This latest model of Garmin's top-tier Fenix outdoor timepiece brings a life-saving feature: phone-free messaging and SOS messaging using 4G LTE or orbital links.
This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already impressive Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge cellular technology, along with an available advanced microLED display in a special edition. It is Garmin's top device and designed to be the single tool required to explore almost anywhere and track every activity.
That makes it an very expensive proposition, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and reaching a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED display – almost twice the cost of the standard Fenix 8.
Users receive a significant functionality for your investment, with industry-leading fitness, activity and adventure tracking. Its complete offline mapping of the globe can automatically direct you back to the trail if you lose your way absent a phone, and look excellent on the large, crisp and high-luminance touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is only offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, omitting the smaller 43mm size available in other devices, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as reviewed does have an additional day of watch battery life even with the screen always active, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Texting, Calling and Real-Time Location
The company operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service instead of depending on a watch plan tied to your phone carrier, like other wearables. But in contrast to Apple or Google's satellite-enabled devices, emergency communication is not provided for no cost.
Rather, plans start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes unlimited LTE SMS and audio messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack location tracking – so your contacts or family can monitor you while out jogging, cycling or similar pursuits – plus SOS satellite SOS messaging.
Check-ins and texts over satellite are then billed on top, with higher-tier subscriptions including different allowances of orbital use, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive plan. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can evaluate the service.
After you have completed setup, you simply head out the door minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for playing music or comparable tasks, but you can place and receive calls, send texts and generally keep in touch with your relatives and companions.
Whenever you message someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can respond to back to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate reciprocally via typed or voice communications, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin account to use the Messenger application, just a phone number is sufficient to register for texts.
Texting on the watch functions adequately but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It includes a collection of personalizable canned replies you can send to speed things up. Spoken recordings and calls work acceptably, although as with most smartwatches, you’re not going to want to use it for extended conversations as the quality is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can set it up to on its own send a link to selected contacts every time you start an exercise, so they can follow your live location on a map. It’s excellent for following race performance, but it primarily acts as a tool for someone you rely on to know your location in case something happens. It has typically worked effectively, though the real location has occasionally lagged when transitioning in and out of good LTE coverage.
All of these capabilities are available on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, position check-ins 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 surprisingly straightforward to use and could be a crucial safety feature, however it is important to remember that satellite service is limited to the US mainland, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees latitude.
Sustainability
The watch is generally serviceable with services offered through the customer service portal. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its original power after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any reused components. Garmin provides recycling programs on new purchases.
Price
This Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach service packages cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic outdoor watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for texting, call functionality and LiveTrack – along with satellite messaging, check-in and SOS SOS for when you’re without coverage.
Outcome is an increasingly impressive outdoor tool for those that want to be unplugged. If you want to have someone monitor you remotely while running after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without requiring additional gear.
This is very freeing to be outside without a phone, but that functionality comes at quite a price, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach plan to enable the service. Fortunately it is not reliant on your phone provider so works with any brand of smartphone and network.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when running, cycling or hiking, but nevertheless wants to be trackable and reachable. For other users, it is a significant expense when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, high-luminance OLED screen, tracks everything with premier GPS, built-in torch, phone and offline commands, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, buttons and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: very costly, LTE and satellite features require monthly payment, restricted Garmin Pay bank compatibility, voice features are slow, limited wearable features versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
