This newest model of the premium Fenix adventure timepiece brings a life-saving feature: no-phone messaging and SOS messaging using 4G LTE or orbital connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the already impressive Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge cellular technology, plus an optional advanced microLED screen in a limited edition. This is Garmin's premier model and engineered to be the only gadget needed to explore almost any location and track all your movements.
That makes it an extremely pricey option, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and climbing to a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED screen – almost twice the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users receive a lot of features for your investment, with industry-leading fitness, activity and adventure tracking. Its complete offline mapping of the world can seamlessly guide you return to the path if you get lost without a phone, and appear excellent on the large, sharp and high-luminance display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, 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 screen on all the time, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Messaging, Calling and Live Tracking
Garmin uses its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service plan instead of depending on a watch plan tied to your phone provider, as with other smartwatches. But unlike Apple or Google's satellite-capable products, emergency communication is not provided for no cost.
Instead, subscriptions start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes limitless LTE SMS and voice messages, calls and LiveTrack location tracking – so your contacts or loved ones can monitor you while out jogging, biking or comparable activities – along with SOS orbital SOS messaging.
Check-ins and messages over satellite are then billed on top, with more expensive plans offering different quotas of satellite use, 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 completed setup, you just venture the door without your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or comparable activities, but you can place and receive calls, send texts and overall stay connected with your relatives and friends.
When you message someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate back and forth via typed or spoken communications, and make voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, just a phone number is enough to register for texts.
Messaging on the watch functions fine but typing out texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It includes a collection of customisable pre-set responses you can use to expedite communication. Voice recordings and calls perform acceptably, although as with the majority of wearables, you’re not going to want to use it for extended conversations as the audio clarity is less than fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can set it up to automatically transmit a link to selected contacts whenever you begin an exercise, so they can follow your real time position on a map. It’s excellent for following competition performance, but it primarily acts as a tool for someone you trust to know your location in case something happens. It has typically functioned well, although the real location has occasionally lagged when moving in and out of strong LTE coverage.
These capabilities are accessible on other Garmin devices 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, location check-ins and emergency SOS.
A on-screen assistance displays you how to locate the line of sight to the satellite, which then sends and receives communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly straightforward to use and could be a crucial lifeline, though it is essential to note that orbital service is restricted to the US mainland, the majority of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia above 65 degrees latitude.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically repairable with options offered via the support portal. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its original power after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any recycled components. Garmin offers disposal schemes on new 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 cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic outdoor watch in the standard Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus satellite communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re without coverage.
Outcome is an increasingly remarkable adventure device for those that want to be phone-free. If you want to have someone monitor you remotely while running out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without requiring additional gear.
This is very liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that capability comes at quite a cost, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach plan to provide the service. Fortunately it isn’t reliant on your phone carrier so works with all make of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier gadget for someone who dislikes being burdened by their phone when running, biking or trekking, but nevertheless wants to be trackable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a lot of money when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Advantages: LTE and satellite communication, super-bright OLED display, monitors all activities with best-in-class GPS, built-in flashlight, phone and offline voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touch.
Cons: very expensive, LTE and orbital functions need monthly payment, restricted Garmin Pay bank support, speech features are sluggish, limited wearable functionality compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
