This most recent iteration of the top-tier Fenix adventure watch brings a life-saving feature: phone-free messaging and SOS alerts via 4G LTE or satellite links.
The Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already impressive Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge mobile tech, along with an available advanced microLED display in a limited edition. It is Garmin's premier device and designed to be the single tool required to venture almost anywhere and monitor all your movements.
This positions it as an very expensive proposition, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and reaching a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED screen – nearly twice the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
You do receive a lot of functionality for your money, with best-in-class workout, movement and outdoor tracking. Its full offline maps of the world can seamlessly direct you back to the trail if you get lost without a phone, and appear great on the sizable, crisp and high-luminance display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the smaller 43mm version found in other devices, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as tested boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life even with the screen on all the time, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charging.
No-Phone Texting, Calling and Live Tracking
The company uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service plan instead of relying on a watch plan linked to your mobile carrier, as with other wearables. But unlike competing satellite-enabled products, emergency messaging is not provided for no cost.
Instead, subscriptions start at £7.99 or similar a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and audio messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack location sharing – so your friends or family can monitor you while engaged in jogging, cycling or comparable pursuits – along with SOS satellite SOS alerts.
Check-ins and texts via satellite are then billed on top, with higher-tier plans including different quotas of orbital usage, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can test out the service.
Once you have got it set up, you simply venture the door without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for playing music or similar tasks, but you are able to place and receive calls, dispatch texts and generally keep in touch with your relatives and friends.
Whenever you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a random phone number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate reciprocally using typed or spoken communications, and make voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, just a mobile number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch works fine but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It has a set of customisable canned responses you can send to speed things up. Voice messages and calls perform acceptably, though as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for extended discussions as the audio clarity is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can set it up to automatically transmit a link to selected contacts whenever you start an exercise, so they can follow your live position on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring competition performance, but it mostly serves as a tool for someone you trust to know your whereabouts in case something happens. It has generally worked effectively, although the real position has occasionally lagged when transitioning in and out of good LTE coverage.
These features are accessible on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, location updates and emergency SOS.
A guide displays you how to locate the line of sight to the orbital system, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly easy to use and could be a crucial safety feature, however it is essential to remember that orbital service is restricted to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia above 65 degrees latitude.
Sustainability
The watch is typically repairable with services available through the customer service site. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of regular charging. The watch does not contain any reused materials. Garmin offers recycling schemes on new purchases.
Price
This Fenix 8 Pro is priced from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach subscription plans cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro takes a excellent outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – plus orbital messaging, check-in and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.
The result is an even more remarkable adventure device for those that desire to be unplugged. If you want to have someone monitor you remotely while running out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin accomplishes this without needing anything else.
This is quite freeing to be outdoors without a phone, but that capability carries a significant cost, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach service to provide the features. At least it is not reliant on your phone carrier so works with any make of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a killer gadget for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, cycling or trekking, but still desires to be trackable and contactable. For other users, it is a lot of expense when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and orbital communication, super-bright OLED display, tracks all activities with premier GPS, integrated flashlight, voice and offline voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, physical controls and touch.
Drawbacks: extremely expensive, LTE and orbital features require monthly payment, limited Garmin Pay bank compatibility, speech capabilities are sluggish, limited wearable features versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
