This latest model of the flagship Fenix outdoor timepiece includes a potentially lifesaving feature: no-phone messaging and SOS alerts via 4G LTE or satellite connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already impressive Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge mobile tech, plus an available state-of-the-art microLED screen in a limited edition. This is Garmin's premier model and designed to be the single gadget needed to venture almost anywhere and monitor every activity.
This positions it as an very expensive option, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and reaching a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED display – almost twice the price of the standard Fenix 8.
You do get a lot of functionality for your money, with best-in-class workout, activity and adventure monitoring. Its complete offline mapping of the globe can automatically guide you return to the path if you lose your way without a phone, and appear excellent on the large, sharp and high-luminance display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is only available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the more compact 43mm size found in other devices, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as tested does have an extra day of smartwatch battery life even with the display always active, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charging.
No-Phone Texting, Calls and Live Tracking
Garmin operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service plan rather than relying on a watch plan tied to your mobile provider, like other wearables. However unlike competing satellite-capable devices, SOS communication is not provided for no cost.
Instead, plans start at £7.99 or similar a month, which provides limitless LTE text and audio messages, call functionality and LiveTrack location sharing – so your contacts or family can monitor you while out jogging, biking or comparable activities – plus SOS orbital SOS alerts.
Location updates and texts via orbital are then billed on top, with higher-tier plans offering various quotas of orbital use, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day trial period so you can evaluate the service.
After you have completed setup, you simply head out outside without your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or comparable activities, but you are able to place and receive calls, dispatch texts and overall keep in touch with your family and friends.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate back and forth via text or voice communications, and make voice calls. Your contact is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, just a mobile number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch works fine but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It has a collection of personalizable canned responses you can send to speed things up. Voice messages and calls perform acceptably, although as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for lengthy conversations as the quality is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the handiest function. You can set it up to automatically transmit a URL to chosen contacts whenever you start an activity, so they can follow your real time location on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring race performance, but it mostly serves as a utility for someone you trust to know your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has generally worked effectively, though the real location has sometimes lagged when moving in and out of good LTE signal.
These features are available on other Garmin watches if you carry 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 emergency SOS.
A guide displays you how to find the clear view to the orbital system, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly straightforward to use and could be a crucial lifeline, however it is important to remember that orbital coverage is restricted to the US mainland, the majority of Canada, and the majority of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically repairable with options offered through the customer service portal. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its initial power after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any reused components. Garmin offers disposal programs 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 subscription packages begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – along with orbital communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re without coverage.
The result is an even more impressive outdoor tool for those that desire to be unplugged. If you want to have someone monitor you remotely while running after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without requiring additional gear.
This is quite liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that capability comes at a significant cost, both in terms of the substantial price of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach service to provide the service. At least it is not reliant on your phone carrier so works with all make of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer device for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when jogging, cycling or hiking, but still desires to be trackable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a significant expense when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, high-luminance OLED screen, monitors everything with premier GPS, built-in torch, phone and offline commands, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre diving, physical controls and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: extremely costly, LTE and satellite features require ongoing subscription, restricted Garmin Pay bank support, voice capabilities are sluggish, limited wearable features compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
