This most recent model of the top-tier Fenix adventure watch includes a life-saving feature: no-phone communication and SOS alerts using 4G LTE or satellite links.
The Fenix 8 Pro enhances the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating new cellular tech, plus an available advanced microLED display in a limited edition. It is Garmin's top device and designed to be the only gadget needed to explore almost anywhere and monitor all your movements.
This positions it as an extremely pricey proposition, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and climbing to a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED screen – nearly double the price of the standard Fenix 8.
You do get a significant features for your money, with best-in-class fitness, movement and outdoor tracking. Its full offline mapping of the globe can automatically direct you back to the path if you lose your way absent a phone, and look great on the large, sharp and super-bright touchscreen.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the smaller 43mm version available in other models, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as reviewed boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life even with the screen always active, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Messaging, Calling and Live Tracking
Garmin uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription plan instead of relying on a watch plan linked to your phone provider, like other smartwatches. However unlike competing satellite-capable devices, emergency communication is not included for free.
Instead, plans begin from £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes unlimited LTE text and audio messaging, calls and LiveTrack location tracking – so your friends or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in running, biking or comparable pursuits – plus emergency orbital SOS messaging.
Check-ins and texts via orbital are then billed on top, with higher-tier plans offering various quotas of orbital use, climbing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can test out the functionality.
After you have completed setup, you just venture the door without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or similar activities, but you can place and receive calls, send texts and overall keep in touch with your family and friends.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate back and forth using typed or voice communications, and make voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, just a phone number is sufficient to register for texts.
Texting on the watch works fine but typing out texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a collection of personalizable pre-set responses you can send to speed things up. 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 quality is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can set it up to automatically send a link to chosen contacts whenever you begin an activity, so they can follow your real time position on a map. It’s excellent for following race progress, but it primarily serves as a tool for someone you rely on to know your location in case an incident occurs. It has typically functioned effectively, although the actual location has sometimes been delayed when moving in and out of good LTE coverage.
All of these capabilities are available on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in areas where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, location updates and emergency SOS.
A guide displays you how to find the line of sight to the satellite, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly straightforward to use and could be a crucial safety feature, though it is important to remember that orbital coverage is limited to the US mainland, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is generally serviceable with services available through the customer service portal. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any reused components. Garmin offers recycling schemes on recent 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 service packages cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic outdoor watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for texting, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus satellite messaging, check-in and emergency SOS for when you’re out of coverage.
The result is an even more impressive outdoor device for those that want to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone keep an eye on you from afar while exercising out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin accomplishes this without needing additional gear.
It is quite liberating to be outside without a phone, but that capability 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 provider so functions with all make of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or trekking, but still desires to be locatable and reachable. For other users, it is a lot of expense when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and orbital messaging, super-bright OLED screen, monitors all activities with premier GPS, integrated torch, voice and offline voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, physical controls and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: extremely expensive, LTE and satellite features need monthly subscription, limited Garmin Pay financial compatibility, speech capabilities are slow, basic smartwatch functionality compared with competing watches.
