This most recent iteration of Garmin's premium Fenix outdoor timepiece introduces a potentially lifesaving feature: phone-free messaging and emergency alerts using 4G LTE or satellite connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the already impressive Fenix 8 by adding new mobile technology, along with an optional advanced microLED screen in a limited edition. This is the brand's top model and designed to be the single tool required to explore virtually any location and monitor every activity.
This makes it an extremely pricey option, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and climbing to a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED screen – nearly double the price of the regular Fenix 8.
You do receive a lot of features for your money, with best-in-class workout, activity and adventure tracking. The full offline mapping of the world can automatically guide you return to the trail if you get lost without a phone, and appear great on the sizable, sharp and high-luminance touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the smaller 43mm version found in other devices, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED version as tested boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life even with the display on all the time, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Messaging, Calls and Real-Time Location
Garmin uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription service instead of relying on a watch plan tied to your mobile carrier, like other wearables. But unlike competing satellite-capable devices, emergency 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 location tracking – so your friends or loved ones can monitor you while out jogging, biking or comparable pursuits – plus emergency satellite SOS alerts.
Check-ins and texts via orbital are then charged on top, with more expensive plans offering different quotas of orbital use, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can evaluate the service.
Once you have got it set up, you just venture outside minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for playing music or comparable activities, but you are able to make and take calls, dispatch texts and overall stay connected with your relatives and friends.
When you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a random number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger app, you can then message reciprocally using typed or spoken communications, and initiate voice calls. Your contact is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, just a mobile number is sufficient to register for texts.
Texting on the watch functions fine but typing out texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It has a set of customisable pre-set responses you can send to speed things up. Spoken recordings and calls perform OK, though as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re not going to want to use it for extended conversations as the audio clarity is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can configure to automatically send a URL to selected contacts whenever you begin an exercise, so they can follow your real time position on a map. It’s great for following race progress, but it mostly acts as a tool for someone you rely on to be aware of your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has typically worked well, though the real position has occasionally lagged when transitioning in and out of good LTE coverage.
All of these features are available on other Garmin devices if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, location check-ins and emergency SOS.
A guide shows you how to locate the line of sight to the satellite, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a vital safety feature, though it is essential to note that orbital coverage is restricted to the US mainland, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically repairable with options offered through the support portal. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any reused materials. Garmin offers recycling schemes on new purchases.
Price
The Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach service packages begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic adventure watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – along with orbital communication, check-in and SOS SOS for when you’re without signal.
The result is an increasingly impressive adventure tool for those that desire to be unplugged. If you want to have someone keep an eye on you remotely while exercising after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin accomplishes this without needing additional gear.
This is very liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that capability comes at quite a price, both in terms of the substantial cost of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach service to provide the features. At least it isn’t reliant on your phone provider so works with all brand of smartphone and network.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, cycling or hiking, but still desires to be locatable and reachable. For other users, it is a significant expense when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, super-bright OLED display, tracks everything with premier GPS, integrated torch, phone and standalone voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre diving, physical controls and touch.
Drawbacks: extremely expensive, LTE and orbital features need monthly payment, restricted Garmin Pay financial support, speech capabilities are slow, basic wearable features compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
