This latest iteration of Garmin's premium Fenix outdoor watch includes a life-saving capability: phone-free messaging and SOS alerts using 4G LTE or satellite connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the already impressive Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge mobile tech, along with an available advanced microLED screen in a special edition. This is the brand's top model and engineered to be the single gadget required to venture virtually anywhere and monitor all your movements.
This makes it an very 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 edition with microLED screen – almost double the price of the regular Fenix 8.
You do get a lot of features for your investment, with industry-leading fitness, movement and outdoor monitoring. The full offline mapping of the world can seamlessly guide you return to the trail if you lose your way absent a phone, and appear great on the sizable, sharp and super-bright touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is only available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the more compact 43mm version found in other models, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as reviewed does have an extra day of smartwatch battery life even with the screen on all the time, enduring a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Messaging, Calls and Live Tracking
Garmin operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service plan instead of relying on a watch plan tied to your mobile provider, as with other wearables. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-capable products, emergency communication is not included for no cost.
Instead, subscriptions begin from £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE text and audio messaging, calls and LiveTrack position tracking – so your friends or loved ones can monitor you while engaged in jogging, cycling or similar pursuits – plus emergency orbital SOS messaging.
Location updates and messages via satellite are then charged on top, with higher-tier subscriptions including different quotas of satellite usage, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can test out the service.
After you have completed setup, you just venture the door without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for playing music or similar activities, but you can make and take calls, send texts and generally keep in touch with your relatives and companions.
Whenever you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can respond to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message back and forth using typed or spoken communications, and make voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, just a mobile number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch works fine but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a set of customisable canned responses you can use to speed things up. Voice recordings and calls work acceptably, though as with most smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for extended conversations as the quality is less than fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can set it up to automatically send a URL to selected contacts every time you start an exercise, so they can follow your live position on a map. It’s great 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 generally functioned well, although the actual position has sometimes been delayed when moving in and out of good LTE signal.
All of these features are accessible on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in areas where LTE does not reach, the satellite activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location updates and emergency SOS.
A guide displays you how to locate the clear view to the satellite, which then transmits and gets messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly straightforward to use and could be a vital safety feature, though it is important to note that satellite service is restricted to the US continent, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically repairable with options available through the support portal. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any recycled materials. Garmin provides disposal schemes on recent purchases.
Cost
This Fenix 8 Pro is priced 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 takes a fantastic adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – plus orbital messaging, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re out of coverage.
The result is an increasingly remarkable outdoor tool for those that desire to be phone-free. 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 does so without requiring additional gear.
It is quite freeing to be outdoors without a phone, but that capability comes at quite a price, both in terms of the substantial price of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach plan to enable the features. At least it isn’t reliant on your phone provider so functions with all make of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer device for someone who dislikes being burdened by their phone when running, cycling or hiking, but still desires to be locatable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a significant expense when the superb Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and orbital messaging, super-bright OLED display, tracks all activities with best-in-class GPS, integrated torch, phone and offline voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touchscreen.
Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and satellite functions require ongoing subscription, limited Garmin Pay financial support, voice capabilities are slow, limited wearable functionality versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
