This newest version of Garmin's premium Fenix outdoor timepiece includes a life-saving feature: phone-free communication and SOS messaging using 4G LTE or orbital links.
The Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the previously impressive Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge mobile tech, plus an available advanced microLED display in a limited edition. It is the brand's top model and designed to be the single gadget required to venture almost any location and monitor all your movements.
That positions it as an extremely pricey proposition, 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 cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a lot of functionality for your money, with industry-leading fitness, activity and outdoor monitoring. Its full offline mapping of the world can automatically guide you return to the trail if you get lost absent a phone, and appear great on the sizable, crisp and high-luminance display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is only offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the smaller 43mm size found in other devices, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED version as tested boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life despite the display on all the time, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charging.
No-Phone Messaging, Calls and Real-Time Location
Garmin operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital subscription plan rather than depending on a watch plan tied to your phone provider, like other wearables. But unlike Apple or Google's satellite-capable devices, emergency communication is not included for free.
Instead, subscriptions start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes unlimited LTE text and voice messages, calls and LiveTrack position tracking – so your friends or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in running, cycling or similar activities – along with SOS satellite SOS messaging.
Check-ins and messages via satellite are then billed on top, with more expensive subscriptions offering different allowances of satellite use, climbing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the functionality.
Once you have completed setup, you simply head out outside minus your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You cannot use it for playing music or similar tasks, but you can place and receive calls, dispatch texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and companions.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can respond to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate reciprocally using text or voice communications, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, just a phone number is enough to register for texts.
Messaging on the watch works adequately but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It includes a collection of personalizable canned replies you can send to speed things up. Voice recordings and calls work acceptably, though as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for lengthy conversations as the audio clarity is not fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can configure to on its own send a URL to chosen contacts every time you start an activity, so they can follow your live location on a map. It’s excellent for following race performance, but it primarily acts as a utility for someone you rely on to be aware of your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has typically worked effectively, though the actual location has sometimes lagged when transitioning in and out of good LTE signal.
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 clear view to the satellite, which then sends and receives messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a crucial lifeline, though it is essential to remember that orbital coverage is limited to the US mainland, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is typically serviceable with services offered through the customer service portal. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any reused materials. Garmin offers disposal programs on new purchases.
Cost
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
The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite messaging, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re out of signal.
Outcome is an even more remarkable outdoor device for those that desire to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone keep an eye on you from afar while exercising out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.
It is very freeing to be outside without a phone, but that functionality comes at quite a cost, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach service to provide the service. Fortunately it is not dependent on your phone carrier so functions with all brand of smartphone and carrier.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a killer device for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when jogging, cycling or hiking, but still desires to be trackable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a lot of expense when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, super-bright OLED screen, tracks everything with premier GPS, built-in flashlight, voice and standalone commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre diving, buttons and touch.
Cons: extremely costly, LTE and satellite functions need ongoing subscription, restricted Garmin Pay bank compatibility, voice features are slow, basic smartwatch functionality versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
