The latest model of Garmin's premium Fenix adventure timepiece brings a life-saving feature: no-phone messaging and SOS alerts via 4G LTE or satellite connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already impressive Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge cellular technology, plus an available advanced microLED screen in a limited edition. This is the brand's top device and engineered to be the single tool needed to explore almost anywhere and track all your movements.
This positions it as an very pricey option, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and climbing to a substantial £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 get a significant functionality for your investment, with best-in-class workout, activity and adventure tracking. The full offline maps of the world can seamlessly guide you return to the path if you lose your way without a phone, and appear excellent on the large, sharp and high-luminance touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, omitting the more compact 43mm version found in other models, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED version as reviewed boasts an additional day of smartwatch battery life even with the display always active, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Messaging, Calling and Real-Time Location
The company operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service rather than relying on a watch plan tied to your phone carrier, as with other smartwatches. But unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled products, emergency messaging is not provided for no cost.
Instead, plans begin from £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and voice messages, call functionality and LiveTrack location sharing – so your contacts or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in running, cycling or similar activities – plus emergency satellite SOS alerts.
Location updates and messages over satellite are then charged additionally, with more expensive plans including different quotas of orbital use, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can test out the service.
After you have got it set up, you just venture outside minus your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or similar tasks, but you are able to make and take calls, dispatch texts and generally stay connected with your relatives and companions.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger app, you can then message reciprocally using typed or spoken messages, and initiate voice calls. Your contact is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, just a phone number is sufficient to register for texts.
Texting on the watch functions fine but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It has a collection of customisable pre-set replies you can send to speed things up. Spoken recordings and calls perform acceptably, although as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re not going to want to use it for lengthy discussions as the quality is not fantastic.
LiveTrack is the handiest feature. You can configure to automatically send a link to chosen contacts whenever you begin an activity, so they can follow your real time location on a map. It’s great for monitoring competition progress, but it mostly acts as a tool for someone you trust to be aware of your location in case an incident occurs. It has generally functioned well, although the real position has sometimes been delayed when transitioning in and out of strong LTE coverage.
All of these capabilities are accessible on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, position check-ins and SOS SOS.
A guide displays you how to locate the line of sight to the satellite, which then transmits and gets messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly easy to use and could be a vital lifeline, however it is important to note that orbital service is limited to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees latitude.
Environmental Impact
The watch is generally repairable with options offered via the support portal. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its initial power after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any recycled components. Garmin provides recycling programs on recent purchases.
Price
The Fenix 8 Pro is priced from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach service plans cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – plus satellite messaging, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re without signal.
The result is an increasingly impressive adventure tool for those that desire to be unplugged. If you want to have someone monitor you remotely while exercising after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without requiring additional gear.
It is quite liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality comes at a significant cost, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach service to enable the features. Fortunately it is not reliant on your phone carrier so works with any brand of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or hiking, but still desires to be locatable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a lot of expense when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, high-luminance OLED display, monitors everything with premier GPS, integrated flashlight, voice and offline voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, buttons and touch.
Drawbacks: very costly, LTE and orbital functions require ongoing subscription, limited Garmin Pay bank compatibility, speech features are sluggish, limited wearable features versus competing watches.
