The most recent version of Garmin's premium Fenix adventure watch includes a potentially lifesaving feature: phone-free communication and emergency messaging using 4G LTE or satellite connections.
The Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already outstanding Fenix 8 by adding new cellular technology, plus an available advanced microLED screen in a special edition. It is Garmin's top model and designed to be the single gadget required to explore almost any location and track every activity.
This makes it an extremely pricey proposition, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and reaching a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED display – almost double the cost of the standard Fenix 8.
Users get a lot of features for your money, with industry-leading fitness, movement and adventure monitoring. Its complete offline mapping of the globe can seamlessly direct you return to the trail if you lose your way without a phone, and look excellent on the large, sharp and high-luminance display.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the smaller 43mm size available in other devices, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED version as tested does have an extra day of watch battery life even with the display always active, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charging.
No-Phone Messaging, Calling and Real-Time Location
The company uses its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription plan rather than depending on a watch plan linked to your phone provider, like other smartwatches. However in contrast to Apple or Google's satellite-capable devices, SOS communication is not provided for free.
Instead, plans start at £7.99 or similar a month, which includes unlimited LTE text and voice messages, call functionality and LiveTrack position tracking – so your friends or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in jogging, biking or comparable activities – along with SOS orbital SOS messaging.
Check-ins and texts over satellite are then charged additionally, with more expensive plans offering different quotas of orbital use, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can evaluate the service.
Once you have completed setup, you just venture outside without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or comparable activities, but you are able to place and receive calls, dispatch texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and companions.
When you text someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a random phone number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message back and forth via typed or spoken messages, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, just a phone number is enough to register for texts.
Texting on the watch works fine but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a collection of personalizable pre-set responses you can send to speed things up. Spoken messages and calls perform OK, though as with the majority of wearables, you’re not going to wish to use it for extended discussions as the quality is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can set it up to on its own send a URL to selected contacts every time you start an exercise, so they can track your live location on a map. It’s excellent for following race progress, but it primarily serves as a tool for someone you trust to know your whereabouts in case something happens. It has typically worked effectively, though the real position has occasionally been delayed when moving in and out of good LTE coverage.
All of these capabilities are available on other Garmin devices if you bring your phone with you, but in areas where LTE does not reach, the orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location updates and emergency SOS.
A on-screen assistance displays you how to find the line of sight to the satellite, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly straightforward to use and could be a crucial lifeline, though it is essential to remember that orbital coverage is limited to the US mainland, most of Canada, and most of Europe except for regions of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is generally repairable with options available via the support site. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its initial power after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any recycled 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 service plans begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
The Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic outdoor watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite messaging, check-in and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.
Outcome is an increasingly remarkable adventure device for those that want to be unplugged. If you want to have someone monitor you remotely while exercising after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin accomplishes this without needing additional gear.
It is quite liberating to be outside without a phone, but that functionality comes at quite a cost, both in terms of the substantial cost of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach service to enable the service. At least it isn’t reliant on your phone provider so works with any make of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer gadget for someone who hates being burdened by their phone when jogging, biking or hiking, but still desires to be locatable and reachable. For other users, it is a lot of money when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and satellite communication, high-luminance OLED display, monitors all activities with premier GPS, built-in flashlight, phone and standalone voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, buttons and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: very expensive, LTE and orbital functions require monthly subscription, restricted Garmin Pay financial support, voice features are sluggish, basic smartwatch features versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
