The latest version of Garmin's top-tier Fenix adventure timepiece introduces a potentially lifesaving feature: phone-free communication and SOS messaging using 4G LTE or satellite links.
This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the previously impressive Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge cellular technology, along with an optional advanced microLED display in a special edition. It is the brand's top model and engineered to be the single tool required to explore almost anywhere and track all your movements.
That positions it as an very pricey option, priced from £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 variant with microLED screen – nearly double the price of the standard Fenix 8.
You do receive a lot of features for your money, with best-in-class fitness, activity and outdoor monitoring. The full offline maps of the world can automatically direct you back to the path if you lose your way without a phone, and look great on the sizable, sharp and super-bright touchscreen.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the smaller 43mm version found in other devices, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as tested boasts an extra day of watch battery life even with the screen on all the time, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Live Tracking
Garmin uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service service instead of relying on a watch plan linked to your phone carrier, like other wearables. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled products, emergency communication is not provided for no cost.
Instead, plans start at £7.99 or similar a month, which provides unlimited LTE text and audio messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack position sharing – so your contacts or family can monitor you while out running, cycling or comparable activities – plus emergency orbital SOS alerts.
Check-ins and texts over orbital are then charged on top, with more expensive plans offering various quotas of satellite use, climbing to a £50 a month all-inclusive plan. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the service.
Once you have got it set up, you simply venture outside minus your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or similar activities, but you can make and take calls, send texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and friends.
When you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can respond to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate back and forth using text or spoken communications, and make voice calls. Your contact is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, just a phone number is sufficient to register for texts.
Messaging on the watch functions adequately but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a collection of personalizable canned responses you can use to speed things up. Voice recordings and calls perform acceptably, though as with most wearables, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for lengthy discussions as the audio clarity is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the handiest function. You can set it up to automatically send a link to selected contacts whenever you start an exercise, so they can follow your live position on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring competition progress, but it mostly serves as a tool for someone you trust to be aware of your location in case an incident occurs. It has generally functioned effectively, although the real location has occasionally been delayed when transitioning in and out of good LTE coverage.
These features are available on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, position updates and SOS SOS.
A on-screen assistance displays you how to find the clear view to the satellite, which then sends and receives communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly straightforward to use and could be a vital lifeline, however it is essential to remember that satellite service is limited to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is generally repairable with services available via the customer service site. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its original power after two years of regular charging. The watch does not contain any reused materials. Garmin offers disposal schemes on new purchases.
Cost
This Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The optional Garmin inReach subscription plans cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
This Fenix 8 Pro takes a excellent adventure watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – along with satellite communication, check-in and emergency SOS for when you’re out of coverage.
The result is an increasingly remarkable outdoor device for those that desire to be unplugged. If you want to have someone keep an eye on you from afar while exercising after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin accomplishes this without requiring anything else.
This is quite freeing to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality comes at quite a price, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach service to provide the features. Fortunately it is not reliant on your phone provider so works with all brand of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a killer device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when running, cycling or trekking, but still desires to be trackable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a significant money when the superb Fenix 8 already exists.
Pros: LTE and satellite messaging, super-bright OLED display, monitors everything with best-in-class GPS, built-in flashlight, phone and standalone commands, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touchscreen.
Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and satellite functions need ongoing payment, restricted Garmin Pay bank support, speech capabilities are slow, limited wearable functionality versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
