This most recent model of the top-tier Fenix adventure watch introduces a potentially lifesaving capability: phone-free messaging and SOS alerts using 4G LTE or orbital links.
The Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the already outstanding Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge mobile tech, along with an available advanced microLED display in a limited edition. It is the brand's premier device and engineered to be the single gadget required to explore almost anywhere and monitor all your movements.
This makes it an very pricey proposition, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and climbing to a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED screen – almost twice the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
You do receive a significant functionality for your investment, with industry-leading fitness, movement and adventure tracking. The complete offline maps of the globe can seamlessly direct you back to the path if you lose your way absent a phone, and appear excellent on the large, sharp and high-luminance touchscreen.
The Fenix 8 Pro is only available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the more compact 43mm size found in other models, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as tested boasts an extra day of watch battery life even with the screen always active, enduring a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Real-Time Location
Garmin uses its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service plan instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your mobile provider, as with other wearables. But unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled devices, emergency communication is not included for no cost.
Instead, subscriptions start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes unlimited LTE text and audio messaging, calls and LiveTrack position tracking – so your contacts or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in running, biking or similar pursuits – plus emergency orbital SOS alerts.
Check-ins and texts via orbital are then charged additionally, with more expensive plans offering various quotas of satellite use, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can test out the service.
Once you have completed setup, you just head out outside without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for playing music or similar tasks, but you can place and receive calls, send texts and generally 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 back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate back and forth using text or voice communications, and initiate voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, just a phone number is sufficient to register for texts.
Texting on the watch functions fine but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a set of customisable pre-set responses you can send to expedite communication. Voice recordings and calls work OK, although as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re not going to wish to use it for extended discussions as the quality is not fantastic.
LiveTrack is the handiest feature. You can configure to on its own transmit a URL to selected contacts every time you begin an exercise, so they can follow your real time position on a map. It’s excellent for following race performance, but it mostly serves as a utility for someone you trust to know your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has generally worked well, although the actual position has sometimes lagged when transitioning in and out of good LTE signal.
All of these features are available on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in areas where LTE lacks coverage, the satellite kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, location check-ins and emergency SOS.
A on-screen assistance shows you how to locate the clear view to the orbital system, which then sends and receives communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly straightforward to use and could be a crucial lifeline, however it is important to note that satellite service is restricted to the US continent, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically repairable with services offered via the support site. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its original power after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any reused components. Garmin provides recycling programs on recent purchases.
Price
This Fenix 8 Pro is priced 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
The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent adventure watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – along with orbital communication, check-in and SOS SOS for when you’re out of signal.
Outcome is an increasingly remarkable outdoor tool for those that desire to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone monitor you from afar while exercising out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without needing anything else.
This is very liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality carries quite a cost, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach plan to enable the features. Fortunately it isn’t dependent on your phone provider so functions with any brand of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier gadget for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when jogging, cycling or trekking, but nevertheless wants to be trackable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a significant money when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Pros: LTE and orbital communication, high-luminance OLED display, monitors everything with premier GPS, integrated flashlight, phone and offline commands, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre diving, physical controls and touch.
Cons: extremely costly, LTE and orbital functions require ongoing subscription, limited Garmin Pay financial support, speech capabilities are sluggish, limited wearable features versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
