This most recent version of the flagship Fenix adventure timepiece includes a potentially lifesaving capability: no-phone messaging and emergency alerts via 4G LTE or satellite connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already impressive Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge mobile technology, plus an optional advanced microLED display in a special edition. This is the brand's premier device and engineered to be the only gadget needed to explore virtually anywhere and monitor every activity.
That positions it as an extremely expensive option, 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 twice the price of the standard Fenix 8.
You do receive a lot of functionality for your investment, with best-in-class workout, activity and outdoor tracking. The full offline mapping of the globe can automatically guide you return to the trail if you lose your way without a phone, and appear excellent on the sizable, crisp and super-bright touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the smaller 43mm size available in other devices, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED model as tested does have an additional day of smartwatch battery life even with the display on all the time, enduring a reliable eight to nine days between charging.
Phone-Free Texting, Calling and Live Tracking
Garmin operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service rather than depending on a watch plan tied to your phone carrier, like other smartwatches. However unlike competing satellite-enabled devices, emergency communication is not included for free.
Instead, plans begin from £7.99 or similar a month, which includes unlimited LTE SMS and voice messaging, calls and LiveTrack location tracking – so your friends or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in running, biking or similar pursuits – along with emergency orbital SOS messaging.
Check-ins and messages over orbital are then billed additionally, with higher-tier subscriptions offering different allowances of satellite usage, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive plan. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can test out the functionality.
After you have completed setup, you just venture outside without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or similar tasks, but you are able to place and receive calls, send texts and overall stay connected with your family and companions.
When you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message reciprocally using typed or voice communications, and make voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, just a phone number is enough to register for texts.
Texting on the watch works adequately but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It has a collection of customisable canned responses you can send to expedite communication. Voice messages and calls perform OK, although as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re not going to wish to use it for lengthy discussions as the quality is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can configure to automatically transmit a URL to chosen contacts every time you begin an exercise, so they can track your real time position on a map. It’s great for following race performance, but it mostly acts as a tool for someone you trust to be aware of your location in case an incident occurs. It has typically worked well, though the actual location has occasionally been delayed when moving in and out of good LTE coverage.
All of these capabilities are accessible on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location updates and SOS SOS.
A guide shows you how to locate the clear view to the orbital system, which then sends and receives messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly straightforward to use and could be a crucial safety feature, though it is important to remember that orbital service is limited to the US mainland, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is typically 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 reused materials. Garmin offers recycling programs 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 subscription packages cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic adventure watch in the standard Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – plus orbital communication, check-in and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.
The result is an even more remarkable adventure device for those that want to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone keep an eye on you remotely while running after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without needing anything else.
It is quite liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality carries a significant price, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach service 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 killer gadget for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, cycling or hiking, but nevertheless wants to be locatable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a lot of money when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Advantages: LTE and satellite messaging, super-bright OLED display, tracks everything with best-in-class GPS, integrated flashlight, phone and offline voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre diving, buttons and touch.
Drawbacks: extremely costly, LTE and orbital functions require ongoing subscription, restricted Garmin Pay bank compatibility, voice features are slow, limited wearable features versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
