This newest version of the top-tier Fenix adventure watch brings a potentially lifesaving feature: no-phone messaging and emergency messaging using 4G LTE or orbital connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by adding new mobile tech, along with an optional state-of-the-art microLED screen in a limited edition. It is the brand's top model and designed to be the single tool required to explore virtually anywhere and track all your movements.
This makes it an extremely expensive proposition, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and climbing to a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED screen – nearly twice the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a significant features for your money, with best-in-class workout, activity and outdoor monitoring. The full offline maps of the world can seamlessly guide you return to the trail if you get lost without a phone, and appear great on the sizable, sharp and high-luminance display.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the smaller 43mm size available in other models, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. But the 47mm OLED model as reviewed does have an additional day of smartwatch battery life despite the screen on all the time, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charging.
Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Real-Time Location
Garmin operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your phone provider, as with other smartwatches. But in contrast to competing satellite-capable devices, SOS messaging is not provided for no cost.
Rather, subscriptions start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and audio messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack position tracking – so your friends or family can keep an eye on you while out running, cycling or comparable activities – along with emergency orbital SOS alerts.
Location updates and texts via satellite are then charged additionally, with higher-tier subscriptions including various quotas of orbital use, climbing to a £50 a month all-inclusive plan. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can test out the functionality.
After you have completed setup, you just head out outside without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or similar tasks, but you are able to make and take calls, dispatch texts and generally keep in touch with your relatives and companions.
Whenever you message someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can respond to back to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate back and forth using text or voice messages, and make voice calls. Your contact is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, only a phone number is sufficient to register for texts.
Messaging on the watch functions fine but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a set of personalizable pre-set responses you can use to speed things up. Voice messages and calls perform acceptably, though as with the majority of wearables, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for extended conversations as the quality is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the handiest function. You can configure to on its own send a URL to selected contacts every time you begin an activity, so they can follow your live location on a map. It’s great for monitoring race performance, but it primarily acts as a utility for someone you trust to know your whereabouts in case something happens. It has generally worked well, although the real location has sometimes been delayed when transitioning in and out of strong LTE signal.
All of these capabilities are accessible on other Garmin devices if you bring 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 updates and emergency SOS.
A on-screen assistance shows you how to locate the line of sight to the orbital system, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly straightforward to use and could be a vital lifeline, though it is essential to remember that orbital coverage is restricted to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is typically repairable with services available via the support site. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of regular charging. The watch lacks any reused materials. Garmin provides recycling programs on recent purchases.
Price
The Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The optional Garmin inReach subscription packages begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
The Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – along with orbital messaging, check-in and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.
The result is an increasingly impressive adventure tool for those that want to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone keep an eye on you remotely while running out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin accomplishes this without needing anything else.
It is quite freeing to be outdoors without a phone, but that capability comes at quite a cost, both in terms of the substantial price of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach plan to provide the service. Fortunately it is not dependent on your phone provider so functions with any make of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer gadget for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when jogging, cycling or hiking, but still wants to be locatable and reachable. For other users, it is a lot of money when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and satellite messaging, high-luminance OLED screen, monitors everything with premier GPS, integrated flashlight, phone and standalone commands, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touch.
Cons: very expensive, LTE and orbital functions require ongoing payment, limited Garmin Pay financial compatibility, speech capabilities are slow, basic smartwatch features compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
