This latest model of the top-tier Fenix adventure timepiece brings a potentially lifesaving capability: no-phone communication and emergency messaging via 4G LTE or satellite links.
This Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the previously impressive Fenix 8 by incorporating new mobile technology, along with an optional state-of-the-art microLED display in a special edition. It is the brand's premier model and designed to be the single gadget required to explore almost any location and track all your movements.
This makes it an extremely pricey 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 variant with microLED display – almost double the price of the regular Fenix 8.
Users receive a significant functionality for your money, with industry-leading workout, movement and adventure tracking. The full offline mapping of the globe can automatically guide you back to the path if you lose your way absent a phone, and look excellent on the large, sharp and super-bright display.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, omitting the more compact 43mm version found in other devices, so it is a large watch for larger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as tested boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life despite the display on all the time, enduring a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Real-Time Location
The company uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription plan instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your mobile carrier, like other smartwatches. However in contrast to Apple or Google's satellite-capable devices, emergency messaging is not included for no cost.
Rather, plans begin from £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE text and audio messages, calls and LiveTrack position tracking – so your friends or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in running, cycling or comparable pursuits – along with SOS orbital SOS alerts.
Check-ins and texts over satellite are then charged additionally, with more expensive subscriptions offering various quotas of orbital usage, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can test out the functionality.
Once you have completed setup, you simply head out 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 make and take calls, send texts and generally keep in touch with your family and friends.
When you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can respond to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger app, you can then message back and forth using typed or spoken communications, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, only a phone number is enough to sign up for texts.
Messaging on the watch functions adequately but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a set of personalizable pre-set replies you can send to speed things up. Voice messages and calls perform OK, though 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 fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can set it up to automatically send a link to chosen contacts every time you begin an activity, so they can follow your real time position on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring race progress, but it mostly serves as a tool for someone you rely on to know your whereabouts in case something happens. It has typically worked well, though the real position has sometimes lagged when moving in and out of strong LTE signal.
These capabilities are available on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in areas where LTE does not reach, the satellite activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, position check-ins and emergency SOS.
A guide shows you how to locate the clear view to the satellite, which then transmits and gets messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a vital safety feature, however it is essential to remember that satellite coverage is limited to the US continent, most of Canada, and most of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees latitude.
Sustainability
The watch is typically serviceable with services offered via the customer service site. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its initial power 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 subscription plans cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
The Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic adventure watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – plus satellite messaging, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re out of signal.
Outcome is an even more impressive outdoor tool for those that want to be phone-free. If you want to have someone monitor you from afar while exercising after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without needing additional gear.
It is quite liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality carries a significant price, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach plan to provide the features. At least it isn’t dependent on your phone carrier so works with all make 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, biking or hiking, but still wants to be trackable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a lot of expense when the superb Fenix 8 already exists.
Pros: LTE and satellite communication, super-bright OLED screen, tracks everything with premier GPS, built-in flashlight, phone and standalone commands, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, buttons and touch.
Cons: very costly, LTE and satellite features need monthly payment, restricted Garmin Pay bank compatibility, speech capabilities are slow, basic wearable features compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
