This latest iteration of Garmin's flagship Fenix adventure watch brings a potentially lifesaving feature: no-phone messaging and emergency alerts using 4G LTE or satellite links.
The Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the already impressive Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge mobile tech, plus an optional state-of-the-art microLED screen in a limited edition. This is Garmin's premier device and designed to be the only tool needed to venture almost anywhere and track all your movements.
This positions it as an very pricey proposition, 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 variant with microLED screen – almost twice the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
You do receive a lot of functionality for your money, with industry-leading workout, activity and adventure monitoring. Its full offline maps of the world can seamlessly guide you return to the path if you lose your way without a phone, and look excellent on the sizable, sharp and super-bright touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, omitting the smaller 43mm size available in other models, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED version as tested boasts an additional day of smartwatch battery life despite the screen on all the time, enduring a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Live Tracking
The company uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription plan instead of depending on a watch plan tied to your mobile provider, like other wearables. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled devices, emergency messaging is not included for no cost.
Instead, plans begin from £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE text and voice messages, call functionality and LiveTrack location tracking – so your friends or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in jogging, cycling or similar pursuits – along with SOS orbital SOS messaging.
Location updates and messages via satellite are then charged additionally, with more expensive subscriptions offering different quotas of orbital usage, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day trial period so you can test out the functionality.
Once you have completed setup, you just head out the door minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or similar activities, but you are able to make and take calls, dispatch texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and companions.
When you text someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a random phone number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate reciprocally via text or voice messages, and make voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, just a mobile number is enough to sign up for texts.
Messaging on the watch functions adequately but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a collection of customisable canned replies you can send to speed things up. Spoken recordings and calls perform OK, although as with the majority of wearables, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for lengthy conversations as the audio clarity is not fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can configure to on its own transmit a URL to selected contacts every time you begin an exercise, so they can follow your live position on a map. It’s great for monitoring competition progress, but it mostly serves as a tool for someone you trust to know your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has generally worked effectively, although the real location has sometimes been delayed when moving in and out of strong LTE coverage.
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 transmit texts, location updates and SOS SOS.
A guide displays you how to locate the clear view to the satellite, which then sends and receives messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly easy to use and could be a vital lifeline, however it is essential to note that orbital service is limited to the US continent, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees latitude.
Environmental Impact
The watch is generally serviceable with services offered through the support portal. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any recycled components. Garmin offers recycling schemes on new purchases.
Price
The Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The optional Garmin inReach service packages cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
The Fenix 8 Pro takes a excellent outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus satellite communication, check-in and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.
The result is an even more remarkable adventure device for those that want to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone monitor you from afar while running out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin accomplishes this without requiring anything else.
It is very liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that capability carries a significant price, both in terms of the substantial price of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach plan to enable the features. Fortunately it isn’t dependent on your phone carrier so functions with any brand of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier gadget for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, cycling or trekking, but nevertheless wants to be locatable and reachable. For other users, it is a significant money when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and orbital messaging, high-luminance OLED display, tracks all activities with best-in-class GPS, built-in flashlight, voice and standalone commands, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: extremely costly, LTE and satellite functions require ongoing payment, limited Garmin Pay bank compatibility, speech features are slow, limited smartwatch features versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
