This newest version of Garmin's premium Fenix adventure timepiece brings a potentially lifesaving feature: no-phone communication and SOS alerts using 4G LTE or orbital connections.
The Fenix 8 Pro enhances the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by adding new mobile tech, plus an optional advanced microLED screen in a special edition. It is the brand's premier model and designed to be the single tool needed to explore virtually any location and track all your movements.
That 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 display – nearly twice the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a significant features for your money, with best-in-class fitness, movement and outdoor monitoring. Its full offline mapping of the globe can automatically guide you return to the path if you get lost absent a phone, and appear excellent on the large, sharp and super-bright display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the more compact 43mm version available in other models, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as reviewed boasts an additional day of smartwatch battery life even with the display on all the time, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Messaging, Calls and Real-Time Location
Garmin uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital subscription service instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your mobile carrier, as with other smartwatches. But in contrast to competing satellite-capable products, emergency communication is not provided for no cost.
Instead, plans begin from £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and voice messaging, calls and LiveTrack position tracking – so your contacts or loved ones can monitor you while engaged in jogging, cycling or similar pursuits – along with SOS orbital SOS alerts.
Location updates and messages via satellite are then billed on top, with higher-tier plans offering different allowances of satellite usage, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited plan. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the functionality.
Once you have completed setup, you simply venture outside minus your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You can not use it for playing music or comparable activities, but you are able to make and take calls, send texts and overall keep in touch with your family and companions.
Whenever you message someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message back and forth using typed or spoken messages, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, only a phone number is enough to sign up for texts.
Messaging on the watch functions fine but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a set of customisable canned replies you can send to speed things up. Spoken messages and calls perform acceptably, although as with most wearables, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for extended conversations as the quality is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can set it up to on its own send a URL to chosen contacts whenever you start an activity, so they can follow your live location on a map. It’s great for following competition progress, but it mostly acts as a tool for someone you trust to know your location in case an incident occurs. It has typically worked effectively, although the real location has sometimes lagged when moving in and out of good LTE coverage.
All of these features are available on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in areas where LTE does not reach, the orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, position check-ins and emergency SOS.
A on-screen assistance shows you how to locate the clear view to the orbital system, which then sends and receives messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a crucial lifeline, though it is essential to remember that orbital service is limited to the US mainland, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees latitude.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically serviceable with services available via the customer service portal. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its initial power after two years of regular charging. The watch does not contain any reused components. Garmin provides recycling programs on recent purchases.
Price
The Fenix 8 Pro is priced 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
This Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic outdoor watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite communication, check-in and SOS SOS for when you’re without coverage.
Outcome is an increasingly impressive adventure tool 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 accomplishes this without requiring anything else.
This is very freeing to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality carries 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. Fortunately it is not reliant on your phone carrier so functions with any make of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when jogging, biking or hiking, but nevertheless wants to be trackable and reachable. For other users, it is a lot of money when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Advantages: LTE and satellite communication, high-luminance OLED display, tracks all activities with premier GPS, built-in flashlight, voice and offline commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre diving, buttons and touchscreen.
Cons: extremely costly, LTE and satellite features require ongoing payment, limited Garmin Pay bank support, voice features are slow, basic wearable functionality versus competing watches.
