This latest version of Garmin's premium Fenix adventure timepiece includes a potentially lifesaving feature: phone-free messaging and emergency alerts using 4G LTE or orbital connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the already impressive Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge cellular technology, along with an available advanced microLED screen in a limited edition. This is Garmin's top model and designed to be the only tool needed to explore almost anywhere and monitor every activity.
That makes it an very expensive option, priced from £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 variant with microLED display – nearly double the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a significant functionality for your money, with best-in-class fitness, movement and outdoor monitoring. Its full offline mapping of the globe can automatically guide you back to the trail if you lose your way absent a phone, and appear excellent on the large, sharp and super-bright display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the more compact 43mm size available in other devices, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as tested does have an extra day of watch battery life despite the screen on all the time, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charging.
No-Phone Texting, Calls and Real-Time Location
Garmin operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription plan instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your mobile carrier, as with other smartwatches. But in contrast to competing satellite-capable products, SOS communication is not provided for free.
Rather, plans start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides limitless LTE text and voice messages, calls and LiveTrack location tracking – so your friends or loved ones can monitor you while engaged in jogging, biking or comparable pursuits – along with SOS orbital SOS alerts.
Location updates and messages over orbital are then charged additionally, with higher-tier plans including various allowances of orbital use, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive plan. The watch comes with a 30-day trial period so you can evaluate the service.
After you have completed setup, you just head out the door minus your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You cannot use it for playing music or comparable tasks, but you are able to make and take calls, dispatch texts and overall stay connected with your relatives and friends.
When you text someone, Garmin sends 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 message back and forth using typed or spoken messages, and initiate voice calls. Your contact is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, only a phone number is sufficient to register for texts.
Messaging on the watch functions fine but typing out texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a set of personalizable pre-set responses you can send to speed things up. Spoken recordings and calls perform OK, though as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re not going to want to use it for lengthy discussions as the audio clarity is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can configure to automatically transmit a link to chosen contacts every time you begin an exercise, so they can track your real time location on a map. It’s great for monitoring competition performance, but it mostly acts as a tool for someone you rely on to be aware of your location in case an incident occurs. It has typically functioned well, though the actual position has occasionally lagged when moving in and out of good LTE signal.
All of these capabilities are accessible on other Garmin devices 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 on-screen assistance shows you how to locate the line of sight to the orbital system, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly easy to use and could be a crucial lifeline, however it is important to note that orbital service is restricted to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is typically repairable 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 regular charging. The watch lacks any reused materials. Garmin provides disposal programs on new purchases.
Price
This Fenix 8 Pro is priced 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 builds on a fantastic adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus orbital communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re out of signal.
The result is an increasingly impressive adventure tool for those that want to be phone-free. If you want to have someone monitor you from afar while exercising after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.
This is quite liberating to be outside without a phone, but that capability carries a significant cost, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach plan to enable the features. At least it isn’t reliant on your phone provider so functions with all brand of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who dislikes being burdened by their phone when jogging, biking or hiking, but still desires to be trackable and reachable. For other users, it is a lot of money when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and satellite messaging, super-bright OLED screen, tracks everything with premier GPS, built-in flashlight, phone and standalone voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touch.
Cons: very expensive, LTE and orbital features need monthly payment, limited Garmin Pay bank support, voice features are sluggish, basic smartwatch features compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
