This latest iteration of Garmin's top-tier Fenix adventure timepiece brings a life-saving capability: no-phone communication and emergency alerts using 4G LTE or orbital connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already impressive Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge mobile tech, plus an available advanced microLED screen in a limited edition. It is the brand's premier device and designed to be the single tool needed to explore almost anywhere and track all your movements.
This positions it as an very expensive option, priced from £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 regular Fenix 8.
Users get a lot of functionality for your investment, with best-in-class fitness, movement and outdoor monitoring. The full offline maps of the world can seamlessly guide you back to the trail if you get lost without a phone, and appear excellent on the sizable, crisp and high-luminance touchscreen.
The Fenix 8 Pro is only available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the smaller 43mm size available in other models, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as reviewed boasts an additional day of smartwatch battery life even with the screen on all the time, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charging.
Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Live Tracking
The company operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription plan instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your phone carrier, as with other wearables. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-capable devices, SOS messaging is not included for no cost.
Instead, plans begin from £7.99 or similar a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and voice messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack position sharing – so your friends or family can monitor you while out running, biking or comparable pursuits – along with SOS satellite SOS alerts.
Location updates and messages over orbital are then billed additionally, with higher-tier plans including various allowances of orbital use, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can test out the service.
After you have completed setup, you just venture the door minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or comparable activities, but you can place and receive calls, dispatch texts and generally keep in touch with your family 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 voice communications, and initiate voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, only a mobile number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch functions fine but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a collection of customisable pre-set responses you can use to expedite communication. Voice recordings and calls perform OK, though as with most wearables, you’re not going to want to use it for extended conversations as the quality is less than fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can configure to on its own send a link to selected contacts every time you start an activity, so they can follow your real time position on a map. It’s excellent for following competition progress, but it mostly acts as a tool for someone you rely on to know your whereabouts in case something happens. It has typically worked well, though the actual location has sometimes been delayed when transitioning in and out of good LTE coverage.
All of these capabilities are accessible 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, location updates and SOS SOS.
A guide shows you how to find the clear view to the satellite, which then transmits and gets messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly straightforward to use and could be a crucial lifeline, however it is essential to remember that orbital service is limited to the US continent, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia above 65 degrees latitude.
Environmental Impact
The watch is generally serviceable with options offered via the customer service portal. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its initial power after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any reused components. Garmin provides recycling programs on new purchases.
Price
The Fenix 8 Pro is priced from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach service plans cost 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, check-in and SOS SOS for when you’re without coverage.
The result is an even more impressive adventure tool for those that desire to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone monitor you remotely while running out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.
This is quite freeing to be outside without a phone, but that capability carries a significant cost, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach service to enable the service. Fortunately it is not reliant on your phone carrier so works with all brand of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when jogging, biking or trekking, but still wants to be locatable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a lot of money when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Advantages: LTE and satellite messaging, high-luminance OLED screen, monitors everything with premier GPS, built-in torch, phone and offline commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete 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 monthly payment, restricted Garmin Pay bank support, speech capabilities are slow, basic wearable features compared with competing watches.
