The newest version of Garmin's flagship Fenix outdoor watch includes a life-saving feature: phone-free messaging and emergency alerts via 4G LTE or orbital links.
The Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge mobile technology, along with an optional advanced microLED display in a special edition. This is Garmin's top device and engineered to be the single gadget required to venture almost any location and track every activity.
This positions it as an very pricey option, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and reaching a colossal £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 get a lot of features for your money, with industry-leading workout, activity and outdoor tracking. The full offline maps of the globe can automatically guide you return to the trail if you get lost without a phone, and look great on the large, sharp and high-luminance display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the more compact 43mm version found in other devices, so it is a large watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED version as reviewed boasts an extra day of watch battery life despite the screen always active, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charging.
Phone-Free Messaging, Calls and Live Tracking
The company uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service plan instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your phone carrier, as with other wearables. But unlike competing satellite-enabled products, SOS communication is not included for no cost.
Instead, plans start at £7.99 or similar a month, which includes limitless LTE text and voice messaging, calls and LiveTrack position tracking – so your friends or family can monitor you while out running, biking or similar pursuits – plus SOS orbital SOS messaging.
Check-ins and messages over orbital are then billed additionally, with more expensive subscriptions including various allowances of satellite usage, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can test out 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 activities, but you are able to place and receive calls, dispatch texts and overall stay connected with your relatives and companions.
Whenever you message someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can respond to back to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate back and forth via 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 phone number is sufficient 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 collection of personalizable canned responses you can send to expedite communication. Voice recordings and calls work OK, although as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for lengthy discussions as the audio clarity is not fantastic.
LiveTrack is the handiest feature. You can configure to on its own send a link to selected contacts whenever you start an activity, so they can track your live location on a map. It’s great for monitoring competition progress, but it mostly acts as a tool for someone you trust to know your whereabouts in case something happens. It has generally worked effectively, although the actual position has sometimes lagged when transitioning in and out of strong LTE signal.
All of these capabilities are available on other Garmin devices 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 send texts, location check-ins and SOS SOS.
A guide shows you how to locate the clear view to the orbital system, which then transmits and gets messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly easy to use and could be a vital safety feature, though it is important to note that satellite service is limited to the US mainland, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is typically serviceable with options available through the customer service site. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any reused components. Garmin provides recycling schemes on new purchases.
Price
This Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach service plans cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, call functionality and LiveTrack – along with orbital communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re out of signal.
Outcome is an increasingly remarkable adventure device for those that want to be phone-free. If you want to have someone keep an eye on you remotely while running out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without needing anything else.
This is quite liberating to be outside without a phone, but that functionality comes at quite a cost, both in terms of the substantial cost of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach plan to enable the features. Fortunately it isn’t reliant on your phone carrier so functions with all make of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who dislikes being burdened by their phone when running, biking or hiking, but still desires to be locatable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a significant expense when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, high-luminance OLED display, monitors everything with premier GPS, built-in torch, voice and offline commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, buttons and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: extremely costly, LTE and satellite features need monthly subscription, restricted Garmin Pay financial support, voice features are sluggish, basic smartwatch features compared with competing watches.
