The most recent model of Garmin's premium Fenix adventure timepiece includes a potentially lifesaving feature: phone-free communication and emergency alerts via 4G LTE or satellite connections.
The Fenix 8 Pro enhances the previously impressive Fenix 8 by adding new cellular tech, along with an optional advanced microLED screen in a special edition. It is Garmin's premier model and engineered to be the only gadget needed to explore almost any location and track every activity.
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 substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED display – nearly twice the price of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a significant functionality for your investment, with industry-leading fitness, movement and outdoor tracking. Its complete offline maps of the world can automatically guide you return to the path if you get lost absent a phone, and look great on the sizable, sharp and high-luminance display.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the more compact 43mm size found in other models, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as reviewed boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life despite the display on all the time, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charging.
No-Phone Messaging, Calling and Live Tracking
Garmin operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service service instead of relying on a watch plan tied to your mobile carrier, as with other smartwatches. However in contrast to Apple or Google's satellite-enabled devices, emergency messaging is not provided for free.
Instead, subscriptions begin from £7.99 or similar a month, which includes limitless LTE SMS and audio messages, call functionality and LiveTrack position sharing – so your contacts or family can monitor you while engaged in running, cycling or similar pursuits – plus SOS orbital SOS messaging.
Location updates and messages via orbital are then charged on top, with more expensive subscriptions including various quotas of orbital use, climbing to a £50 a month unlimited plan. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the functionality.
After you have got it set up, you simply venture outside minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for playing music or comparable activities, but you are able to make and take calls, send texts and overall stay connected with your relatives and friends.
When you text 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 app, you can then communicate back and forth via typed or spoken communications, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, just a mobile number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch functions fine but typing out texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a set of personalizable pre-set responses you can send to speed things up. Spoken recordings and calls work acceptably, although as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for extended conversations as the quality is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can set it up to automatically send a URL to selected contacts every time you start an exercise, so they can track your real time position on a map. It’s excellent for following competition performance, but it mostly serves as a tool for someone you rely on to be aware of your whereabouts in case something happens. It has typically worked effectively, although the real location has sometimes been delayed when transitioning in and out of strong LTE signal.
All of these features are accessible on other Garmin devices if you bring your phone with you, but in areas where LTE does not reach, the orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, position updates and emergency SOS.
A guide shows you how to locate the line of sight to the orbital system, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly easy to use and could be a vital lifeline, though it is essential to remember that satellite coverage is restricted to the US mainland, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees latitude.
Sustainability
The watch is generally repairable with services available through the support site. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of regular charging. The watch does not contain any reused materials. Garmin provides disposal programs on new purchases.
Cost
The Fenix 8 Pro is priced from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach subscription plans cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – plus satellite messaging, check-in and SOS SOS for when you’re without coverage.
Outcome is an increasingly impressive outdoor device for those that want to be phone-free. If you wish 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 requiring anything else.
This is very liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality carries quite a price, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach service to enable the service. Fortunately it isn’t dependent on your phone carrier so works with any brand of smartphone and network.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer gadget for someone who dislikes being burdened by their phone when running, biking or trekking, but still desires to be locatable and contactable. For other users, it is a lot of money when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and satellite communication, super-bright OLED display, tracks all activities with premier GPS, integrated torch, voice and offline commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, buttons and touchscreen.
Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and orbital features require monthly payment, restricted Garmin Pay bank support, voice capabilities are sluggish, basic smartwatch functionality versus competing watches.
