This most recent model of the premium Fenix outdoor timepiece brings a life-saving feature: phone-free messaging and SOS messaging using 4G LTE or satellite links.
This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the previously impressive Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge mobile tech, along with an available state-of-the-art microLED screen in a special edition. This is the brand's premier device and engineered to be the only gadget needed to venture virtually anywhere and track every activity.
This positions it as 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 screen – almost double the price of the regular Fenix 8.
Users receive a significant functionality for your money, with industry-leading workout, activity and outdoor tracking. Its complete offline maps of the globe can automatically guide you back to the trail if you get lost absent a phone, and appear great on the sizable, sharp and high-luminance display.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the more compact 43mm version found in other models, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as tested does have an extra day of smartwatch battery life despite the screen on all the time, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Texting, Calls and Live Tracking
Garmin uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital subscription plan rather than relying on a watch plan linked to your mobile carrier, as with other smartwatches. But in contrast to competing satellite-enabled devices, SOS communication is not included for no cost.
Instead, subscriptions start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes unlimited LTE text and audio messaging, calls and LiveTrack position sharing – so your friends or family can monitor you while engaged in jogging, biking or similar pursuits – along with emergency orbital SOS messaging.
Location updates and texts via satellite are then billed additionally, with more expensive subscriptions offering different quotas of orbital usage, climbing to a £50 a month unlimited plan. The watch includes a 30-day trial period 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 streaming music or comparable activities, but you are able to place and receive calls, send texts and generally stay connected with your family and friends.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can respond to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message back and forth using text or spoken communications, and make voice calls. Your contact is not required to have a Garmin account to use the Messenger app, just a phone number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Messaging on the watch works adequately but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a set of customisable canned responses you can send to expedite communication. Voice recordings and calls perform acceptably, although as with the majority of wearables, you’re not going to wish to use it for extended conversations as the audio clarity is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the handiest feature. You can set it up to on its own transmit a link to chosen contacts every time you begin an activity, so they can follow your real time location on a map. It’s great for monitoring competition performance, but it mostly serves as a tool for someone you trust to be aware of your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has typically worked well, although the actual location has sometimes been delayed when moving in and out of strong LTE coverage.
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 orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location check-ins and SOS SOS.
A on-screen assistance shows you how to find the line of sight to the satellite, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly easy to use and could be a crucial safety feature, though it is important to remember that satellite coverage is restricted to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and the majority of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees latitude.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically repairable with services available via the support portal. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of regular charging. The watch lacks any reused materials. Garmin provides disposal programs on recent purchases.
Cost
This Fenix 8 Pro is priced from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach service packages cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
This Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic outdoor watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – along with orbital messaging, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re out of signal.
The result is an increasingly impressive adventure tool for those that desire to be unplugged. If you want to have someone monitor you from afar while exercising out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without needing anything else.
This is quite liberating to be outside without a phone, but that functionality comes at a significant cost, both in terms of the substantial price of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach plan to enable the features. At least it is not reliant on your phone provider so functions with any brand of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when running, cycling or hiking, but nevertheless wants to be trackable and reachable. For other users, it is a significant money when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Pros: LTE and orbital communication, high-luminance OLED screen, monitors everything with premier GPS, built-in torch, phone and offline voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, buttons and touch.
Drawbacks: very costly, LTE and satellite functions need ongoing subscription, restricted Garmin Pay financial support, voice capabilities are sluggish, limited smartwatch features compared with competing watches.
