This latest version of Garmin's premium Fenix adventure timepiece introduces a potentially lifesaving capability: no-phone communication and SOS messaging via 4G LTE or satellite connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating new cellular tech, plus an available advanced microLED display in a special edition. This is the brand's premier model and engineered to be the only tool needed to explore virtually any location and monitor all your movements.
This positions it as an very pricey 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 edition with microLED screen – almost double the cost of the standard Fenix 8.
Users receive a lot of features for your investment, with best-in-class workout, movement and adventure tracking. Its full offline mapping of the globe can automatically direct you return to the path if you lose your way absent a phone, and look great on the large, crisp and super-bright display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the more compact 43mm size found in other devices, so it is a large watch for larger wrists. But the 47mm OLED model as tested does have an extra day of smartwatch battery life despite the screen always active, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Messaging, Calls and Real-Time Location
The company operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital subscription plan instead of depending on a watch plan tied to your phone carrier, like other smartwatches. However unlike competing satellite-enabled devices, SOS communication is not provided for no cost.
Instead, subscriptions start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes unlimited LTE text and voice messages, call functionality and LiveTrack location sharing – so your contacts or family can keep an eye on you while engaged in jogging, biking or comparable pursuits – along with SOS satellite SOS messaging.
Check-ins and texts over satellite are then charged additionally, with higher-tier plans including different quotas of satellite use, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive plan. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the service.
Once you have got it set up, you just venture outside without your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or comparable tasks, but you are able to make and take calls, dispatch texts and generally stay connected with your relatives and companions.
When you message someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a random number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate back and forth via text or voice messages, and initiate voice calls. Your contact is not required to have a Garmin account to use the Messenger app, only a mobile number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch functions adequately but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a set of personalizable canned replies you can send to speed things up. Spoken recordings and calls work acceptably, though as with most smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for extended discussions as the quality is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can configure to automatically send a URL to chosen contacts every time you begin an exercise, so they can track your live position on a map. It’s great for monitoring race progress, but it primarily acts as a tool for someone you rely on to know your location in case an incident occurs. It has generally functioned well, although the real location has sometimes been delayed when moving in and out of good LTE coverage.
These capabilities are accessible on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the satellite activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, position check-ins and emergency SOS.
A on-screen assistance displays you how to locate the line of sight to the orbital system, which then sends and receives communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a crucial lifeline, however it is important to note that satellite coverage is restricted to the US continent, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is generally repairable with options available via the customer service portal. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any reused components. Garmin provides disposal programs on new purchases.
Price
This Fenix 8 Pro is priced from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The optional Garmin inReach service plans begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic adventure watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite messaging, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re out of coverage.
Outcome is an even more remarkable adventure tool for those that desire to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone keep an eye on you remotely while exercising after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.
This is quite liberating to be outside without a phone, but that capability comes at a significant cost, both in terms of the substantial price of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach service to provide the service. Fortunately it is not dependent on your phone carrier so functions with any make of smartphone and carrier.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when jogging, biking or trekking, but nevertheless wants to be locatable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a significant money when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and satellite messaging, super-bright OLED display, monitors everything with best-in-class GPS, integrated torch, voice and standalone voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, buttons and touch.
Drawbacks: extremely expensive, LTE and satellite features need monthly subscription, limited Garmin Pay financial support, speech features are slow, limited smartwatch functionality versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
