The most recent model of Garmin's top-tier Fenix adventure timepiece introduces a life-saving capability: phone-free messaging and emergency alerts via 4G LTE or satellite links.
This Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the already outstanding Fenix 8 by adding new mobile technology, along with an available advanced microLED screen in a limited edition. This is Garmin's premier device and designed to be the single gadget needed to explore virtually any location and monitor all your movements.
That makes it an very pricey proposition, starting at £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 – nearly double the price of the regular Fenix 8.
Users receive a lot of functionality for your investment, with best-in-class fitness, movement and outdoor monitoring. The full offline mapping of the world can seamlessly direct you back to the path if you lose your way absent a phone, and appear great on the large, sharp and super-bright display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the smaller 43mm size found in other devices, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED model as tested does have an extra day of watch battery life despite the display always active, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Real-Time Location
Garmin operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service service instead of relying on a watch plan linked to your phone carrier, like other smartwatches. However unlike competing satellite-capable products, emergency messaging is not provided for free.
Instead, plans begin from £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides limitless LTE SMS and voice messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack location tracking – so your contacts or loved ones can monitor you while out running, cycling or similar activities – along with SOS orbital SOS alerts.
Location updates and messages via orbital are then billed on top, with more expensive plans offering various allowances of satellite use, increasing 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 simply venture outside minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for playing music or comparable tasks, but you can place and receive calls, send texts and generally stay connected with your relatives and companions.
When you text someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a random number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate reciprocally using text or spoken messages, and initiate voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin account to use the Messenger app, only a phone number is sufficient to register for texts.
Messaging on the watch functions fine but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It has a set of customisable pre-set replies you can use to speed things up. Voice messages and calls work OK, although as with most smartwatches, you’re not going to want to use it for extended discussions as the audio clarity is not fantastic.
LiveTrack is the handiest function. You can set it up to automatically transmit 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 progress, but it primarily serves as a tool for someone you rely on to know your whereabouts in case something happens. It has typically functioned effectively, though the real location has sometimes lagged when transitioning in and out of strong LTE signal.
All of these capabilities are available on other Garmin devices if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the satellite activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, position updates and SOS SOS.
A on-screen assistance shows you how to locate the clear view to the orbital system, which then transmits and gets messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a crucial lifeline, though it is important to remember that satellite coverage is limited to the US continent, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia above 65 degrees latitude.
Sustainability
The watch is typically repairable with services offered through the support portal. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any recycled materials. Garmin provides recycling schemes on new purchases.
Price
This Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach service plans cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus satellite communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.
The result is an increasingly impressive adventure tool for those that desire to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone keep an eye on you remotely while running after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without needing additional gear.
This is quite freeing to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality comes at quite a price, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach service to provide the features. Fortunately it is not reliant on your phone carrier so works with any make of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer gadget for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or trekking, but still desires to be locatable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a lot of money when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Pros: LTE and satellite communication, super-bright OLED screen, tracks everything with premier GPS, built-in torch, phone and offline commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, buttons and touchscreen.
Cons: very costly, LTE and orbital functions need ongoing subscription, limited Garmin Pay bank compatibility, speech features are sluggish, limited wearable features versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
