This newest model of Garmin's premium Fenix outdoor watch brings a potentially lifesaving feature: no-phone messaging and SOS messaging via 4G LTE or satellite links.
The Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the previously impressive Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge cellular technology, along with an available state-of-the-art microLED display in a special edition. This is the brand's premier model and designed to be the only tool required to venture virtually any location and monitor every activity.
This positions it as an very expensive option, 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 variant with microLED screen – almost twice the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a lot of functionality for your money, with best-in-class fitness, activity and outdoor tracking. Its full offline mapping of the world can seamlessly guide you back to the trail if you get lost absent a phone, and appear excellent on the sizable, crisp and super-bright touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the smaller 43mm size found in other models, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as tested boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life despite the screen always active, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charging.
Phone-Free Messaging, Calls and Live Tracking
The company operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription service rather than relying on a watch plan linked to your phone carrier, as with other wearables. However unlike competing satellite-capable products, emergency communication is not provided for free.
Instead, plans start at £7.99 or similar a month, which provides unlimited LTE text and audio messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack location sharing – so your friends or family can keep an eye on you while out running, cycling or comparable pursuits – plus emergency orbital SOS messaging.
Check-ins and texts over satellite are then charged additionally, with higher-tier subscriptions offering various allowances of orbital usage, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day trial period so you can evaluate the service.
After you have got it set up, you just venture outside minus your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or similar activities, but you are able to make and take calls, dispatch texts and generally stay connected with your relatives and companions.
When you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate reciprocally via typed or voice messages, and make voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, only a phone number is sufficient to register for texts.
Texting on the watch works adequately but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a set of customisable pre-set replies you can send to speed things up. Voice messages and calls work OK, although as with most wearables, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for lengthy conversations as the audio clarity is less than fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can configure to on its own transmit a URL to selected contacts every time you begin an exercise, so they can track your real time position on a map. It’s great for monitoring competition progress, but it primarily serves as a tool for someone you rely on to be aware of your whereabouts in case something happens. It has generally worked well, though the actual position has sometimes been delayed when transitioning in and out of good LTE signal.
These features are available on other Garmin devices if you carry your phone with you, but in areas where LTE does not reach, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, position updates and SOS SOS.
A on-screen assistance displays you how to locate the clear view to the orbital system, which then sends and receives communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly straightforward to use and could be a vital lifeline, however it is important to remember that orbital coverage is restricted to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Environmental Impact
The watch is generally repairable with options available via the customer service portal. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any reused materials. Garmin offers disposal schemes on new purchases.
Price
This Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach service plans cost 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 adds LTE for texting, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus satellite messaging, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re out of coverage.
Outcome is an increasingly impressive adventure device for those that want 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 needing additional gear.
It is quite freeing to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality carries quite a cost, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach plan to enable the service. Fortunately it is not reliant on your phone carrier so works with all brand of smartphone and carrier.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, cycling or trekking, but still desires to be locatable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a lot of money when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and orbital communication, super-bright OLED screen, tracks all activities with best-in-class GPS, built-in torch, phone and offline voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touch.
Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and satellite functions need ongoing payment, limited Garmin Pay financial compatibility, speech features are slow, limited wearable functionality versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
