This latest iteration of Garmin's top-tier Fenix outdoor timepiece includes a potentially lifesaving feature: phone-free communication and emergency alerts using 4G LTE or orbital links.
This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the previously impressive Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge cellular technology, along with an available state-of-the-art microLED screen in a special edition. This is Garmin's premier device and engineered to be the single tool required to venture virtually anywhere and monitor all your movements.
This positions it as an very expensive proposition, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and reaching a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED display – almost double the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a significant functionality for your investment, with best-in-class fitness, movement and adventure tracking. The complete offline mapping of the globe can seamlessly direct you return to the path if you lose your way without a phone, and appear great on the large, sharp and high-luminance touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, omitting the more compact 43mm size found in other models, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as reviewed boasts an additional day of watch battery life even with the screen always active, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charging.
No-Phone Messaging, Calling and Live Tracking
The company operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service plan rather than relying on a watch plan tied to your phone provider, like other wearables. But unlike competing satellite-enabled products, emergency messaging is not provided for no cost.
Instead, plans start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and audio messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack location sharing – so your friends or family can monitor you while out jogging, cycling or similar pursuits – plus SOS orbital SOS alerts.
Location updates and messages over orbital are then billed on top, with more expensive subscriptions including different allowances of satellite usage, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive plan. The watch comes with a 30-day trial period so you can test out the service.
Once you have got it set up, you simply venture outside without your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or comparable tasks, but you can make and take calls, dispatch texts and generally keep in touch with your relatives and companions.
When you message someone, Garmin dispatches 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 sign up for texts.
Messaging on the watch works adequately but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a set of personalizable canned responses you can use to speed things up. Voice recordings and calls perform OK, though as with the majority of wearables, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for extended conversations as the audio clarity is not fantastic.
LiveTrack is the handiest feature. You can configure to on its own send a link to chosen contacts whenever you begin an exercise, so they can follow your real time position on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring race performance, but it primarily serves as a tool for someone you trust to know your location in case an incident occurs. It has typically worked effectively, although the actual location has occasionally been delayed when transitioning in and out of good LTE coverage.
All of these features are available on other Garmin devices if you carry your phone with you, but in areas where LTE does not reach, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, position check-ins and emergency SOS.
A on-screen assistance shows you how to find the line of sight to the orbital system, which then transmits and gets messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly straightforward to use and could be a crucial lifeline, though it is important to remember that satellite coverage is restricted to the US mainland, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees latitude.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically serviceable with services available via the support site. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any reused components. Garmin provides recycling programs 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 service packages begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
The Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic outdoor watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus orbital messaging, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.
The result is an even more remarkable outdoor device for those that desire to be unplugged. If you want to have someone keep an eye on you remotely while exercising after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.
It is quite freeing to be outdoors without a phone, but that capability carries a significant cost, both in terms of the substantial cost of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach plan to enable the service. At least it is not reliant on your phone carrier so functions with any make of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a killer device for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when jogging, cycling or trekking, but nevertheless wants to be trackable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a significant expense when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and satellite communication, high-luminance OLED screen, monitors everything with premier GPS, built-in torch, voice and offline voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre diving, physical controls and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: extremely costly, LTE and orbital features need monthly subscription, limited Garmin Pay financial support, voice features are sluggish, limited smartwatch functionality compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
