The latest iteration of Garmin's flagship Fenix adventure timepiece includes a life-saving capability: no-phone messaging and SOS alerts via 4G LTE or orbital links.
This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the previously impressive Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge cellular technology, along with an available advanced microLED screen in a limited edition. This is the brand's top device and engineered to be the only tool needed to venture almost anywhere and monitor all your movements.
This makes it an extremely pricey option, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and reaching a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED display – nearly twice the price of the standard Fenix 8.
Users receive a significant functionality for your investment, with best-in-class workout, activity and adventure monitoring. The full offline maps of the world can seamlessly direct you return to the trail if you lose your way without a phone, and look excellent on the large, crisp and super-bright touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is only available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the more compact 43mm version found in other models, so it is a large watch for larger wrists. But the 47mm OLED model as tested boasts an extra day of watch battery life even with the display on all the time, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Real-Time Location
The company uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service instead of depending on a watch plan tied to your phone provider, like other smartwatches. But in contrast to Apple or Google's satellite-capable products, emergency communication is not provided for free.
Rather, plans start at £7.99 or similar a month, which includes limitless LTE SMS and voice messages, calls and LiveTrack location sharing – so your contacts or loved ones can monitor you while engaged in jogging, biking or comparable activities – along with SOS orbital SOS messaging.
Check-ins and texts via satellite are then billed on top, with more expensive plans offering different allowances of orbital usage, climbing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the service.
Once you have completed setup, you simply head out outside minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or similar tasks, but you can make and take calls, dispatch texts and overall stay connected with your relatives and companions.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message back and forth using text or voice messages, and make voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, only a mobile number is sufficient to register for texts.
Texting on the watch functions adequately but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It includes a set of customisable canned replies you can send to expedite communication. Voice messages and calls perform OK, although as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for lengthy conversations as the audio clarity is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the handiest feature. You can set it up to on its own send a URL to chosen contacts whenever you begin an activity, so they can track your real time position on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring competition performance, but it primarily acts as a tool for someone you trust to know your location in case an incident occurs. It has typically worked effectively, though the real location has sometimes been delayed when moving in and out of good LTE coverage.
All of these features are accessible on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location check-ins and SOS SOS.
A on-screen assistance shows you how to find the line of sight to the satellite, which then sends and receives messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly easy to use and could be a vital lifeline, though it is essential to note that orbital service is restricted to the US mainland, the majority of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees latitude.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically serviceable with services available through the support portal. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any recycled materials. Garmin offers disposal programs on recent purchases.
Cost
This Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach service packages cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with orbital communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re out of coverage.
Outcome is an increasingly remarkable adventure device for those that desire to be unplugged. 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 needing anything else.
This is quite freeing to be outside without a phone, but that capability comes at quite a cost, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach plan to enable the features. At least it isn’t reliant on your phone provider so functions with any brand of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a killer device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or hiking, but still desires to be locatable and reachable. For other users, it is a lot of expense when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and satellite messaging, super-bright OLED display, tracks everything with premier GPS, built-in torch, voice and offline commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touch.
Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and orbital features need monthly subscription, restricted Garmin Pay bank support, speech capabilities are sluggish, limited smartwatch functionality versus competing watches.
