This newest iteration of Garmin's premium Fenix outdoor timepiece introduces a potentially lifesaving feature: no-phone messaging and emergency messaging using 4G LTE or orbital connections.
The Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the already outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating new mobile tech, along with an available advanced microLED display in a special edition. It is the brand's premier device and engineered to be the single gadget required to venture almost anywhere and monitor all your movements.
This makes it an very pricey proposition, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and climbing to a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED screen – almost twice the price of the regular Fenix 8.
Users receive a lot of features for your money, with industry-leading fitness, activity and adventure tracking. The complete offline mapping of the world can seamlessly direct you return to the trail if you lose your way without a phone, and look excellent on the sizable, sharp and super-bright display.
The Fenix 8 Pro is only offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the more compact 43mm version available in other devices, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED version as reviewed does have an additional day of smartwatch battery life even with the screen on all the time, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charging.
No-Phone Texting, Calls and Live Tracking
Garmin uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service plan rather than relying on a watch plan linked to your mobile provider, as with other wearables. But unlike Apple or Google's satellite-capable products, emergency messaging is not included for free.
Instead, subscriptions start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides limitless LTE text and voice messaging, calls and LiveTrack position tracking – so your friends or loved ones can monitor you while engaged in jogging, cycling or similar pursuits – along with SOS satellite SOS messaging.
Location updates and messages via satellite are then charged additionally, with more expensive plans including various allowances of orbital usage, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited plan. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the service.
Once you have completed setup, you simply head out the door without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or similar activities, but you are able to place and receive calls, send texts and generally keep in touch with your family and companions.
When you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can respond to back to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message back and forth using typed or spoken messages, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, only a mobile number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch works fine but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It includes a collection of customisable pre-set responses you can use to expedite communication. Voice recordings and calls work OK, although as with most smartwatches, you’re not going to want to use it for lengthy conversations as the audio clarity is not fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can configure to automatically send a link to selected contacts whenever you start an exercise, so they can follow your real time location on a map. It’s excellent for following race progress, but it primarily acts as a utility for someone you rely on to know your location in case an incident occurs. It has generally functioned well, though the actual position has occasionally lagged when moving in and out of good LTE signal.
All of these capabilities are available on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in areas where LTE lacks coverage, the satellite kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, position check-ins and emergency SOS.
A guide shows you how to locate the clear view to the orbital system, which then sends and receives communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly straightforward 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 parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically repairable with services available via the support site. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of regular charging. The watch lacks any reused components. Garmin provides recycling schemes on recent purchases.
Cost
This Fenix 8 Pro is priced from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The optional Garmin inReach service plans begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent outdoor watch in the standard Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus satellite communication, check-in and SOS SOS for when you’re without coverage.
The result is an increasingly remarkable adventure device for those that desire to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone monitor you from afar while exercising out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without needing additional gear.
This is quite freeing to be outside without a phone, but that functionality comes at quite a cost, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach plan to enable the features. Fortunately it isn’t dependent on your phone carrier so functions with any make of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a killer gadget for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or hiking, but nevertheless wants to be trackable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a significant expense when the superb Fenix 8 already exists.
Pros: LTE and satellite messaging, high-luminance OLED screen, tracks all activities with premier GPS, integrated torch, phone and offline voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: extremely expensive, LTE and satellite functions need monthly subscription, restricted Garmin Pay financial support, voice capabilities are slow, limited wearable features versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
