The newest iteration of the top-tier Fenix adventure timepiece includes a potentially lifesaving feature: no-phone messaging and emergency alerts using 4G LTE or satellite links.
This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge cellular tech, along with an optional state-of-the-art microLED screen in a special edition. This is the brand's premier device and engineered to be the only tool needed to explore virtually anywhere and track all your movements.
This positions it as an very pricey option, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and climbing to a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED screen – almost double the price of the standard Fenix 8.
Users get a lot of functionality for your money, with best-in-class workout, activity and outdoor monitoring. The full offline maps of the globe can seamlessly direct you return to the path if you lose your way absent a phone, and appear great on the sizable, sharp and super-bright display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is only available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, omitting the smaller 43mm version available in other devices, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as reviewed boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life even with the display on all the time, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charging.
No-Phone Messaging, Calls and Real-Time Location
Garmin uses its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital subscription service rather than relying on a watch plan linked to your mobile provider, as with other smartwatches. But in contrast to competing satellite-capable devices, SOS messaging is not provided for free.
Rather, subscriptions begin from £7.99 or similar a month, which includes unlimited LTE text and audio messages, call functionality and LiveTrack location tracking – so your contacts or loved ones can monitor you while engaged in jogging, cycling or similar activities – plus SOS satellite SOS alerts.
Check-ins and messages over satellite are then charged additionally, with higher-tier plans including various quotas of orbital use, climbing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the service.
Once you have completed setup, you just venture the door without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or similar activities, but you can make and take calls, dispatch texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and companions.
When you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate reciprocally using text or spoken communications, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin account to use the Messenger application, just a mobile number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch works fine but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a collection of customisable canned responses you can send to speed things up. Voice recordings and calls work OK, although as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re not going to want to use it for lengthy discussions as the quality is not fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can set it up to automatically transmit a URL to selected contacts every time you start an activity, so they can track your real time position on a map. It’s great for monitoring competition performance, but it mostly serves as a tool for someone you rely on to be aware of your whereabouts in case something happens. It has typically worked effectively, although the actual location has sometimes lagged when moving in and out of strong LTE coverage.
These features are available on other Garmin watches 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 send texts, position check-ins and SOS SOS.
A guide displays you how to locate the line of sight to the satellite, which then sends and receives communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly straightforward to use and could be a crucial lifeline, though it is important to note that satellite coverage is restricted to the US mainland, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees latitude.
Sustainability
The watch is generally repairable with options offered via the support site. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any reused components. Garmin provides disposal schemes on recent purchases.
Price
The Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach subscription packages cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus satellite messaging, check-in and SOS SOS for when you’re out of signal.
The result is an increasingly impressive adventure device for those that desire to be unplugged. If you want to have someone monitor you remotely while exercising after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.
This is quite freeing to be outside without a phone, but that capability carries quite a cost, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach service to enable the service. At least it isn’t dependent on your phone provider so functions with any brand of smartphone and carrier.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier gadget for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or hiking, but still wants to be trackable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a significant money when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Advantages: LTE and satellite messaging, super-bright OLED screen, tracks everything with best-in-class GPS, integrated torch, phone and offline voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, buttons and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: very expensive, LTE and satellite functions need ongoing subscription, restricted Garmin Pay financial support, voice features are sluggish, basic wearable functionality compared with competing watches.
