The latest version of Garmin's premium Fenix outdoor timepiece brings a life-saving feature: no-phone messaging and emergency alerts using 4G LTE or satellite links.
The Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the previously impressive Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge cellular technology, plus an optional state-of-the-art microLED display in a limited edition. It is the brand's top device and engineered to be the only gadget required to venture virtually anywhere and track all your movements.
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 climbing to a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED screen – almost double the price of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a lot of features for your investment, with best-in-class workout, movement and outdoor monitoring. Its complete offline mapping of the world can automatically guide you back to the trail if you get lost absent a phone, and look great on the sizable, crisp and super-bright touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is only offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the smaller 43mm size found in other models, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as tested boasts an additional day of watch battery life even with the display on all the time, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Texting, Calls and Live Tracking
The company operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service plan instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your mobile provider, like other smartwatches. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled products, emergency communication is not included for free.
Rather, subscriptions start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes unlimited LTE SMS and voice messaging, calls and LiveTrack location tracking – so your contacts or family can keep an eye on you while engaged in running, cycling or comparable pursuits – plus SOS satellite SOS alerts.
Check-ins and messages via satellite are then billed additionally, with higher-tier plans offering various quotas of satellite usage, climbing to a £50 a month all-inclusive plan. The watch comes with a 30-day trial period so you can test out the functionality.
Once you have got it set up, you just head out the door without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or comparable tasks, but you can make and take calls, dispatch texts and overall stay connected with your relatives and companions.
Whenever you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary phone 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 spoken messages, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have 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 slow. It has a set of personalizable pre-set replies you can use to speed things up. Spoken messages and calls perform OK, although as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for lengthy conversations as the quality is not fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can configure to on its own send a URL to chosen contacts whenever you start an exercise, so they can follow your real time location on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring race progress, but it mostly acts as a tool for someone you rely on to know your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has generally functioned effectively, although the real location has occasionally been delayed when transitioning in and out of strong LTE coverage.
All of these capabilities are available on other Garmin watches if you bring 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 guide shows you how to find the line of sight to the orbital system, which then transmits and gets messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly straightforward to use and could be a vital lifeline, however it is essential to remember that satellite service is restricted to the US mainland, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees latitude.
Environmental Impact
The watch is generally repairable with options available through the customer service portal. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its original power after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any recycled materials. Garmin provides recycling schemes on new purchases.
Price
The Fenix 8 Pro is priced from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The optional Garmin inReach subscription packages cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
The Fenix 8 Pro takes a excellent adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – plus orbital communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re out of coverage.
Outcome is an increasingly impressive adventure tool for those that desire to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone monitor you remotely while exercising out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin accomplishes this without requiring additional gear.
This is quite liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that capability carries quite a price, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach plan to enable the features. At least it isn’t dependent on your phone carrier so works with any make of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer gadget for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or hiking, but still wants to be locatable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a significant money when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and orbital messaging, super-bright OLED display, monitors everything with premier GPS, integrated flashlight, voice and standalone commands, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touchscreen.
Cons: very costly, LTE and satellite functions need ongoing subscription, limited Garmin Pay financial compatibility, voice features are slow, basic wearable functionality compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
