The newest iteration of Garmin's top-tier Fenix outdoor timepiece introduces a potentially lifesaving capability: phone-free communication and emergency messaging using 4G LTE or satellite connections.
The Fenix 8 Pro enhances the already impressive Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge cellular tech, plus an available advanced microLED display in a limited edition. It is Garmin's premier model and engineered to be the single gadget required to explore almost anywhere and track every activity.
This makes it an very expensive proposition, 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 edition with microLED display – almost double the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
You do get a significant functionality for your money, with best-in-class fitness, activity and outdoor tracking. The full offline mapping of the globe can seamlessly guide you return to the trail if you get lost absent a phone, and appear great on the large, crisp and high-luminance display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, omitting the more compact 43mm version available in other devices, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as reviewed does have an extra day of watch battery life despite the screen always active, enduring a reliable eight to nine days between charging.
Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Real-Time Location
Garmin uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription service rather than relying on a watch plan linked to your phone carrier, as with other wearables. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-capable devices, SOS messaging is not included for free.
Rather, subscriptions begin from £7.99 or similar a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and voice messages, calls and LiveTrack location tracking – so your friends or family can keep an eye on you while engaged in jogging, biking or comparable pursuits – along with SOS orbital SOS messaging.
Location updates and texts over satellite are then billed on top, with more expensive subscriptions offering various quotas of orbital use, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the functionality.
After you have got it set up, you simply venture the door minus your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You cannot use it for playing music or similar tasks, but you are able to make and take calls, dispatch texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and friends.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message back and forth via text or spoken messages, and make voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin account to use the Messenger app, just a mobile number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Messaging on the watch functions fine but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It has a collection of customisable canned responses you can use to speed things up. Voice messages and calls work OK, though as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re not going to want to use it for extended conversations as the quality is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can set it up to automatically transmit a URL to selected contacts whenever you begin an exercise, so they can follow your real time location on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring competition progress, but it primarily acts as a utility for someone you trust to know your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has generally functioned well, though the actual position has occasionally been delayed 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 does not reach, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, position check-ins and SOS SOS.
A on-screen assistance shows you how to locate the line of sight 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 safety feature, however it is important to remember that satellite service is limited to the US continent, most of Canada, and most of Europe except for regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is typically serviceable with options offered via the customer service site. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any reused components. Garmin provides recycling schemes on new purchases.
Cost
The Fenix 8 Pro costs 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).
Verdict
The Fenix 8 Pro takes a excellent adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite communication, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re out of coverage.
The result is an increasingly remarkable outdoor device for those that desire to be unplugged. If you want to have someone keep an eye on you from afar while exercising after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without needing anything else.
This is quite freeing to be outside without a phone, but that functionality comes at quite a price, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach service to enable the service. Fortunately it is not reliant on your phone carrier so functions with any make of smartphone and network.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who hates being burdened by their phone when running, biking or hiking, but still wants to be locatable and contactable. For other users, it is a lot of expense when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, super-bright OLED screen, monitors all activities with best-in-class GPS, integrated flashlight, voice and standalone commands, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline mapping and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, buttons and touchscreen.
Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and orbital features need ongoing payment, limited Garmin Pay financial support, speech features are slow, limited wearable functionality versus competing watches.
