The latest iteration of the top-tier Fenix outdoor timepiece brings a potentially lifesaving capability: no-phone communication and emergency messaging via 4G LTE or orbital links.
The Fenix 8 Pro enhances the already impressive Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge cellular tech, along with an available state-of-the-art microLED display in a special edition. It is Garmin's premier device and designed to be the single gadget needed to venture almost anywhere and monitor all your movements.
This positions it as an extremely pricey proposition, starting at £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 screen – nearly twice the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users receive a lot of functionality for your investment, with industry-leading fitness, movement and adventure monitoring. Its complete offline mapping of the world can seamlessly direct you return to the trail if you get lost absent a phone, and appear excellent on the sizable, sharp and high-luminance display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the smaller 43mm version available in other devices, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as reviewed does have an additional day of watch battery life despite the display on all the time, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Messaging, Calls and Real-Time Location
Garmin operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your phone provider, like other wearables. However unlike competing satellite-capable devices, SOS communication is not provided for no cost.
Instead, plans start at £7.99 or similar a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and audio messages, call functionality and LiveTrack position tracking – so your contacts or loved ones can monitor you while engaged in jogging, cycling or comparable activities – along with emergency orbital SOS alerts.
Check-ins and texts via orbital are then billed on top, with more expensive plans offering various quotas of orbital usage, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can test out the functionality.
Once you have completed setup, you simply venture the door minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or similar tasks, but you are able to make and take calls, dispatch texts and generally stay connected with your relatives and companions.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate reciprocally via typed or spoken messages, and make voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin account to use the Messenger app, just a mobile number is enough to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch functions fine but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It includes a collection of personalizable pre-set responses you can use to expedite communication. Spoken recordings and calls work OK, although as with most smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for extended discussions as the quality is less than fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can set it up to automatically transmit a URL to selected contacts whenever you start an activity, so they can follow your live location on a map. It’s great for monitoring race progress, but it primarily serves as a utility for someone you trust to be aware of your location in case an incident occurs. It has typically functioned well, though the real location has sometimes lagged when transitioning in and out of good LTE coverage.
These features are available on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in areas where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, location updates and SOS SOS.
A guide shows you how to find the clear view to the satellite, which then transmits and gets messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a vital safety feature, though it is important to note that satellite coverage is restricted to the US mainland, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia above 65 degrees latitude.
Sustainability
The watch is typically serviceable with services offered through the support portal. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its original power after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any reused materials. Garmin offers recycling programs on recent 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 subscription packages cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with orbital communication, check-in and SOS SOS for when you’re without coverage.
The result is an increasingly remarkable outdoor device for those that want to be phone-free. If you want to have someone monitor you from afar while exercising after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin accomplishes this without needing anything else.
It is quite liberating to be outside without a phone, but that capability comes at a significant cost, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach plan to enable the service. At least it is not dependent on your phone carrier so works with all make of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier gadget for someone who dislikes being burdened by their phone when running, cycling or hiking, but still desires to be trackable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a lot of money when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Advantages: LTE and satellite messaging, high-luminance OLED screen, tracks all activities with best-in-class GPS, built-in flashlight, voice and standalone voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touchscreen.
Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and satellite functions require monthly subscription, restricted Garmin Pay financial compatibility, speech capabilities are sluggish, basic wearable functionality versus competing watches.
