The latest iteration of the flagship Fenix outdoor timepiece brings a life-saving capability: phone-free messaging and emergency messaging using 4G LTE or satellite connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating new mobile technology, plus an optional advanced microLED screen in a special edition. It is the brand's premier device and engineered to be the single tool needed to venture virtually any location and monitor every activity.
This positions it as an extremely pricey option, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and reaching a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED display – nearly double the price of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a lot of features for your investment, with industry-leading workout, movement and outdoor monitoring. Its full offline mapping of the world can seamlessly direct you back to the trail if you lose your way absent a phone, and appear excellent on the sizable, crisp and high-luminance touchscreen.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the smaller 43mm version found in other models, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as tested does have an additional day of smartwatch battery life despite the display always active, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Messaging, Calls and Live Tracking
The company operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service rather than depending on a watch plan linked to your mobile provider, like other smartwatches. However in contrast to competing satellite-enabled products, emergency messaging is not included for no cost.
Rather, plans begin from £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes unlimited LTE text and voice messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack location tracking – so your contacts or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in jogging, biking or comparable pursuits – along with emergency orbital SOS messaging.
Check-ins and messages over satellite are then charged additionally, with higher-tier plans offering different allowances of orbital usage, climbing to a £50 a month unlimited plan. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can evaluate the functionality.
After you have got it set up, you just head out the door without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or similar tasks, but you are able to make and take calls, send texts and generally keep in touch with your relatives and companions.
When you text someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a random number, which they can respond to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate reciprocally via text or spoken messages, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, only a phone number is enough to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch functions fine but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a set of customisable canned responses you can send to expedite communication. Spoken recordings and calls perform OK, although as with most smartwatches, you’re not going to want to use it for extended discussions as the audio clarity is less than fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can set it up to on its own transmit a URL to chosen contacts every time you start an activity, so they can follow your live position on a map. It’s excellent for following race progress, but it mostly acts as a tool for someone you trust to know your location in case something happens. It has generally worked well, though the real location has occasionally lagged when transitioning in and out of good LTE coverage.
All of these capabilities are accessible on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in locations where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location updates and emergency SOS.
A guide displays you how to find the clear view to the orbital system, which then sends and receives messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a vital lifeline, though it is important to note that satellite coverage is limited to the US continent, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe except for regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is generally serviceable with services offered via the support site. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its initial power after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any recycled materials. Garmin offers disposal programs on recent purchases.
Cost
This Fenix 8 Pro is priced from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach subscription plans cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic outdoor watch in the standard Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – plus satellite communication, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re without signal.
Outcome is an increasingly impressive adventure device for those that want to be phone-free. If you want to have someone monitor you remotely while running out at night or in the remote areas, the Garmin accomplishes this without requiring anything else.
This is quite freeing 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 service. At least it is not dependent on your phone carrier so functions with any brand of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a killer gadget for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when running, cycling or hiking, but nevertheless desires to be trackable and reachable. For other users, it is a lot of money when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Pros: LTE and orbital communication, high-luminance OLED screen, monitors all activities with best-in-class GPS, integrated torch, voice and standalone commands, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touch.
Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and orbital functions require monthly payment, restricted Garmin Pay financial compatibility, voice features are slow, limited wearable features compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
