The newest model of Garmin's premium Fenix adventure watch brings a potentially lifesaving feature: phone-free messaging and SOS messaging using 4G LTE or satellite connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by adding new mobile tech, along with an optional state-of-the-art microLED display in a limited edition. This is the brand's top model and engineered to be the single tool needed to venture almost anywhere and monitor every activity.
This positions it as an extremely pricey proposition, starting at £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 display – nearly twice the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a lot of features for your money, with best-in-class fitness, activity and adventure monitoring. 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 excellent on the sizable, sharp and high-luminance display.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the more compact 43mm version available in other models, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED version as reviewed boasts an additional day of smartwatch battery life even with the screen on all the time, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Texting, Calling and Real-Time Location
Garmin uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service plan instead of depending on a watch plan tied to your phone carrier, as with other smartwatches. But in contrast to competing satellite-enabled devices, SOS messaging is not included for no cost.
Rather, plans begin from £7.99 or similar a month, which provides unlimited LTE text and audio messaging, calls and LiveTrack location tracking – so your friends or loved ones can monitor you while engaged in jogging, biking or similar activities – plus SOS satellite SOS alerts.
Location updates and messages via satellite are then charged on top, with more expensive plans offering various allowances of satellite usage, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day trial period so you can evaluate the service.
Once you have completed setup, you just venture outside without your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You cannot use it for playing music or comparable tasks, but you can make and take calls, dispatch texts and overall keep in touch with your family and companions.
When you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a random number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger app, you can then message back and forth via typed or voice messages, and make voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, just a phone number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Messaging on the watch functions fine but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It includes a set of personalizable canned responses you can use to expedite communication. Spoken recordings and calls work OK, although as with most smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for extended discussions as the audio clarity is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can configure to on its own send a link to selected contacts every time you start an exercise, so they can track your real time position on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring race performance, but it primarily serves as a utility for someone you trust to be aware of your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has generally worked effectively, although the actual location has occasionally lagged when transitioning in and out of good LTE coverage.
All of these features 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, location check-ins and emergency 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 vital safety feature, though it is important to note that satellite service is limited to the US mainland, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is generally repairable with services available through the customer service portal. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its original power after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any reused components. Garmin provides recycling schemes on recent purchases.
Price
This Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach subscription packages cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with orbital messaging, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re out of signal.
Outcome is an even more impressive outdoor tool for those that desire to be unplugged. If you want to have someone keep an eye on you from afar while exercising after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without needing additional gear.
It is quite liberating to be outside without a phone, but that capability comes at quite a price, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach service to enable the features. At least it is not reliant on your phone carrier so works with all make of smartphone and network.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who dislikes being burdened by their phone when jogging, cycling or trekking, but nevertheless desires to be trackable and contactable. For other users, it is a significant expense when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and satellite communication, high-luminance OLED screen, monitors all activities with premier GPS, integrated torch, phone and offline voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, full offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre diving, physical controls and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: extremely costly, LTE and satellite features need ongoing subscription, limited Garmin Pay financial compatibility, voice capabilities are slow, limited smartwatch features compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
