This most recent version of the flagship Fenix outdoor watch introduces a life-saving capability: phone-free messaging and emergency messaging using 4G LTE or orbital connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the already impressive Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge mobile tech, along with an available state-of-the-art microLED screen in a limited edition. This is Garmin's premier model and designed to be the single tool required to venture almost any location and monitor all your movements.
That positions it as an very pricey proposition, starting at £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 variant with microLED screen – almost double the price of the standard Fenix 8.
Users get a significant features for your investment, with industry-leading fitness, activity and adventure tracking. Its complete offline mapping of the globe can automatically guide you back to the trail if you lose your way absent a phone, and look excellent on the sizable, crisp and high-luminance touchscreen.
The Fenix 8 Pro is only available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting 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 smartwatch battery life even with the screen on all the time, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charging.
No-Phone Messaging, Calling and Real-Time Location
The company operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service service rather than relying on a watch plan tied to your mobile carrier, like other wearables. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-capable devices, emergency communication is not provided for free.
Instead, subscriptions start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE text and voice messages, call functionality and LiveTrack location tracking – so your contacts or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in running, biking or similar pursuits – along with emergency orbital SOS messaging.
Check-ins and messages over orbital are then charged additionally, with higher-tier plans offering different quotas of orbital use, climbing to a £50 a month all-inclusive plan. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can evaluate the functionality.
Once you have completed setup, you simply venture outside without your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or similar activities, but you are able to make and take calls, send texts and generally stay connected with your family and friends.
When you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can respond to back to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message back and forth via text or spoken messages, and initiate voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin account to use the Messenger app, only a phone number is enough to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch works adequately but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It includes a collection of personalizable pre-set responses you can send to expedite communication. Spoken recordings and calls perform OK, although as with the majority of wearables, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for extended discussions as the quality is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can configure to automatically transmit a link to selected contacts whenever you begin an activity, so they can track your real time position on a map. It’s great for monitoring race progress, but it primarily serves as a tool for someone you rely on to be aware of your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has typically worked effectively, although the actual position has occasionally lagged when transitioning in and out of strong LTE coverage.
These capabilities are available on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in areas where LTE does not reach, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location updates and SOS SOS.
A guide shows you how to locate the line of sight to the satellite, which then sends and receives communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly straightforward to use and could be a vital safety feature, though it is essential to remember that satellite service is restricted to the US mainland, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is generally serviceable with services offered via the support site. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any recycled materials. Garmin provides recycling programs on recent purchases.
Cost
The Fenix 8 Pro is priced 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).
Verdict
The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic outdoor watch in the standard Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, call functionality and LiveTrack – along with satellite messaging, check-in and SOS SOS for when you’re without coverage.
The result is an even more remarkable outdoor device for those that desire to be unplugged. If you want to have someone keep an eye on you remotely while exercising after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without needing anything else.
It is very freeing to be outside without a phone, but that functionality comes at quite a cost, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach plan to enable the features. Fortunately it isn’t reliant on your phone carrier so works with all make of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer device for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or trekking, but still desires to be locatable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a significant money when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Advantages: LTE and satellite communication, super-bright OLED display, monitors everything with best-in-class GPS, integrated torch, phone and offline voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre diving, buttons and touch.
Drawbacks: extremely costly, LTE and orbital features need ongoing subscription, restricted Garmin Pay bank support, speech capabilities are slow, basic smartwatch features compared with competing watches.
