This most recent version of the top-tier Fenix outdoor timepiece includes a potentially lifesaving feature: phone-free messaging and emergency messaging via 4G LTE or orbital connections.
The Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge cellular tech, along with an available advanced microLED display in a limited edition. This is the brand's premier device and designed to be the only tool needed to explore virtually any location and track every activity.
That makes it an extremely 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 variant with microLED display – nearly twice the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a lot of features for your money, with industry-leading workout, activity and outdoor tracking. The full offline maps of the world can automatically guide you back to the path if you get lost absent a phone, and appear great on the large, sharp and high-luminance display.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the more compact 43mm version available in other devices, so it is a large watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED version as tested does have an additional day of watch battery life despite the display on all the time, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Texting, Calling and Live Tracking
Garmin operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service instead of depending on a watch plan tied to your mobile provider, like other wearables. However unlike competing satellite-enabled products, emergency communication is not provided for free.
Instead, plans start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and audio messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack position tracking – so your friends or family can keep an eye on you while engaged in running, cycling or similar pursuits – along with SOS satellite SOS messaging.
Check-ins and messages over orbital are then billed additionally, with more expensive plans including different quotas of orbital usage, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can test out the functionality.
After 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 make and take calls, send texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and companions.
When you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger app, you can then message back and forth using typed or voice messages, and initiate voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, just a phone number is sufficient to sign up 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 canned replies you can send to expedite communication. Voice recordings and calls work acceptably, although as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re not going to want to use it for lengthy conversations as the audio clarity is less than fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can configure to on its own transmit a URL to selected contacts whenever you begin an exercise, so they can track your live location on a map. It’s great for following race progress, but it primarily serves as a utility for someone you rely on to know your location in case an incident occurs. It has generally worked well, although the actual position has sometimes lagged when moving in and out of good LTE coverage.
These features are accessible on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE lacks coverage, the satellite activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, position check-ins 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 surprisingly straightforward to use and could be a vital safety feature, however it is essential to remember that satellite service is restricted to the US mainland, most of Canada, and most of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is typically serviceable with options available via the support site. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any recycled components. Garmin provides disposal schemes on recent purchases.
Cost
The 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 standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite messaging, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re out of signal.
The result is an increasingly impressive adventure tool for those that want to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone keep an eye on you remotely while exercising after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin accomplishes this without requiring anything else.
It is quite freeing to be outside without a phone, but that capability carries quite a cost, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach service to provide the features. At least it isn’t dependent on your phone provider so works with all make of smartphone and carrier.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or trekking, but nevertheless wants to be locatable and contactable. For other users, it is a significant expense when the superb Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and satellite communication, high-luminance OLED display, tracks all activities with premier GPS, integrated torch, phone and offline voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, buttons and touch.
Cons: very expensive, LTE and orbital features need monthly payment, restricted Garmin Pay financial support, speech features are slow, limited smartwatch features versus competing watches.
