This most recent model of the premium Fenix adventure watch brings a potentially lifesaving feature: phone-free communication and SOS messaging using 4G LTE or satellite links.
This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already outstanding Fenix 8 by adding new cellular technology, along with an optional advanced microLED screen in a special edition. This is Garmin's premier device and designed to be the only gadget needed to explore virtually any location and monitor 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 colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED screen – almost twice the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a significant features for your money, with best-in-class workout, movement and adventure tracking. Its complete offline mapping of the globe can automatically direct you back to the trail if you lose your way without a phone, and look great on the large, crisp and super-bright display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is only available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the more compact 43mm size found in other devices, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as tested boasts an extra day of watch battery life despite the display always active, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charging.
Phone-Free Messaging, Calling and Real-Time Location
The company operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription service instead of depending on a watch plan tied to your phone carrier, like other wearables. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-capable products, emergency messaging is not provided for free.
Instead, subscriptions start at £7.99 or similar a month, which provides limitless LTE text and voice messaging, calls and LiveTrack location tracking – so your contacts or family can keep an eye on you while engaged in jogging, cycling or comparable pursuits – along with emergency orbital SOS alerts.
Location updates and texts over satellite are then charged additionally, with higher-tier plans offering different quotas of orbital use, climbing to a £50 a month unlimited plan. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the service.
Once you have completed setup, you simply head out the door minus your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or similar activities, but you are able to make and take calls, dispatch texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and companions.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a random phone number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate back and forth via text or voice communications, and make voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin account to use the Messenger application, just a phone number is enough to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch works fine but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a collection of customisable canned replies you can send to expedite communication. Voice recordings and calls work acceptably, although as with most smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for lengthy conversations as the audio clarity is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can set it up to automatically send a URL to chosen contacts whenever you begin an activity, so they can track your live location on a map. It’s great for monitoring race performance, but it primarily acts as a utility for someone you trust to know your location in case something happens. It has generally worked well, though the actual location has occasionally lagged when transitioning 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 locations where LTE does not reach, the satellite kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, position updates and emergency SOS.
A guide displays you how to find the clear view to the satellite, which then sends and receives messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a vital safety feature, however it is essential to remember that satellite service is limited to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and the majority of Europe except for regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is generally repairable with options offered via the support portal. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its original power after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any reused components. Garmin provides disposal schemes on new purchases.
Price
This Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The optional Garmin inReach subscription plans cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
The Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic adventure watch in the standard Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite messaging, check-in and SOS SOS for when you’re without signal.
The result is an increasingly remarkable outdoor device for those that want to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone monitor you remotely while exercising after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without needing anything else.
It is very freeing to be outside without a phone, but that functionality comes at quite a price, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach plan to enable the features. At least it is not dependent on your phone carrier so functions with any make of smartphone and network.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer gadget for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or hiking, but nevertheless desires to be locatable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a significant expense when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and satellite messaging, high-luminance OLED display, tracks everything with best-in-class GPS, built-in torch, phone and standalone voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touch.
Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and satellite features require monthly subscription, restricted Garmin Pay financial support, speech features are slow, basic smartwatch features versus competing watches.
