This newest iteration of Garmin's top-tier Fenix adventure watch includes a life-saving feature: no-phone messaging and SOS alerts using 4G LTE or orbital connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge cellular tech, along with an available state-of-the-art microLED display in a limited edition. It is the brand's premier model and designed to be the single tool required to explore virtually any location and monitor every activity.
This makes it an extremely pricey proposition, priced from £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 screen – almost twice the price of the regular Fenix 8.
Users receive a lot of functionality for your investment, with best-in-class fitness, movement and outdoor monitoring. Its full offline mapping of the globe can automatically guide you return to the trail if you lose your way absent a phone, and look great on the large, sharp and high-luminance display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the smaller 43mm version available in other devices, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as reviewed does have an additional day of watch battery life even with the display always active, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charging.
Phone-Free Texting, Calling and Live Tracking
The company operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service service rather than depending on a watch plan linked to your mobile carrier, like other wearables. However in contrast to competing satellite-enabled products, emergency messaging is not provided for free.
Instead, plans begin from £7.99 or similar a month, which includes unlimited LTE SMS and voice messages, calls and LiveTrack position tracking – so your friends or family can monitor you while engaged in running, cycling or comparable pursuits – along with SOS satellite SOS alerts.
Location updates and messages via orbital are then charged on top, with higher-tier subscriptions offering different quotas of orbital use, climbing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can test out the functionality.
After you have got it set up, you simply head out the door without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or similar tasks, but you can place and receive calls, send texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and friends.
When you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message reciprocally via text or voice communications, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin account to use the Messenger application, just a mobile number is enough to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch works adequately but typing out texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a set of customisable canned responses you can use to expedite communication. Spoken recordings and calls work acceptably, although as with most wearables, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for lengthy conversations as the audio clarity is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can configure to automatically transmit a URL to chosen contacts every time you begin an activity, so they can follow your real time position on a map. It’s excellent for following race progress, but it primarily acts as a utility for someone you trust to know your location in case something happens. It has typically functioned well, although the actual position has sometimes lagged when moving in and out of strong LTE coverage.
These capabilities are available on other Garmin devices if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE lacks coverage, the satellite activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location updates and SOS SOS.
A guide shows 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 easy to use and could be a crucial safety feature, though it is essential to remember that orbital service is limited to the US continent, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees latitude.
Environmental Impact
The watch is generally serviceable with services available via the customer service site. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its initial power after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any recycled materials. Garmin provides disposal schemes 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 subscription packages cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic outdoor watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for texting, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus orbital communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re without coverage.
The result is an increasingly impressive outdoor tool for those that want to be phone-free. If you want to have someone keep an eye on you from afar while exercising out at night or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without needing anything else.
It is very freeing to be outside without a phone, but that capability carries a significant price, both in terms of the substantial price of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach plan to enable the features. At least it is not reliant on your phone provider so works with all make of smartphone and carrier.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a killer gadget for someone who hates being burdened by their phone when jogging, cycling or trekking, but nevertheless wants to be locatable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a significant money when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and orbital communication, high-luminance OLED screen, tracks everything with best-in-class GPS, integrated flashlight, voice and standalone commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, buttons and touch.
Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and orbital functions require monthly subscription, limited Garmin Pay financial support, voice features are slow, basic smartwatch features compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
