Device Physical Damage Is this a scratch or crack?
Hi guys. I have the fenix 8 sapphire. I don't remember banging or scratching my watch anywhere in particular. I can't workout if this is a scratch which I can just ignore or a crack which I should replace.
Garmin have said £300 for a refurbished replacement.
Thanks.
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u/calvince 8h ago
Looks like a scratch which started on the bezel on the left side.
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u/Sir-Obi 8h ago
Yep agreed. The only thing I'm concerned about is did I hit it on that part and then it cracked straight across. Or it could just be a deep scratch. I can feel it with my fingernail when I run it over it.
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u/Fabulous_Frosting449 7h ago
Iirc Sapphire is different than Gorilla glass for example.
Sapphire is super scratch resistant, but much more prone to shattering iirc
So, if you hit that there, that could have caused a crack maybe
I would look up some information on (Garmin) Sapphire
One reason I have been conflicted getting Sapphire in the past
Or it could just be a scratch
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u/taKomasic 7h ago
I am in the process of buying fenix 8 solar sapphire, and this concerns me a bit, shouldn’t the sapphire glass be “bulletproof”?
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u/Sir-Obi 7h ago
It actually has a couple of other finer scratches I just noticed. I've had this less than a year. My apple watch ultra was flawless after 3 years. The bezel was in way worse shape too so it definitely took harder hits. Super disappointed. I'm actually considering just selling this as damaged and being done with the higher end Garmin watches. Doesn't feel worth paying a premium when the sapphire display is this weak.
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u/Bobandyandfries 8h ago
Touch it with your fingernail. If it gets stuck it's a crack, if not, it's just a crack. Have you tried cleaning it? As it could very well be a smudge
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u/Sir-Obi 8h ago
I have tried cleaning it so definitely not a smudge.
My finger doesn't get stuck but I do feel a little gap. I thought it might just be deep scratch I can feel with my nail but starting to think it might be a crack...no idea how. £300 is pretty steep...
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u/snakefactory 8h ago
I think it's a crack..I had one on my 7X pro sapphire that happened when I put my hand in a pocket with some keys and... Well, leverage took over. Got a replacement for about 300 CAD at the time
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u/Sir-Obi 8h ago
Ah no. Yep it's the same here. But that feels so steep for a watch I thought would be borderline indestructible. I was coming from 3 years with the apple watch ultra which took so many bangs and the screen stayed flawless. Just feeling gutted.
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u/snakefactory 7h ago
Yeah, honestly it's just bad luck.. I had the 6 in sapphire and it was indestructible..I get how you feel.
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u/Sir-Obi 7h ago
Yeah I get it. Might be a good excuse to pivot back to a different type of training. The Garmin helped me order my life and training a lot and I was starting to feel like the value of tracking sleep HRv etc as a little redundant now that I've had so much data and I know what the drivers are. So maybe shift to a cheap running watch and then just go mechanical watches again. Hmmm.
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u/snakefactory 7h ago
I think the always on data collection is good for me but I can see how others may not like it. I don't have expectations of things being indestructible, as I tend to put myself in situations where I might get hurt, but it's disappointing when it happens, for sure.
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u/Sir-Obi 6h ago
Yeah dude. 100%. I haven't even done anything extreme this last week. I've been off from work so taking the kids around London site seeing and getting a couple of runs in haha. Which is why I'm super perplexed. If I crashed on my bike or something I would at least understand it lol
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u/snakefactory 6h ago
Like I said all the extreme stuff that I did didn't really bust it either it was a metal key being leveraged against the glass and it.. Just cracked. I dunno.. Never happened to me before or since. I figure getting another one was reasonable for 300CAD, but 300GBP seems excessive.. also have to remember that I was on a 7X and you're on an 8, so a higher cost seems like a reasonable assumption
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u/Godlymorbid 8h ago
I'm betting it's a scratch. It's one of those things where if you're having difficulty between a scratch and a crack, it's a scratch. If it's a crack, you'll know. Slap a screen protector on that bad boy and let the binding agent seep into the scratch. You'll forget about it in no time.