tactix® 8 51mm, AMOLED Display, Premium Tactical GPS Smartwatch, Includes Applied Ballistics Ultralight™ Solver

FrontRow Tech LLC quickly shipped my Garmin Tactix® 8 Applied Ballistics Solar Elite Premium Watch. Great service. 5-stars 25-May-2025: UPDATE: Average Skin Temperature works: 15.31 Software Release. Changed review from 4-stars to 5-stars. 23-March-2025: UPDATE: Average Skin Temperature Does Not Work: 19-March-2025, I contacted David, at Garmin. He mentioned this is a known issue; and, a firmware is being worked on to resolve this issue. The ETA release for the firmware is May 2025. My watch has the latest firmware: 13.71. I reset my watch and Garmin Connect. To date, 22-March-2025, the Average Skin Temperature doesn’t work after the reset of the watch and the Connect application on my iPhone 13. Some operators have this problem, and others don’t. According to David, I’m the eighth caller experiencing this problem. If the May 2025 firmware resolves the skin temperature issue, I will update my Star-rating to 5. 31-March-2025: I am going to the firing range to test the Elite Applied Ballistics, which is one of the reasons I purchased this watch. The Elite License is set up, and I anticipate it will work well when I discharge my long arm down-range. - Display is bright and easy to read under the sun and low light settings. The backlight is great for dark settings. (My display setting is 10%.) - Rucking is a new application, which I always wanted with my Garmin Instinct 2X Solar Tactical Watch; because, I carrying a tennis backpack whenever I walk to and from the tennis courts; and, I always wanted the weight of my tennis backpack to be factored into my Walk Activities. The Tactix 8 satisfies my want; hence, now, I’m able to factor in the weight of my tennis backpack into my Walk Activities. - I like the new ECG feature. It’s easy to use. - I also purchased the Tactix 8 for my SCUBA diving trip to the Channel Islands this coming Summer 2025; hence, I will update this review after my first dive. I already took it swimming today, 20-Feb-2025, and no leaks. The Swimming Activity was accurate and helpful for my tennis cross-training. - Phone connectivity works great — though, I don’t use these features when I play tennis nor when I am in HIIT mode. The watch piggy-backs off my iPhone. It doesn’t have its own LTE Cellular component like my Apple Watch Ultra. - I am taking aviation classes; hence, I will use the Tactix 8 as a back-up flight aid. I will update this review after I use the Aviation Application. - The color of the watch casing looks lighter than the Tactix 7. - The GPS seems to be more sensitive; because, I’m able to get GPS indoors — unlike the Tactix 7 Pro Ballistics and my Instinct 2X Solar Tactical watches. - Navigation is visually appealing with the colored maps, and navigation is accurate — I did a TrackBack without any problems, such as, but not limited to, navigation lag. Recalculation in NYC (Manhattan) took place quickly — seconds. - Solar charging panel appears to be bigger than the Tactix 7, but I have not researched my assertion — bottom line: the solar charging works great. I will do more tests and update this review if I notice any problems. The watch comes with a charging cable, booklets, and a black silicone strap. The Tactix 7 Applied Ballistics Pro came with a nylon strap and black silicone strap. Check 6! /s/ Alfonso Faustino

This watch is AMAZING and well worth the price. It provides amazing stats on sleep, nutrition, exercise, and stress, as well as GPS, maps, and so much more. Not to mention, you can also sync it with your phone, allowing for notifications like an Apple Watch. It is very versatile, a great size, fits well, and does all I need and much more!

My introduction to smart watches was the Samsung Galaxy Ultra watch in white. It was great for what is was. Linked with my Samsung Galaxy 25 Ultra, it did everything I could ask for. Prior to that, I was wearing my Casio G-Shock GWG-2000. The Garmin Tactix 8 51mm AMOLED is just such a phenomenal watch in every way. I mean it looks gorgeous to just wear on the wrist. You can wear it for any occasion. It's bigger than my Samsung watch but feels a lot lighter. The screen is beautiful. Some might say it's overkill, but I say the more features, the better. I don't like when companies or even people try to tell me what I do and don't need. Give me everything and allow me to decide for myself. The battery life is on a whole other level in comparison to the Samsung. I was getting 1-3 days on the Samsung depending if I used energy saving mode (3D) or not. My first charge of 100% and the Garmin said 28 days. Of course, I just start wearing it last night, but that is just amazing!!! I got this thing for about $400 off of the retail price because it was supposed to be used and in good condition. The thing came in looking like it wasn't touched. The only thing that was a little raggedy was the box. I would highly recommend this watch to anyone that can afford it.

Perfect fit band is excellent set up is easy to use very comfortable when running and Mountain Biking.

This watch is the best watch I’ve seen in a long time. Absolutely ridiculously awesome! I’m a soccer referee and I need something that is able to make you feel you are keeping the right time. This watch is absolutely it!

I've had a Garmin Fenix 3, years ago, and was generally disappointed with its limitations. More recently I've had an Apple Series 7 watch, which I generally liked in terms of it's functionality, but it felt more like a "dress" watch with limited functionality and limited battery life. I purchased the Garmin Tactix 8 Solar for its functionality, ruggedness and looks and I couldn't be happier. I am still learning my way around this watch because there is A LOT of functionality (which I won't go into) but I am already using this watch WAY more than any other watch I've owned. I don't take the watch off very often because the battery life is amazing and it can run for weeks without a physical charge. You'll have to spend some significant time getting it set up and NO the set-up isn't intuitive but once it's the way you want it, it is AWESOME! If you have a Tactix 7 or some other Garmin model you love, then this may not be enough of an upgrade for you, but for me, this watch was worth every penny. Finally, I will say that it's nice to have a connected watch (messages, alerts, music, etc.,) that ISN'T the same old Apple watch that everyone else has. Highly Recommended! One Month Later - Still love this watch and wear it daily. I purchased the Titanium watch band from Garmin (not cheap) and this makes the watch even more wearable. Whereas the rubber watch band that came with the watch would get water or perspiration underneath it and so I would have to take it off occasionally to dry off my wrist, the titanium watch band doesn't have this issue. Also, since the titanium watch band is a fixed length (after removing some links) it fits perfectly every time.

Unacceptable heart rate monitor for this expensive of the watch. I'm wearing a Garmin chest strap monitor and it says my heart rate is 82 while I'm walking and the watch at the same time says I'm 131. Contacted support they had me do a reinstall of the software. Seem to be okay for a day or two and right back to wild readings. If you can pick the Swatch up for a couple hundred bucks okay but my old instinct what had a better heart rate monitor

I’ve had the Garmin Tactix 8 Solar on my wrist since the end of May, and after three months of putting it through its paces, I can say it earns every bit of five stars. Battery life holds up just like promised. 30 days in smartwatch mode, less when you’re really working it hard with activities, but that’s expected. I’ve tested it where most people don’t often set foot, from the deep woods of northern Michigan to the heat and dust of the Mojave Desert, where cell service is more rumor than reality. Out there, this watch wasn’t just a gadget, it was a tool. It kept me oriented, gave me the information I needed, and never once left me guessing. As a veteran and hunter, I don’t hand out trust easily. At first, I questioned whether the durability matched the price tag. After dragging it through hunts, rough terrain, and long days under punishing conditions, those concerns are largely gone. This thing’s built solid. The user interface took some getting used to, it’s different than what I was used to with my previous watch but once I gave it time, it became second nature. I will say I’m not always a fan of how updates are applied. Some run slow over Wi-Fi, some force you to plug into a power source, and most install faster if you just run them through Garmin Express on a computer. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s something worth knowing. Now, this watch doesn’t replace every Garmin device. I still need to carry my inReach Mini 2 for certain capabilities, and it’d be nice if the Tactix 8 Solar could do more of that on its own. To me that’s not enough to take away from what this watch does right. I’ll be honest I was skeptical about paying this much for a watch. Month after month, I’ve come to realize it’s worth every penny. If you want something you can depend on in places where failure isn’t an option, this is it.