The latest iteration of the top-tier Fenix outdoor watch brings a life-saving capability: phone-free communication and SOS messaging using 4G LTE or satellite links.
The Fenix 8 Pro enhances the already impressive Fenix 8 by adding new cellular technology, along with an available advanced microLED screen in a limited edition. This is Garmin's premier device and designed to be the only gadget required to venture almost anywhere and monitor all your movements.
This positions it as an very expensive 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 edition with microLED screen – almost twice the cost of the standard Fenix 8.
Users receive a significant features for your investment, with industry-leading workout, movement and outdoor monitoring. Its full offline maps of the globe can seamlessly direct you back to the path if you lose your way without a phone, and look great on the large, sharp and high-luminance display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is only available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the more compact 43mm size found in other models, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED model as reviewed boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life even with the display on all the time, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charging.
Phone-Free Messaging, Calling and Live Tracking
Garmin operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital subscription service instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your mobile provider, like other wearables. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled devices, emergency messaging is not provided for no cost.
Instead, subscriptions begin from £7.99 or similar a month, which includes unlimited LTE SMS and voice messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack location sharing – so your friends or family can monitor you while out running, biking or comparable pursuits – along with emergency orbital SOS alerts.
Location updates and texts over orbital are then billed on top, with more expensive subscriptions including different quotas of orbital use, climbing 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 got it set up, you simply head out the door minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or comparable tasks, but you can make and take calls, dispatch texts and generally keep in touch with your family and friends.
When you message someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate back and forth via typed or spoken messages, and initiate voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin account to use the Messenger application, only a mobile number is enough to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch works adequately but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a collection of personalizable canned responses you can use to speed things up. Voice messages and calls work OK, although as with the majority of wearables, you’re not going to wish to use it for lengthy conversations as the quality is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the handiest feature. You can set it up to on its own transmit a link to selected contacts whenever you begin an exercise, so they can follow your live location on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring competition progress, but it primarily serves as a tool for someone you rely on to know your location in case an incident occurs. It has generally functioned well, although the real location has sometimes lagged when moving in and out of good LTE signal.
All of these capabilities are available on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE lacks coverage, the satellite activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, position updates and SOS SOS.
A guide shows you how to locate the clear view to the orbital system, which then sends and receives communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly straightforward to use and could be a vital safety feature, however it is essential to remember that orbital coverage is restricted to the US mainland, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is typically serviceable with options offered via the customer service site. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any reused materials. Garmin offers 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 begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
This Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – plus satellite communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.
The result is an increasingly remarkable outdoor tool for those that desire to be phone-free. If you want to have someone keep an eye on you remotely while exercising after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without needing additional gear.
This is quite liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality comes at quite a cost, both in terms of the substantial cost of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach plan to enable the features. At least it isn’t reliant on your phone carrier so works with all brand of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or trekking, but still wants to be trackable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a significant expense when the superb Fenix 8 already exists.
Pros: LTE and orbital messaging, super-bright OLED screen, monitors all activities with best-in-class GPS, built-in torch, voice and standalone voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touchscreen.
Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and satellite features require ongoing subscription, limited Garmin Pay bank support, speech capabilities are slow, basic wearable functionality compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
