The latest iteration of Garmin's top-tier Fenix adventure timepiece brings a potentially lifesaving capability: phone-free messaging and SOS alerts using 4G LTE or orbital links.
The Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already impressive Fenix 8 by incorporating new mobile technology, along with an available advanced microLED display in a special edition. This is the brand's top model and engineered to be the only gadget needed to explore virtually anywhere and track all your movements.
That positions it as an very expensive proposition, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and reaching a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED display – almost twice the price of the standard Fenix 8.
You do receive a lot of features for your investment, with industry-leading fitness, movement and adventure tracking. Its complete offline mapping of the globe can automatically direct you back to the trail if you get lost absent a phone, and appear great on the sizable, sharp and high-luminance display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, omitting the smaller 43mm version available in other devices, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as tested does have an additional day of smartwatch battery life despite the screen on all the time, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charging.
No-Phone Messaging, Calling and Real-Time Location
Garmin uses its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service plan rather than relying on a watch plan tied to your phone carrier, like other smartwatches. However in contrast to competing satellite-capable devices, emergency communication is not included for no cost.
Rather, subscriptions start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes unlimited LTE SMS and voice messages, call functionality and LiveTrack position tracking – so your friends or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in running, biking or similar activities – along with emergency satellite SOS messaging.
Check-ins and texts over satellite are then charged on top, with more expensive plans offering different quotas of orbital use, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can evaluate the service.
Once you have completed setup, you just head out outside minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for playing music or similar tasks, but you can make and take calls, send texts and overall stay connected with your family and companions.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a random phone number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate back and forth via text or spoken messages, and initiate voice calls. Your contact does not need 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 has a collection of customisable pre-set responses you can use to speed things up. Spoken recordings and calls perform OK, though as with most smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for extended conversations as the audio clarity is less than fantastic.
LiveTrack is the handiest feature. You can configure to automatically send a URL to selected contacts whenever you start an activity, so they can track your real time location on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring competition performance, but it mostly acts as a utility for someone you rely on to be aware of your location in case something happens. It has typically functioned effectively, though the real location has occasionally lagged when moving in and out of strong LTE signal.
All of these features are available on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, position updates and emergency SOS.
A guide displays you how to locate the clear view to the orbital system, which then sends and receives messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly straightforward to use and could be a crucial safety feature, though it is essential to remember that satellite coverage is restricted to the US mainland, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees latitude.
Sustainability
The watch is typically repairable with services available via the support site. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its original power after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any reused components. Garmin offers disposal 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 optional Garmin inReach service packages cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus satellite communication, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re without signal.
The result is an increasingly remarkable adventure device for those that want to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone monitor you from afar while exercising after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without requiring additional gear.
It is very freeing to be outside without a phone, but that capability carries quite a price, both in terms of the substantial price of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach service to enable the service. Fortunately it is not reliant on your phone carrier so works with all make of smartphone and network.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when jogging, cycling or trekking, but still wants to be trackable and reachable. For other users, it is a lot of money when the superb Fenix 8 already exists.
Pros: LTE and satellite communication, super-bright OLED screen, tracks everything with premier GPS, built-in flashlight, voice and offline commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: very costly, LTE and satellite features need monthly payment, limited Garmin Pay bank support, speech features are sluggish, basic smartwatch functionality versus competing watches.
