactix 8 Solar: AB Elite comes with Applied Ballistics Elite. Download the AB Quantum app to manage cartridge profiles and targets on your phone, then sync it with your watch.
This Garmin is still a navigation powerhouse. It can still tap into the GPS (U.S.), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo (European Union), and QZSS (Japan) satellite networks to make sure you’re never left in the dark. SatIQ will automatically find the best service based on your location anywhere in the world. You can even customize Garmin's TopoActive maps now.
If you’re traveling with a pack, the Tactix 8 can even calculate your physical exertion by factoring in your pack weight. Backcountry hunters, rejoice!
The features you already enjoy haven’t gone anywhere. The Tactix 8 still comes loaded with a suite of fitness trackers, health monitors, and specialized apps for everything from skydiving and flying an airplane to listening to music and making touchless payments.
Of course, it meets the military’s MIL-STD-810, and Garmin kept the built-in flashlight. That thing is a lifesaver, I tell you.
Garmin lists an MSRP of $1,299 to $1,599 for the Tactix 8, which is right in line with the Tactix 7 series. More features for the same price? Yes, please.
What do you think of the new Garmin Tactix 8? Let us know below. For more next-level shooting tech, check out our Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph review.