This newest iteration of Garmin's top-tier Fenix adventure watch brings a potentially lifesaving capability: no-phone messaging and emergency messaging using 4G LTE or satellite connections.
The Fenix 8 Pro enhances the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating new cellular tech, along with an available advanced microLED screen in a limited edition. This is the brand's premier model and engineered to be the single tool required to venture virtually any location and monitor every activity.
This makes it an very pricey proposition, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and reaching a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED screen – nearly double the price of the standard Fenix 8.
You do get a significant functionality for your money, with best-in-class workout, activity and adventure tracking. The complete offline maps of the globe can seamlessly direct you back to the path if you get lost without a phone, and appear great on the sizable, sharp and high-luminance display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is only available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the more compact 43mm size available in other devices, so it is a large watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED version as reviewed does have an extra day of smartwatch battery life despite the display on all the time, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Messaging, Calls and Real-Time Location
The company operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service plan rather than relying on a watch plan linked to your mobile carrier, as with other smartwatches. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled products, emergency messaging is not provided for no cost.
Rather, plans start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and voice messaging, calls and LiveTrack location tracking – so your friends or family can monitor you while engaged in running, biking or similar pursuits – plus emergency orbital SOS messaging.
Check-ins and messages via satellite are then billed on top, with more expensive plans including different quotas of satellite use, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can test out the service.
After you have completed setup, you just venture the door without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or comparable activities, but you can make and take calls, send texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and friends.
Whenever you text 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 back and forth using text or voice messages, and make voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, just a mobile number is enough to register for texts.
Messaging on the watch functions adequately but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a collection of customisable pre-set replies you can use to speed things up. Spoken messages and calls perform OK, though as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for extended discussions as the audio clarity is not fantastic.
LiveTrack is the handiest function. You can configure to on its own transmit a link to chosen contacts every time you start an exercise, so they can track your live location on a map. It’s great for monitoring race progress, but it mostly serves as a tool for someone you trust to know your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has generally functioned well, although the actual position has sometimes been delayed when transitioning in and out of strong LTE signal.
These capabilities are accessible on other Garmin devices if you bring your phone with you, but in areas where LTE lacks coverage, the satellite activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location check-ins and emergency SOS.
A guide shows you how to find the clear view to the orbital system, which then sends and receives communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly straightforward to use and could be a vital lifeline, though it is important to remember that satellite coverage is restricted to the US continent, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is typically serviceable with services offered via the customer service site. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of regular charging. The watch lacks any reused materials. Garmin provides recycling programs on recent purchases.
Price
This Fenix 8 Pro is priced from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The optional Garmin inReach service plans cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent outdoor watch in the standard Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with orbital messaging, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re without coverage.
The result is an even more remarkable adventure tool 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 quite freeing to be outside without a phone, but that functionality carries a significant price, both in terms of the substantial cost of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach service to enable the features. At least it is not reliant on your phone carrier so works with any make of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or trekking, but nevertheless desires to be locatable and contactable. For other users, it is a lot of money when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and orbital messaging, super-bright OLED screen, tracks everything with premier GPS, built-in torch, voice and offline commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, physical controls and touchscreen.
Cons: extremely costly, LTE and orbital functions need monthly subscription, restricted Garmin Pay bank compatibility, speech capabilities are slow, basic smartwatch functionality versus competing watches.
