This latest iteration of the premium Fenix outdoor timepiece brings a potentially lifesaving capability: phone-free messaging and SOS messaging using 4G LTE or orbital connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the already impressive Fenix 8 by adding new mobile tech, plus an optional advanced microLED display in a special edition. This is Garmin's top device and designed to be the single gadget required to explore almost anywhere and track all your movements.
This positions it as an very pricey proposition, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and reaching a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED display – almost double the price of the standard Fenix 8.
Users get a significant functionality for your money, with industry-leading workout, movement and outdoor tracking. The full offline mapping of the world can automatically direct you back to the path if you get lost without a phone, and appear great on the large, crisp and high-luminance display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the smaller 43mm version available in other devices, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as reviewed 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
Garmin uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service instead of depending on a watch plan tied to your mobile carrier, like other wearables. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled devices, emergency communication is not included for free.
Instead, subscriptions start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and voice messages, calls and LiveTrack location sharing – so your friends or loved ones can monitor you while engaged in running, cycling or comparable pursuits – along with SOS orbital SOS alerts.
Location updates and texts via orbital are then charged additionally, with more expensive subscriptions offering various allowances of orbital use, climbing to a £50 a month unlimited plan. The watch comes with a 30-day trial period so you can test out the service.
After you have completed setup, you simply head out outside without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or similar tasks, but you can place and receive calls, send texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and companions.
When you text 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 application, you can then communicate reciprocally via text or voice communications, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, only a phone number is sufficient to register for texts.
Texting on the watch functions fine but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a collection of customisable pre-set responses you can use to speed things up. Spoken recordings and calls work acceptably, although as with the majority of wearables, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for extended discussions as the quality is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can set it up to automatically send a URL to selected contacts whenever you start an exercise, so they can follow your live position on a map. It’s excellent for following competition progress, but it primarily acts as a utility for someone you rely on to be aware of your whereabouts in case something happens. It has typically functioned well, although the real location has sometimes been delayed when moving in and out of good LTE signal.
These capabilities are available on other Garmin devices if you bring your phone with you, but in locations where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, location updates and SOS SOS.
A on-screen assistance displays you how to locate the line of sight to the orbital system, which then sends and receives messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly straightforward to use and could be a vital lifeline, though it is essential to note that satellite coverage is limited to the US mainland, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is generally repairable with options offered via the support portal. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its original power after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any recycled components. Garmin provides disposal schemes on recent purchases.
Cost
This Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach service packages begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite messaging, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re without coverage.
Outcome is an increasingly impressive adventure device for those that desire to be unplugged. If you want to have someone keep an eye on you from afar while running out at night or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without requiring additional gear.
This is very liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that capability comes at quite a price, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach plan to enable the features. At least it is not dependent on your phone carrier so functions with any brand of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who hates being burdened by their phone when jogging, cycling or hiking, but nevertheless desires to be locatable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a significant expense when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Pros: LTE and satellite messaging, high-luminance OLED display, tracks everything with best-in-class GPS, built-in flashlight, voice and offline commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, buttons and touchscreen.
Cons: very costly, LTE and satellite features need ongoing subscription, restricted Garmin Pay bank compatibility, voice capabilities are sluggish, basic smartwatch features compared with competing watches.
