This most recent iteration of the premium Fenix adventure watch introduces a potentially lifesaving feature: phone-free messaging and SOS messaging using 4G LTE or orbital links.
This Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the already outstanding Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge cellular tech, plus an optional advanced microLED screen in a special edition. It is the brand's top device and designed to be the single gadget required to venture virtually any location and monitor every activity.
That makes it 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 receive a significant functionality for your investment, with industry-leading fitness, activity and adventure monitoring. Its full offline maps of the globe can automatically guide you back to the path if you get lost absent a phone, and look excellent on the large, crisp and high-luminance display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is only offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, omitting the more compact 43mm size available in other devices, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED model as reviewed does have an extra day of watch battery life despite the display always active, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charging.
Phone-Free Texting, Calling and Live Tracking
The company operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service instead of relying on a watch plan linked to your mobile provider, as with other wearables. But unlike competing satellite-capable products, SOS communication is not included for no cost.
Rather, subscriptions start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE text and audio messages, calls and LiveTrack location sharing – so your friends or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in jogging, biking or similar activities – along with SOS satellite SOS messaging.
Check-ins and messages over orbital are then charged additionally, with higher-tier subscriptions including different quotas of satellite usage, climbing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the service.
After you have completed setup, you just venture outside minus your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or comparable activities, but you are able to make and take calls, send texts and overall stay connected with your relatives and companions.
Whenever you message 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 back and forth via text or voice messages, and make voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin account to use the Messenger app, just a mobile number is enough to register for texts.
Texting on the watch works adequately but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a collection of personalizable pre-set replies you can use to expedite communication. Spoken recordings and calls perform acceptably, although as with the majority of wearables, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for lengthy conversations as the audio clarity is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the handiest feature. You can set it up to on its own send a URL to chosen contacts every time you start an activity, so they can follow your real time position on a map. It’s great for monitoring race progress, but it primarily serves as a tool for someone you trust to know your whereabouts in case something happens. It has typically worked effectively, although the actual location has occasionally lagged when transitioning in and out of strong LTE coverage.
All of these features are accessible on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in locations where LTE lacks coverage, the satellite kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location check-ins and emergency SOS.
A on-screen assistance shows you how to find the clear view to the orbital system, 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 service is limited to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and the majority of Europe except for regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is generally repairable with options available through the support site. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any recycled materials. Garmin offers recycling schemes on new purchases.
Cost
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).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro takes a excellent adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – plus satellite messaging, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re out of signal.
Outcome is an even more impressive outdoor device for those that want to be phone-free. If you want to have someone monitor you from afar while exercising after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.
This is very freeing to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality carries quite a price, both in terms of the substantial price of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach plan to provide the service. At least it isn’t reliant on your phone carrier so works with all brand of smartphone and carrier.
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 nevertheless desires to be trackable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a lot of money when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, super-bright OLED screen, monitors all activities with premier GPS, integrated flashlight, voice and offline voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, full offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre diving, buttons and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: extremely expensive, LTE and satellite features require ongoing subscription, restricted Garmin Pay bank compatibility, speech capabilities are slow, basic smartwatch features compared with competing watches.
