The newest iteration of Garmin's premium Fenix outdoor watch includes a life-saving feature: phone-free communication and emergency messaging via 4G LTE or orbital links.
The Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already impressive Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge mobile tech, along with an available state-of-the-art microLED screen in a special edition. It is Garmin's top device and designed to be the single gadget required to venture almost any location and track all your movements.
This makes it an extremely pricey option, 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 screen – nearly twice the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a significant functionality for your investment, with best-in-class fitness, movement and adventure monitoring. The complete offline maps of the globe can automatically guide you back to the path if you get lost 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 smaller 43mm size available in other models, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED version as tested does have an additional day of watch battery life despite the display on all the time, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Texting, Calling and Real-Time Location
The company uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service service rather than depending on a watch plan tied to your mobile carrier, as with other smartwatches. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled products, SOS communication is not included for free.
Instead, plans start at £7.99 or similar a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and audio messages, call functionality and LiveTrack position sharing – so your contacts or family can monitor you while engaged in jogging, biking or comparable pursuits – along with SOS orbital SOS messaging.
Check-ins and texts over satellite are then billed additionally, with more expensive subscriptions 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.
After you have completed setup, you just head out outside without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for playing music or comparable tasks, but you are able to make and take calls, send texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and friends.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can respond to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message reciprocally via typed or spoken communications, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin account to use the Messenger application, only a mobile number is enough to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch functions fine but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a collection of customisable pre-set responses you can send to speed things up. Spoken recordings and calls work OK, though as with most smartwatches, you’re not going to wish to use it for lengthy conversations as the quality is less than fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can configure to automatically send a link to selected contacts every time you start an exercise, so they can follow your live position on a map. It’s great for monitoring race progress, but it mostly acts as a utility for someone you rely on to know your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has typically worked well, although the actual location has occasionally lagged when transitioning in and out of good LTE signal.
All of these capabilities are accessible on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in areas where LTE does not reach, the satellite activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, location updates and emergency SOS.
A on-screen assistance shows you how to locate the clear view to the satellite, which then transmits and gets messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly straightforward to use and could be a vital lifeline, though it is important to note that satellite coverage is limited to the US mainland, the majority of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is generally serviceable with services offered via the support portal. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any recycled materials. Garmin offers recycling schemes 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 subscription plans begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus orbital communication, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re out of coverage.
The result is an even more impressive adventure tool for those that want to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone monitor you from afar while running out at night or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without requiring additional gear.
It is very freeing to be outside without a phone, but that functionality carries quite a cost, both in terms of the substantial price of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach plan to enable the features. Fortunately it isn’t dependent on your phone carrier so works with all make of smartphone and network.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier gadget for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when running, cycling or hiking, but still wants to be trackable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a significant money when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and satellite messaging, high-luminance OLED screen, monitors all activities with premier GPS, built-in flashlight, phone and offline voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline mapping and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touch.
Cons: very expensive, LTE and orbital features need monthly subscription, restricted Garmin Pay bank compatibility, speech capabilities are slow, limited smartwatch functionality compared with competing watches.
