Garmin’s new Fenix 9 adds brighter screens and smoother map panning

Garmin just took the wraps off its new line of rugged Fenix 9 smartwatches, with the base model featuring an OLED display with a brightness of up to 3,000 nits, making it twice as bright as its predecessor. Starting at $999.99 for the 43mm case option, the Fenix 9 has 50 percent more RAM and an upgraded map engine, allowing for faster panning. It also comes with a scratch-resistant sapphire lens, an increased 64GB of storage, and a bunch of new software-based features, like Garmin Epic. This feature groups all the workouts you’ve done over several days, weeks, or months to create an “Epic” that shows your health and performance data within that period. There are also new stamina tracking metrics and expanded rucking features that let you change the weight of your pack during a workout. Garmin says the Fenix 9 offers up to 29 days of battery life in smartwatch mode on the largest 51mm size. [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fenix9_47mm_Titanium_PebbleGray_Front-Left_0000_hero_blue.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fenix9_51mm_Carbon_Black_Front_0006_morning_report.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fenix9_51mm_Carbon_Black_Front-Right_0000_hero_orange.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] The Fenix 9 Pro starts at $1,099.99 and expands on these upgrades with a new titanium case. It has InReach satellite or LTE connectivity available on all three 43mm, 47mm, and 51mm options for an extra $100 and a $7.99 / month subscription. The largest Fenix 9 Pro variation also offers a 1.5-inch OLED display for the first time. That’s just a little bigger than the 1.3-inch and 1.4-inch displays available with the smaller case sizes across the Fenix 9 lineup. [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fenix9Pro_HR_43mm_LTE_Titanium-Shell-Autumn_Front-Left_0007_stamina_run_in_activity.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fenix9Pro_HR_47mm_LTE_Titanium-Leather_Front_0000_LTE_hero_analog_brown.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Fenix9Pro_HR_51mm_LTE_Titanium-Autumn-Spark_Front-Right_0000_hero_orange.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] Additionally, the 47mm and 51mm Fenix 9 Pro models offer a solar-charged display option that promises up to 57 days of battery life (with the caveat that you spend three hours per day outside in 50,000 lux conditions). The Fenix 9 lineup is available in an array of case and band color combinations. The new devices will be available to order starting August 28th.