The latest model of Garmin's top-tier Fenix outdoor watch brings a life-saving capability: phone-free communication and SOS messaging via 4G LTE or orbital links.
The Fenix 8 Pro enhances the already impressive Fenix 8 by incorporating new cellular tech, plus an optional advanced microLED display in a limited edition. It is the brand's premier device and designed to be the single gadget needed to explore virtually anywhere and monitor every activity.
This makes it an very pricey proposition, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and climbing to a colossal £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.
Users receive a significant features for your money, with industry-leading workout, activity and outdoor monitoring. Its full offline mapping of the world can seamlessly guide you return to the trail if you get lost without a phone, and look excellent on the sizable, sharp and high-luminance touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the smaller 43mm size found in other devices, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as tested does have an additional day of watch battery life despite the screen on all the time, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Texting, Calling and Live Tracking
The company uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service service instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your mobile carrier, like other wearables. However unlike competing satellite-capable products, emergency messaging is not provided for free.
Instead, subscriptions start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes limitless LTE SMS and voice messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack location sharing – so your friends or family can monitor you while out jogging, cycling or comparable pursuits – along with emergency satellite SOS alerts.
Location updates and messages over satellite are then billed additionally, with more expensive subscriptions including various allowances of satellite usage, climbing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can test out the functionality.
After you have got it set up, you simply venture outside without your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or comparable activities, but you can make and take calls, dispatch texts and generally stay connected with your family and friends.
When you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can respond to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate back and forth using text or spoken messages, and make voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, only a mobile number is sufficient to register for texts.
Texting on the watch functions adequately but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It includes a set of customisable pre-set responses you can use to speed things up. Voice recordings and calls work acceptably, though as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for extended conversations as the quality is less than 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 real time location on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring competition performance, but it mostly acts as a tool for someone you rely on to be aware of your whereabouts in case something happens. It has typically functioned well, though the actual location has sometimes lagged when moving in and out of good LTE signal.
All of these features are available on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in areas where LTE lacks coverage, the satellite activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, position check-ins and emergency SOS.
A guide shows you how to find 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 lifeline, though it is essential to note that satellite service is limited to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia above 65 degrees latitude.
Sustainability
The watch is typically serviceable with options available via the support site. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any reused materials. Garmin provides disposal schemes on recent purchases.
Cost
The Fenix 8 Pro is priced from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach service packages cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
This Fenix 8 Pro takes a excellent outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with orbital communication, check-in and emergency SOS for when you’re without coverage.
The result is an increasingly impressive adventure tool for those that want to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone monitor you remotely while exercising after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin accomplishes this without needing anything else.
It is very liberating to be outside without a phone, but that functionality carries quite a price, both in terms of the substantial price of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach plan to enable the service. At least it isn’t dependent on your phone carrier so functions with any brand of smartphone and carrier.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, cycling or trekking, but nevertheless wants to be locatable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a lot of money when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and satellite communication, high-luminance OLED screen, tracks all activities with premier GPS, built-in torch, voice and standalone commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touch.
Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and orbital features require ongoing payment, limited Garmin Pay bank support, voice features are slow, basic wearable functionality versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
