The latest model of Garmin's flagship Fenix outdoor watch brings a life-saving feature: phone-free messaging and emergency messaging using 4G LTE or satellite connections.
The Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already impressive Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge cellular tech, along with an optional advanced microLED screen in a special edition. This is the brand's top device and engineered to be the single gadget required to venture almost any location and monitor every activity.
This positions it as an extremely pricey proposition, starting at £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 edition with microLED screen – nearly twice the price of the regular Fenix 8.
You do receive a significant features for your money, with industry-leading fitness, activity and adventure tracking. Its full offline mapping of the globe can seamlessly direct you return to the path 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 available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the smaller 43mm size found in other devices, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as reviewed boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life despite the screen always active, enduring a reliable eight to nine days between charging.
Phone-Free Messaging, Calls and Real-Time Location
The company uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription service rather than depending on a watch plan linked to your phone provider, like other smartwatches. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled products, emergency communication is not provided for no cost.
Instead, plans start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes unlimited LTE SMS and voice messages, call functionality and LiveTrack position tracking – so your friends or family can monitor you while engaged in jogging, cycling or similar activities – along with emergency orbital SOS messaging.
Check-ins and messages over satellite are then billed additionally, with higher-tier plans offering different quotas of satellite usage, climbing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can test out the functionality.
After you have completed setup, you just head out outside without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or comparable activities, but you can make and take calls, send texts and overall stay connected with your relatives and friends.
When you message someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can respond to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate back and forth using text or voice messages, and initiate voice calls. Your contact is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, only a mobile number is sufficient to register for texts.
Texting on the watch functions fine but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It has a set of customisable pre-set responses you can send to expedite communication. Voice recordings and calls perform OK, although as with most smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for extended conversations as the quality is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the handiest function. You can configure to on its own send a URL to selected contacts whenever you start an exercise, so they can track your real time location on a map. It’s great for following competition performance, but it mostly serves as a utility for someone you rely on to be aware of your whereabouts in case something happens. It has typically functioned effectively, although the real position has occasionally lagged when transitioning in and out of strong LTE signal.
All of these capabilities are available on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in areas where LTE does not reach, the satellite kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, position updates and SOS SOS.
A on-screen assistance displays you how to locate the clear view to the satellite, which then sends and receives communications 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 coverage is limited to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is typically repairable with options available via the support portal. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any reused components. Garmin offers recycling schemes on new purchases.
Cost
This Fenix 8 Pro is priced from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach subscription packages cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – along with satellite communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.
Outcome is an increasingly remarkable outdoor device for those that want to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone monitor you remotely while running after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without requiring additional gear.
This is quite liberating to be outside without a phone, but that capability comes at quite a price, both in terms of the substantial price of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach plan to provide the features. Fortunately it is not reliant on your phone provider so functions with all make of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier gadget for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when jogging, cycling or hiking, but nevertheless desires to be locatable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a significant money when the superb Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and satellite communication, super-bright OLED screen, monitors everything with premier GPS, integrated torch, voice and standalone commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre diving, buttons and touch.
Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and satellite features require monthly payment, restricted Garmin Pay bank compatibility, speech capabilities are slow, limited wearable functionality versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
