This most recent version of Garmin's flagship Fenix adventure watch introduces a life-saving feature: phone-free communication and emergency messaging via 4G LTE or satellite links.
This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge mobile tech, plus an available state-of-the-art microLED screen in a limited edition. It is Garmin's premier model and engineered to be the single tool required to explore almost any location and monitor all your movements.
This positions it as an very expensive proposition, priced from £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 edition with microLED display – almost twice the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a lot of features for your investment, with best-in-class workout, movement and adventure tracking. The full offline maps of the world can automatically direct you back to the path if you lose your way absent a phone, and appear great on the sizable, crisp and super-bright display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the more compact 43mm size available in other models, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as tested boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life even with the display on all the time, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Real-Time Location
The company operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service plan rather than relying on a watch plan linked to your mobile carrier, as with other smartwatches. However in contrast to competing satellite-capable devices, emergency messaging is not included for free.
Rather, plans start at £7.99 or similar a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and audio messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack position sharing – so your contacts or family can keep an eye on you while out jogging, biking or comparable pursuits – along with emergency orbital SOS messaging.
Check-ins and texts over satellite are then charged additionally, with more expensive plans offering different quotas of orbital use, climbing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can evaluate the service.
Once you have got it set up, you just head out outside minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or comparable activities, but you can make and take calls, dispatch texts and generally keep in touch with your family and friends.
When you message someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a random phone number, which they can respond to back to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate back and forth via text or spoken messages, and make voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, only a mobile number is sufficient to register for texts.
Texting on the watch functions fine but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It includes a set of customisable canned responses you can send to expedite communication. Spoken messages and calls work OK, although as with the majority of wearables, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for lengthy discussions as the quality is less than fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can set it up to automatically send a link to chosen contacts every time you begin an exercise, so they can follow your real time location on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring race performance, but it mostly serves as a tool for someone you rely on to be aware of your whereabouts in case something happens. It has generally worked effectively, though the actual position has occasionally lagged when moving in and out of good LTE signal.
These capabilities are available on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location updates and SOS SOS.
A on-screen assistance displays you how to find the line of sight to the satellite, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly easy to use and could be a crucial safety feature, though it is essential to remember that satellite service is limited to the US continent, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Environmental Impact
The watch is generally serviceable with options offered through the support portal. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of regular charging. The watch lacks any reused components. Garmin provides disposal programs on new 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 cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, call functionality and LiveTrack – along with satellite messaging, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re out of coverage.
The result is an even more remarkable outdoor device for those that want to be phone-free. If you want to have someone monitor you from afar while exercising 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 comes at quite a price, both in terms of the substantial cost of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach plan to provide the features. At least it is not dependent on your phone provider so functions with any make of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, cycling or hiking, but nevertheless desires to be trackable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a lot of money when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Advantages: LTE and satellite messaging, super-bright OLED display, tracks everything with best-in-class GPS, integrated flashlight, phone and offline voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: extremely costly, LTE and orbital functions need ongoing subscription, limited Garmin Pay financial compatibility, speech capabilities are sluggish, limited smartwatch features versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
