The most recent iteration of the top-tier Fenix adventure timepiece includes a life-saving feature: no-phone communication and emergency messaging using 4G LTE or satellite connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by adding new mobile tech, along with an optional advanced microLED display in a limited edition. This is Garmin's top device and engineered to be the only gadget needed to venture almost anywhere and track every activity.
This positions it as an very expensive proposition, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and reaching a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED screen – nearly twice the cost of the standard Fenix 8.
Users receive a lot of features for your money, with industry-leading workout, movement and adventure monitoring. Its complete offline maps of the globe can seamlessly guide you back to the path if you lose your way absent a phone, and appear excellent on the sizable, crisp and high-luminance display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the more compact 43mm version found in other devices, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as tested boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life even with the screen always active, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charging.
Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Live Tracking
Garmin uses its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service service instead of relying on a watch plan tied to your mobile carrier, like other wearables. But unlike Apple or Google's satellite-capable devices, emergency communication is not provided for free.
Instead, subscriptions begin from £7.99 or similar a month, which provides unlimited LTE text and voice messages, call functionality and LiveTrack position tracking – so your contacts or family can keep an eye on you while out jogging, cycling or similar pursuits – plus emergency satellite SOS messaging.
Check-ins and messages via orbital are then charged on top, with more expensive plans including various allowances of satellite usage, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited plan. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can test out the service.
After you have got it set up, you just venture outside without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or comparable tasks, but you are able to place and receive calls, send texts and overall stay connected with your relatives and companions.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a random phone number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate back and forth via typed or spoken messages, and make voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, just a mobile number is enough to sign up 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 canned responses you can send to speed things up. Voice messages and calls work acceptably, though as with most wearables, you’re not going to wish to use it for extended conversations as the quality is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the handiest function. You can configure to on its own transmit a URL to chosen contacts every time you begin an exercise, so they can track your real time position on a map. It’s excellent for following competition performance, but it mostly acts as a tool for someone you rely on to know your location in case something happens. It has generally functioned well, though the actual position has sometimes been delayed when transitioning in and out of good LTE signal.
All of these capabilities are available on other Garmin devices if you bring your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the satellite activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location updates and emergency SOS.
A on-screen assistance shows you how to locate the clear view to the orbital system, which then transmits and gets messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly straightforward to use and could be a vital lifeline, though it is essential to remember that orbital service is limited to the US mainland, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is generally serviceable with options available via the customer service portal. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its original power after two years of regular charging. The watch does not contain any recycled components. Garmin provides disposal programs on new purchases.
Price
The Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The optional Garmin inReach subscription plans begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
The Fenix 8 Pro takes a excellent adventure watch in the standard Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with orbital messaging, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re out of coverage.
Outcome is an increasingly remarkable outdoor device for those that want to be unplugged. If you want to have someone monitor you from afar while exercising out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin accomplishes this without needing anything else.
It is very liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality comes at a significant cost, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach service to enable the features. Fortunately it isn’t reliant on your phone provider so works with any brand of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when jogging, biking or hiking, but nevertheless desires to be trackable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a significant money when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, high-luminance OLED screen, tracks everything with premier GPS, integrated torch, voice and offline voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, buttons and touch.
Drawbacks: extremely costly, LTE and satellite functions require ongoing payment, restricted Garmin Pay financial compatibility, speech capabilities are slow, limited smartwatch features versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
