This latest version of the top-tier Fenix outdoor watch includes a life-saving feature: phone-free communication and SOS alerts using 4G LTE or satellite links.
The Fenix 8 Pro enhances the already impressive Fenix 8 by adding new cellular tech, plus an available advanced microLED display in a special edition. It is the brand's premier model and designed to be the single gadget required to venture virtually any location and track all your movements.
This positions it as an extremely expensive proposition, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and reaching a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED display – almost twice the price of the standard Fenix 8.
You do receive a significant features for your money, with industry-leading workout, activity and adventure monitoring. Its full offline maps of the globe can automatically direct you back to the trail if you get lost absent a phone, and appear excellent on the large, crisp and super-bright touchscreen.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, omitting the smaller 43mm size found in other models, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED model as tested boasts an additional day of watch battery life even with the screen always active, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Texting, Calls and Live Tracking
Garmin operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription plan instead of depending on a watch plan tied to your phone provider, like other smartwatches. However unlike competing satellite-enabled devices, emergency messaging is not provided for no cost.
Instead, subscriptions start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes limitless LTE text and voice messaging, calls and LiveTrack location sharing – so your contacts or loved ones can monitor you while engaged in jogging, biking or similar pursuits – along with SOS orbital SOS alerts.
Location updates and texts via orbital are then charged additionally, with higher-tier subscriptions including various quotas of orbital usage, climbing to a £50 a month unlimited plan. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can test out the service.
Once you have completed setup, you just venture outside without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or comparable tasks, but you can place and receive calls, send texts and generally stay connected with your family and companions.
When 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 reciprocally via text or spoken communications, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, only a phone number is enough to sign up for texts.
Messaging on the watch works fine but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It includes a set of customisable canned responses you can send to speed things up. Spoken recordings and calls work OK, though as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re not going to want to use it for extended discussions as the quality is less than fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can configure to automatically transmit a link to selected contacts every time you start an exercise, so they can track your real time position on a map. It’s great for monitoring race performance, but it mostly serves as a tool for someone you trust to know your location in case something happens. It has typically worked well, though the real position has sometimes lagged when moving in and out of good LTE coverage.
All of these capabilities are accessible on other Garmin devices if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE lacks coverage, the satellite activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, position updates and SOS SOS.
A guide displays you how to find the clear view to the satellite, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly easy to use and could be a crucial lifeline, however it is essential to remember that satellite service is limited to the US mainland, most of Canada, and most of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is typically repairable with options offered via the support portal. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of regular charging. The watch lacks any recycled materials. Garmin provides recycling schemes on new purchases.
Cost
This Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The optional Garmin inReach subscription plans cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus satellite messaging, check-in and emergency SOS for when you’re without coverage.
The result is an even more impressive adventure tool for those that want to be phone-free. If you want to have someone keep an eye on you from afar while running out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin accomplishes this without requiring additional gear.
It is very liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that capability carries quite a price, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach plan to enable the service. Fortunately it is not dependent 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 hates being burdened by their phone when jogging, biking or trekking, but still 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 communication, super-bright OLED screen, tracks all activities with premier GPS, integrated torch, phone and offline commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, buttons and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: extremely costly, LTE and orbital features require monthly payment, restricted Garmin Pay financial compatibility, speech features are sluggish, limited smartwatch functionality compared with competing watches.
