{"id":120826,"date":"2026-08-26T13:50:56","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T13:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/120826\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T13:50:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T13:50:56","slug":"i-wore-the-garmin-fenix-9-pro-on-a-12km-hike-and-run-in-the-french-alps-testing-as-many-new-features-as-possible-here-are-3-things-i-loved-and-1-that-still-needs-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/120826\/","title":{"rendered":"I wore the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro on a 12km hike and run in the French Alps, testing as many new features as possible \u2014 here are 3 things I loved (and 1 that still needs work)"},"content":{"rendered":"

After months of leaks, rumours and anticipation, Garmin unveiled its full Fenix 9 smartwatch range<\/a>, including the Fenix 9 Pro, and I was in Chamonix for all the action. Immediately after the press conference, I strapped a shiny new Fenix 9 Pro onto my left wrist and hit the trails to find out if it can really live up to the hype.<\/p>\n

For the past two years, the Garmin Fenix 8<\/a> has been widely considered the best performance smartwatch money can buy. I rated it as the best premium watch for hikers after wearing it for the 11-day trek to Everest Base Camp<\/a>, and things only got better when the Fenix 8 Pro<\/a> came along with integrated inReach technology.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Over the past few months, as rumours swirled that the 9 was imminent, I found myself wondering what the brand could really do to improve upon such a brilliant gadget, besides increasing battery life and slimming the case down. Would today\u2019s announcement produce any meaningful changes, or just cosmetic upgrades?<\/p>\n

Latest Videos FromTechRadar<\/p>\n

After only a few hours with it, I\u2019d be lying if I said I\u2019ve reached my final verdict, but I\u2019ve already found some epic features that are available in both the Fenix 9 and 9 Pro, plus a few I need to spend more time with.<\/p>\n

Testing the Fenix 9 Pro<\/p>\n

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\"Garmin\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future \/ Julia Clarke)<\/p>\n

I got my hands on the Fenix 9 Pro with a 43mm case and summery Shell Pink strap. Whereas the Fenix 8 Pro only comes in either a 47mm or a ginormous 51mm size that looks positively ridiculous on my wrist, the dainty 43mm case turns this into a watch I\u2019d wear all the time, not just for the trails.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

This model has a titanium case and bezel (the Fenix 9 is made with a blend of fiber-reinforced polymer and titanium). It\u2019s made using nano moulding technology, and it all makes for a noticeably lighter and more streamlined feel \u2013 it\u2019s about 16% thinner than the Fenix 8 in the same size.<\/p>\n

The AMOLED display is also significantly easier to view, and in comparison, my Fenix 8 Pro suddenly looks rather dim. The Fenix 9 is twice as bright as its predecessor, and the 9 Pro is up to 3,000 NITS, all of which means I didn\u2019t find myself squinting in either bright sunny or low light conditions.<\/p>\n

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If you do decide to go for the 51mm size, you\u2019ll get an absolutely cracking display as it\u2019s the first Fenix to feature a 1.5-inch AMOLED screen.<\/p>\n

An epic upgrade<\/p>\n

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\"Fenix\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

By far and away, the feature I\u2019m most excited about is Garmin<\/a> Epic, which allows you to group together activities and metrics. If you like adventures that last for days or weeks, you\u2019re going to love it too.<\/p>\n

Rather than just a gratuitous adventure journal like the one found in the Coros Nomad, Garmin Epic lets you see the cumulative impact of multiple workouts, whether that\u2019s a multi-day trail run or backpacking excursion, an active holiday, a ski trip or a marathon training block. It also shows each run or hike on a single map, so for example if you were to hike the West Highland Way over a week, you\u2019d be able to view it as a single workout.<\/p>\n

What to read next<\/p>\n

To start to test Garmin Epic straight away, I decided to divide today\u2019s adventure up into two separate activities. I used Rucking mode to head about 5k up one of my favourite trails in Chamonix, then ended the activity and switched to Trail Running for my descent.<\/p>\n

Once in Rucking mode, I started a new Epic within the activity settings, which I just called Chamonix. When I got back to my hotel, after a little searching, I found my Chamonix Epic under Activities in the Garmin Connect app<\/a> and added both activities as well as a short hike I went on this morning. Already I can see my total distance and elevation for this trip at a glance, view stats like calories and heart rate, and I\u2019ll be able to add tomorrow\u2019s run to it as well for a little capsule of everything I\u2019ve done on the trails this trip.<\/p>\n

Epic includes metrics such as sleep, recovery and performance gains, and you can log activities under one epic for up to 92 days, so it\u2019s ideal for anyone working towards a particular training goal. I only wish I had this feature last year when I was training for Everest Base Camp, and for the trek itself, where I\u2019d have loved to have been able to see my distance, elevation and performance stats all in one cohesive presentation.<\/p>\n

Green light gets the green light<\/p>\n

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\"Garmin\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future \/ Julia Clarke)<\/p>\n

Garmin might boast all the top-of-the-line training tools and software, but the LED torch is almost everyone\u2019s favourite feature \u2013 including mine. Once winter rolls around, I\u2019m heavily reliant on the red light function when I\u2019m getting up for a run in the dark and don\u2019t want to disturb my sleeping partner. Now, my night vision is going to be even better.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Amazfit added a green light function to the T-Rex Ultra 2 on the premise that, while red light is better for your eyes, green light makes it easier to see objects and the nature of the terrain, which is why hunters prefer it. Clearly, Garmin has the same idea.<\/p>\n

I went back out after dark to test the green light function, and it is significantly better than the red light at illuminating the trail. For those runs and runs that go long, I\u2019ll still use white light to navigate after dark, but the green light is the clear winner for fumbling around campsites at night.<\/p>\n

A shift in perspective<\/p>\n

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\"Garmin\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future \/ Julia Clarke)<\/p>\n

Garmin\u2019s maps are easily the best out of any smartwatch brand I\u2019ve tested, and I can\u2019t say I felt that they desperately needed to be improved upon, and yet the 9 comes with maps that render 30% faster than the Fenix 8, while the 9 Pro renders 40% faster than the 8 Pro.<\/p>\n

Was I bowled over by the difference in speed? Not really, but there are some clear advantages to the new map engine, and overall it makes for a very smooth navigation experience.<\/p>\n

Eager to hit the trail as quickly as possible, I quickly created my route in Garmin Connect and set off. Even though I\u2019m testing the smallest case size available (43mm), the map was easy to see and follow, and there was almost no lag at all when I wanted to zoom in or out.<\/p>\n

For my return trip, rather than use the Back to Start function, I decided to use the Explore Nearby function to see if I could find my hotel and create a route back. Without any delay at all, my hotel popped up, and soon I was trotting back down the mountain.<\/p>\n

When I got back into town, the streets felt a little chaotic, so I switched the map orientation from the default North Up \u2013 the usual mode where you\u2019re looking down at your route from above \u2013 to Perspective mode. This essentially tilts the map up slightly so it\u2019s more like you\u2019re looking at the route ahead, and it makes it a little easier to see what\u2019s coming up, something I think gets more important the faster you want to move.<\/p>\n

What else is new?<\/p>\n

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\"Garmin\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future \/ Julia Clarke)<\/p>\n

The upgrades to Rucking mode are worth a mention here. Last year, Garmin introduced Pack Weight logging, and now they\u2019ve added the ability to edit your pack weight while you\u2019re on the move, set calorie goals and follow rucking workouts thanks to a collaboration with Go Ruck.<\/p>\n

I tested the pack weight editing and set myself a goal of 500 calories today, which was all straightforward, but I was mostly interested to see the difference between the calories I\u2019d burned through the actual hiking and the additional calories from my pack. I don\u2019t go rucking as an activity by itself, but for long jaunts with a heavy pack, it could help me fuel accordingly.<\/p>\n

One thing that needs work<\/p>\n

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\"Garmin\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future \/ Julia Clarke)<\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t been able to get rerouting to work yet in maps, and I\u2019m not seeing much data yet in the enhanced Stamina tracking, which promises to use stats like VO2 max, lactate threshold and training history to calculate your maximum tolerable distance to help you with pacing. I\u2019m going to chalk those up to it being day zero, and the fact that the brand was pushing out new features at the same time as I was testing. But there was one big disappointment for me, and that was the watch\u2019s battery life.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no doubt that with up to 151 hours in Max Battery mode, the 51mm Fenix 9 Pro has a better battery than the 51mm Fenix 8 Pro, but because I\u2019ve gone for a more wrist-appropriate case size, I\u2019ve lost even more battery power than I would have anticipated.<\/p>\n

My watch started out at 83%, and after two hours on the trail it was down to a paltry 66%. At that rate, on a multi-day trek I\u2019d be looking at charging this daily, making it even less powerful than my Fenix 8 and rather reducing its potential as an adventure watch. Of course, you can get around this by simply buying a bigger case size, but it would be great to see Garmin working on a watch for small wrists and big adventures.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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\"Google\n<\/p>\n

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