This newest version of Garmin's flagship Fenix outdoor timepiece introduces a potentially lifesaving feature: phone-free communication and SOS messaging using 4G LTE or satellite connections.
The Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by adding new mobile tech, plus an available state-of-the-art microLED screen in a special edition. This is Garmin's premier model and engineered to be the single tool needed to venture almost anywhere and monitor every activity.
This positions it as an extremely expensive proposition, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and climbing to a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED display – nearly double the price of the standard Fenix 8.
Users receive a lot of functionality for your investment, with best-in-class fitness, movement and outdoor monitoring. Its complete offline mapping of the world can automatically guide you return to the path if you lose your way absent a phone, and look excellent on the large, sharp and super-bright touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the more compact 43mm version available in other models, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as reviewed boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life even with the screen on all the time, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Live Tracking
The company operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service plan rather than depending on a watch plan linked to your mobile carrier, like other smartwatches. But unlike competing satellite-enabled devices, emergency communication is not provided for free.
Rather, subscriptions begin from £7.99 or similar a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and voice messaging, calls and LiveTrack position sharing – so your contacts or family can monitor you while out running, biking or comparable pursuits – along with emergency satellite SOS alerts.
Location updates and messages via satellite are then charged additionally, with more expensive plans offering different quotas of orbital usage, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can test out the functionality.
Once you have got it set up, you just head out the door minus your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or similar tasks, but you are able to make and take calls, dispatch texts and overall stay connected with your relatives and friends.
When you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a random phone number, which they can respond to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message reciprocally via text or spoken communications, and initiate 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 works fine but typing out 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. Voice recordings and calls perform OK, though as with most wearables, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for extended discussions as the quality is not fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can configure to automatically send a link to chosen contacts whenever you start an exercise, so they can track your real time location on a map. It’s excellent for following competition performance, but it mostly acts as a utility for someone you rely on to know your location in case something happens. It has typically functioned effectively, though the real position has sometimes been delayed when transitioning in and out of good LTE coverage.
All of these features are available on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the satellite activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location updates and emergency SOS.
A guide shows you how to find the clear view to the satellite, which then sends and receives communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a vital lifeline, though it is essential to note that satellite coverage is limited to the US mainland, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees latitude.
Sustainability
The watch is generally serviceable with options available through the customer service portal. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its original power after two years of regular charging. The watch does not contain any recycled components. Garmin offers disposal programs on recent purchases.
Price
The Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach subscription packages begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – along with orbital messaging, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re out of signal.
Outcome is an increasingly impressive adventure tool for those that desire to be phone-free. If you want to have someone keep an eye on you from afar while exercising after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin accomplishes this without requiring anything else.
This is very liberating 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 monthly subscription of the inReach service to enable the service. Fortunately it isn’t dependent on your phone carrier so functions with any brand of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier gadget for someone who hates being burdened by their phone when running, cycling or hiking, but nevertheless wants to be locatable and contactable. For other users, it is a lot of expense when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, high-luminance OLED display, monitors everything with premier GPS, integrated flashlight, phone and offline voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, buttons and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: extremely expensive, LTE and orbital features need ongoing payment, restricted Garmin Pay financial compatibility, speech features are sluggish, limited wearable features compared with competing watches.
