The newest version of Garmin's premium Fenix outdoor watch brings a potentially lifesaving feature: no-phone communication and emergency messaging via 4G LTE or satellite links.
The Fenix 8 Pro enhances the previously impressive Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge mobile technology, plus an available state-of-the-art microLED display in a special edition. This is Garmin's premier model and designed to be the only tool required to venture almost anywhere and monitor all your movements.
This positions it as an very pricey option, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and climbing to a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED display – almost twice the price of the standard Fenix 8.
You do get a significant functionality for your money, with best-in-class fitness, activity and adventure tracking. The full offline mapping of the world can seamlessly direct you return to the trail if you lose your way absent a phone, and appear great on the large, sharp and high-luminance touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the smaller 43mm version found in other devices, so it is a large watch for larger wrists. But the 47mm OLED model as tested boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life even with the display on all the time, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charging.
Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Live Tracking
The company uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription service rather than depending on a watch plan linked to your mobile carrier, as with other smartwatches. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled devices, emergency communication is not provided for free.
Instead, subscriptions begin from £7.99 or similar a month, which provides limitless LTE text and voice messages, call functionality and LiveTrack location tracking – so your friends or family can keep an eye on you while out jogging, biking or similar activities – along with emergency orbital SOS alerts.
Check-ins and messages via satellite are then billed 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 free trial so you can test out the functionality.
After you have completed setup, you just venture outside without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for playing music or similar activities, but you can make and take calls, dispatch texts and generally keep in touch with your family and companions.
Whenever you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate back and forth using typed or voice communications, and make voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, only a mobile number is enough to register for texts.
Messaging on the watch functions fine but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a collection of personalizable canned responses you can use to speed things up. Spoken recordings and calls perform acceptably, although as with the majority of wearables, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for extended conversations as the quality is not fantastic.
LiveTrack is the handiest feature. You can set it up to automatically transmit a URL to chosen contacts whenever you begin an exercise, so they can follow your real time location on a map. It’s great for following competition performance, but it primarily serves as a utility for someone you trust to be aware of your whereabouts in case something happens. It has generally functioned effectively, though the actual location has occasionally been delayed when moving in and out of strong LTE coverage.
All of these capabilities are available on other Garmin devices if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, position check-ins and emergency SOS.
A guide displays you how to locate the clear view to the satellite, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly easy to use and could be a crucial safety feature, however it is important to remember that satellite service is limited to the US continent, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically repairable with options available via the support site. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its initial power after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any recycled materials. Garmin offers disposal schemes on new purchases.
Cost
The Fenix 8 Pro costs 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 adventure watch in the standard Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – along with orbital communication, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re out of signal.
Outcome is an even more remarkable adventure device for those that want to be phone-free. If you want to have someone monitor you remotely while running after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.
This is very liberating to be outside without a phone, but that capability carries quite a cost, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach plan to provide the service. At least it isn’t dependent on your phone provider so functions with any brand of smartphone and carrier.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a killer device for someone who hates being burdened by their phone when jogging, biking or hiking, but still desires to be locatable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a significant expense when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and satellite communication, super-bright OLED screen, tracks everything with premier GPS, integrated flashlight, phone and offline commands, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touchscreen.
Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and orbital features require monthly payment, limited Garmin Pay bank support, speech capabilities are slow, limited wearable functionality versus competing watches.
