This newest model of Garmin's top-tier Fenix adventure watch introduces a potentially lifesaving capability: no-phone communication and emergency alerts using 4G LTE or satellite connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the already outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating new cellular tech, along with an optional state-of-the-art microLED display in a special edition. It is the brand's premier model and engineered to be the only gadget needed to explore almost any location and monitor every activity.
This positions it as an very pricey proposition, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and climbing to a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED display – almost twice the price of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a significant features for your money, with industry-leading fitness, activity and outdoor monitoring. The full offline mapping of the world can seamlessly guide you back to the path if you lose your way without a phone, and look great on the sizable, sharp and high-luminance touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the more compact 43mm size found in other devices, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED model as reviewed boasts an additional day of smartwatch battery life despite the display on all the time, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Texting, Calling and Live Tracking
Garmin operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service plan instead of relying on a watch plan linked to your mobile provider, like other smartwatches. However unlike competing satellite-capable devices, emergency messaging is not included for free.
Rather, plans start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE text and audio messages, calls and LiveTrack location sharing – so your contacts or family can monitor you while engaged in running, biking or similar activities – plus SOS satellite SOS messaging.
Check-ins and texts over satellite are then billed on top, with higher-tier subscriptions including various quotas of orbital use, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited plan. The watch comes with a 30-day trial period so you can evaluate the service.
After you have completed setup, you simply venture the door without your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You can not use it for playing music or similar activities, but you can make and take calls, send texts and generally keep in touch with your relatives and companions.
When you text someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate reciprocally using typed or spoken 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 functions fine but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a collection of customisable canned replies you can send to speed things up. Voice recordings and calls perform acceptably, although as with the majority of wearables, you’re not going to wish to use it for lengthy conversations as the quality is less than fantastic.
LiveTrack is the handiest feature. You can configure to automatically send a URL to chosen contacts whenever you begin an activity, so they can track your real time location on a map. It’s great for monitoring competition progress, but it mostly serves as a tool for someone you trust to be aware of your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has typically worked well, although the real position has sometimes been delayed when moving in and out of good LTE signal.
All of these features are available on other Garmin devices if you bring your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location updates and emergency SOS.
A guide shows you how to find the line of sight to the satellite, which then sends and receives messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a vital lifeline, though it is important to note that satellite service is restricted to the US mainland, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically serviceable with options offered through the support portal. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any reused components. Garmin provides recycling programs on recent purchases.
Cost
This Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The optional Garmin inReach subscription packages begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
The Fenix 8 Pro takes a excellent outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – plus satellite messaging, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re without coverage.
The result is an even more remarkable outdoor device for those that want to be phone-free. 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 outside without a phone, but that functionality carries quite a cost, both in terms of the substantial price of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach plan to enable the service. Fortunately it is not dependent on your phone provider so works with any brand of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier gadget for someone who hates being burdened by their phone when running, biking or hiking, but still wants to be locatable and reachable. For other users, it is a significant expense when the superb Fenix 8 already exists.
Pros: LTE and orbital communication, super-bright OLED display, tracks all activities with best-in-class GPS, integrated torch, voice and standalone voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, buttons and touchscreen.
Cons: very expensive, LTE and satellite features require ongoing payment, restricted Garmin Pay bank compatibility, speech features are slow, basic smartwatch features compared with competing watches.
