This newest version of Garmin's flagship Fenix adventure watch brings a life-saving feature: no-phone communication and SOS alerts via 4G LTE or orbital links.
The Fenix 8 Pro enhances the already impressive Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge mobile tech, along with an available state-of-the-art microLED display in a limited edition. It is the brand's premier device and designed to be the only tool needed to explore almost any location 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 model and reaching a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED display – nearly twice the cost of the standard Fenix 8.
You do receive a lot of features for your investment, with best-in-class fitness, movement and outdoor tracking. Its complete offline maps of the globe can automatically guide you back to the path if you get lost without a phone, and look great on the large, sharp and high-luminance display.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the smaller 43mm version found in other devices, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as tested does have an additional day of watch battery life even with the screen on all the time, enduring a reliable eight to nine days between charging.
No-Phone Texting, Calling and Real-Time Location
The company operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital subscription plan rather than depending on a watch plan tied to your phone carrier, like other wearables. But unlike Apple or Google's satellite-capable products, SOS messaging is not provided for free.
Instead, subscriptions start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and audio messages, call functionality and LiveTrack position tracking – so your contacts or family can monitor you while engaged in jogging, cycling or similar pursuits – plus emergency orbital SOS alerts.
Location updates and texts over orbital are then billed additionally, with more expensive subscriptions including different allowances of orbital usage, climbing to a £50 a month unlimited 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 minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for playing music or similar tasks, but you are able to make and take calls, send texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and friends.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a random phone number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger app, you can then message reciprocally using typed or spoken messages, and initiate voice calls. Your contact is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, only a mobile number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch works adequately but typing out texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a set of personalizable pre-set replies you can use to expedite communication. Voice messages and calls perform acceptably, though as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re not going to want to use it for lengthy discussions as the audio clarity is less than fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can set it up to automatically send a URL to chosen contacts whenever you begin an activity, so they can follow your live position on a map. It’s excellent for following competition progress, but it mostly acts as a tool for someone you trust to know your whereabouts in case something happens. It has typically worked well, though the real location has occasionally lagged when moving in and out of strong LTE coverage.
These capabilities are available 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 transmit texts, position check-ins and SOS SOS.
A guide displays 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 unexpectedly straightforward to use and could be a crucial lifeline, however it is important to remember that satellite service is restricted to the US continent, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is generally repairable with services available via the customer service portal. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any reused materials. Garmin offers recycling programs on new purchases.
Cost
This Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The optional Garmin inReach subscription packages cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – plus satellite messaging, check-in and SOS SOS for when you’re without signal.
The result is an increasingly impressive outdoor tool for those that desire to be unplugged. If you want to have someone monitor you remotely while running after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without needing anything else.
This is very freeing 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 recurring subscription of the inReach plan to enable the service. Fortunately it isn’t dependent on your phone carrier so works with all make of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a killer gadget for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when jogging, cycling or trekking, but nevertheless wants to be locatable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a lot of money when the superb Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and orbital messaging, super-bright OLED display, monitors all activities with best-in-class GPS, built-in flashlight, phone and offline voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touch.
Drawbacks: very expensive, LTE and satellite features need monthly payment, restricted Garmin Pay financial compatibility, voice capabilities are slow, limited wearable features versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
