This latest version of Garmin's top-tier Fenix adventure timepiece includes a life-saving feature: no-phone communication and SOS messaging via 4G LTE or orbital connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already outstanding Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge cellular tech, along with an available state-of-the-art microLED screen in a limited edition. It is the brand's top device and engineered to be the only tool required to venture virtually any location and track all your movements.
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 climbing to a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED display – almost double the price of the standard Fenix 8.
You do get a lot of functionality for your money, with best-in-class fitness, movement and outdoor tracking. Its complete offline mapping of the world can seamlessly guide you back to the trail if you lose your way without a phone, and look excellent on the large, crisp and super-bright display.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, omitting the smaller 43mm version found in other devices, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED model as reviewed boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life despite the display on all the time, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Messaging, Calling and Live Tracking
The company uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription service rather than relying on a watch plan tied to your mobile provider, like other smartwatches. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-capable products, emergency communication is not included for free.
Rather, plans start at £7.99 or similar a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and voice messaging, calls and LiveTrack location sharing – so your friends or family can keep an eye on you while out jogging, cycling or similar activities – plus emergency orbital SOS alerts.
Location updates and messages over satellite are then charged additionally, with higher-tier subscriptions including different allowances of satellite use, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited plan. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can test out the functionality.
Once you have got it set up, you just head out outside minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or similar activities, but you can place and receive calls, dispatch texts and generally stay connected with your relatives and companions.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a random number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate reciprocally using typed or spoken communications, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin account to use the Messenger application, just a phone number is sufficient to register for texts.
Messaging on the watch functions adequately but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a set of customisable canned replies you can use to speed things up. Voice messages and calls work acceptably, although as with most wearables, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for lengthy conversations as the audio clarity is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can configure to automatically transmit a URL to chosen contacts whenever you start an exercise, so they can follow your real time location on a map. It’s great for following race performance, but it primarily acts as a utility for someone you rely on to know your location in case an incident occurs. It has typically functioned well, though the real location has sometimes been delayed when transitioning in and out of strong LTE coverage.
All of these capabilities are accessible on other Garmin devices if you bring your phone with you, but in locations where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, position updates and emergency SOS.
A guide shows you how to find the clear view to the orbital system, which then transmits and gets messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly straightforward to use and could be a crucial safety feature, though it is essential to remember that orbital coverage is limited to the US mainland, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees latitude.
Sustainability
The watch is generally serviceable with options offered through the support portal. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any reused materials. Garmin offers recycling schemes on new 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 subscription plans cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
The Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite communication, check-in and emergency SOS for when you’re without coverage.
The result is an even more impressive adventure tool for those that want to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone keep an eye on you remotely while exercising out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin accomplishes this without needing additional gear.
This is quite liberating to be outside without a phone, but that capability carries quite a price, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach service to provide the service. At least it isn’t dependent on your phone carrier so functions with any make of smartphone and carrier.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a killer gadget for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when jogging, cycling or hiking, but still desires to be locatable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a significant money when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Advantages: LTE and satellite communication, high-luminance OLED display, monitors everything with premier GPS, integrated flashlight, voice and offline commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, buttons and touchscreen.
Cons: very expensive, LTE and orbital features require ongoing subscription, limited Garmin Pay bank compatibility, speech capabilities are slow, limited smartwatch functionality compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
