The newest model of the premium Fenix outdoor timepiece includes a potentially lifesaving capability: phone-free messaging and SOS messaging using 4G LTE or orbital links.
This Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the already impressive 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 designed to be the only tool required to explore almost anywhere and track 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 reaching a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED screen – almost double the price of the standard Fenix 8.
You do get a significant features for your money, with industry-leading fitness, movement and outdoor tracking. Its complete offline maps of the world can automatically guide you back to the path if you get lost absent a phone, and appear great on the sizable, sharp and high-luminance display.
The Fenix 8 Pro is only offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, omitting the more compact 43mm size found in other models, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as reviewed boasts an additional day of smartwatch battery life even with the screen always active, enduring a reliable eight to nine days between charging.
No-Phone Messaging, Calls and Real-Time Location
Garmin operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital subscription plan rather than relying on a watch plan linked to your phone provider, as with other smartwatches. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled devices, emergency communication is not provided for no cost.
Rather, subscriptions start at £7.99 or similar a month, which provides unlimited LTE text and audio messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack location tracking – so your friends or family can monitor you while engaged in jogging, cycling or comparable pursuits – along with emergency satellite SOS messaging.
Location updates and messages via satellite are then billed on top, with higher-tier subscriptions including different allowances of orbital use, climbing 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 got it set up, you simply head out outside minus your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You can not use it for playing music or comparable tasks, but you can make and take calls, send texts and generally stay connected with your relatives and friends.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a random phone number, which they can respond to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate reciprocally using text or voice messages, and make voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, only a phone number is sufficient to register for texts.
Texting on the watch functions adequately but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It includes a collection of customisable pre-set responses you can send to speed things up. Spoken recordings and calls perform OK, though as with the majority of wearables, you’re not going to want to use it for extended conversations as the quality is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can set it up to on its own send a URL to selected contacts whenever you start an exercise, so they can follow your real time location on a map. It’s great for monitoring competition performance, but it primarily serves as a tool for someone you rely on to know your location in case an incident occurs. It has generally functioned well, though the actual position has sometimes been delayed when transitioning in and out of good LTE signal.
All of these features are available on other Garmin devices if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, location updates and emergency SOS.
A guide shows you how to find the clear view to the satellite, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a vital safety feature, though it is important to note that orbital service is limited to the US continent, most 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 site. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of regular charging. The watch does not contain any recycled materials. Garmin provides recycling schemes on new purchases.
Price
This Fenix 8 Pro costs 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 takes a excellent outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – along with orbital messaging, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re without signal.
Outcome is an increasingly remarkable outdoor tool for those that want to be unplugged. If you want to have someone keep an eye on you from afar while running after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin accomplishes this without requiring anything else.
It is quite freeing to be outside without a phone, but that capability carries a significant price, both in terms of the substantial cost of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach service to enable the service. Fortunately it isn’t dependent on your phone carrier so functions with all make of smartphone and carrier.
The 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 superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and orbital messaging, high-luminance OLED screen, monitors all activities with best-in-class GPS, integrated flashlight, voice and offline voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touchscreen.
Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and orbital functions require monthly payment, limited Garmin Pay bank support, speech features are slow, basic wearable features versus competing watches.
