This most recent version of Garmin's flagship Fenix adventure timepiece introduces a life-saving feature: no-phone messaging and SOS alerts using 4G LTE or orbital links.
The Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already impressive Fenix 8 by incorporating new cellular technology, plus an optional state-of-the-art microLED screen in a limited edition. This is the brand's top model and engineered to be the single gadget needed to venture almost anywhere and monitor all your movements.
That makes it an very expensive proposition, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and reaching a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED display – nearly double the cost of the standard Fenix 8.
Users get a significant functionality for your investment, with best-in-class workout, activity and outdoor tracking. The complete offline maps of the world can seamlessly guide you back to the path if you get lost absent a phone, and look excellent on the sizable, crisp and high-luminance display.
The Fenix 8 Pro is only available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the more compact 43mm version found in other models, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as tested does have an extra day of smartwatch battery life even with the display always active, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Messaging, Calling and Real-Time Location
The company uses its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service plan instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your mobile carrier, as with other wearables. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled devices, emergency messaging is not provided for free.
Rather, subscriptions start at £7.99 or similar a month, which includes unlimited LTE SMS and voice messaging, calls and LiveTrack position tracking – so your contacts or loved ones can monitor you while out running, cycling or comparable activities – plus SOS satellite SOS alerts.
Check-ins and messages over orbital are then charged additionally, with more expensive plans including various quotas of satellite use, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the functionality.
After you have completed setup, you simply head out the door minus your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You cannot use it for playing music or similar tasks, but you are able to make and take calls, dispatch texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and friends.
Whenever you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can respond to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate back and forth using text or voice messages, and make voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, just a mobile number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Messaging on the watch works fine but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It has a set of customisable canned replies you can use to speed things up. Voice messages and calls work OK, though as with most wearables, you’re not going to want to use it for lengthy discussions as the audio clarity is not fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can configure to on its own send a link to selected contacts every time you start an exercise, so they can follow your live location on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring competition performance, but it primarily acts as a tool for someone you rely on to be aware of your location in case something happens. It has typically worked effectively, though the real position has occasionally lagged when moving in and out of good LTE coverage.
All of these features are accessible on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, location check-ins and emergency SOS.
A on-screen assistance displays 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 crucial safety feature, however it is important to note that satellite coverage is restricted to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia above 65 degrees latitude.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically repairable with services available through the customer service site. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of regular charging. The watch lacks any reused components. Garmin offers recycling programs 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 packages cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic outdoor watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – along with satellite communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re out of signal.
The result is an increasingly impressive outdoor tool for those that desire to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone monitor you from afar while running after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.
This is quite freeing to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality comes at a significant cost, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach service to enable the service. Fortunately it is not dependent on your phone carrier so functions with any brand of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier gadget for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when jogging, cycling or hiking, but still wants to be locatable and reachable. For other users, it is a lot of money when the superb Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, high-luminance OLED screen, tracks all activities with premier GPS, integrated flashlight, phone and offline voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, buttons and touchscreen.
Cons: very expensive, LTE and satellite functions need ongoing payment, restricted Garmin Pay bank compatibility, voice capabilities are slow, limited wearable features versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
