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)

After months of leaks, rumours and anticipation, Garmin unveiled its full Fenix 9 smartwatch range , 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.

For the past two years, the Garmin Fenix 8 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 , and things only got better when the Fenix 8 Pro came along with integrated inReach technology.

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’s announcement produce any meaningful changes, or just cosmetic upgrades? After only a few hours with it, I’d be lying if I said I’ve reached my final verdict, but I’ve 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.

Testing the Fenix 9 Pro (Image credit: Future / Julia Clarke) 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’d wear all the time, not just for the trails.

This model has a titanium case and bezel (the Fenix 9 is made with a blend of fiber-reinforced polymer and titanium).

It’s made using nano moulding technology, and it all makes for a noticeably lighter and more streamlined feel – it’s about 16% thinner than the Fenix 8 in the same size.

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’t find myself squinting in either bright sunny or low light conditions.

If you do decide to go for the 51mm size, you’ll get an absolutely cracking display as it’s the first Fenix to feature a 1.5-inch AMOLED screen.

An epic upgrade (Image credit: Future) By far and away, the feature I’m most excited about is Garmin Epic, which allows you to group together activities and metrics.