The latest iteration of Garmin's top-tier Fenix adventure watch introduces a potentially lifesaving feature: phone-free messaging and SOS alerts via 4G LTE or orbital connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the already impressive Fenix 8 by adding new mobile technology, along with an optional state-of-the-art microLED screen in a special edition. This is the brand's top model and engineered to be the single gadget needed to venture virtually anywhere and track all your movements.
This makes it an very pricey proposition, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and climbing to a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED screen – almost double the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a significant functionality for your money, with best-in-class workout, movement and adventure tracking. Its full offline mapping of the world can seamlessly direct you back to the trail if you get lost absent a phone, and look great on the sizable, sharp and high-luminance touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is only available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not 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 despite the screen on all the time, enduring a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Messaging, Calling and Real-Time Location
The company uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital subscription plan rather than depending on a watch plan linked to your phone provider, like other wearables. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-capable devices, SOS messaging is not provided for no cost.
Instead, plans begin from £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes unlimited LTE SMS and audio messages, calls and LiveTrack location tracking – so your friends or family can keep an eye on you while out running, biking or similar activities – along with emergency satellite SOS alerts.
Check-ins and texts via satellite are then billed additionally, with more expensive subscriptions offering different allowances of satellite usage, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the functionality.
Once you have got it set up, you just venture outside minus 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, dispatch texts and generally keep in touch with your relatives and friends.
Whenever you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate reciprocally via text or spoken messages, and make voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, just a phone 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 has a collection of customisable canned replies you can use to speed things up. Voice recordings and calls work acceptably, although as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for extended conversations as the quality is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the handiest function. You can set it up to on its own send a link to chosen contacts whenever you begin an exercise, so they can follow your live location on a map. It’s great for monitoring competition progress, but it mostly serves as a utility for someone you trust to be aware of your location in case an incident occurs. It has typically functioned effectively, though the actual location has occasionally been delayed when transitioning in and out of good LTE signal.
All of these capabilities are accessible on other Garmin devices if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location check-ins and SOS SOS.
A on-screen assistance shows you how to locate the line of sight to the satellite, which then sends and receives messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly straightforward to use and could be a vital safety feature, however it is essential to remember that satellite service is restricted to the US continent, most of Canada, and most of Europe except for regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Environmental Impact
The watch is generally repairable with options available through the customer service site. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any recycled materials. Garmin provides disposal schemes on recent purchases.
Price
The Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach subscription plans begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic adventure watch in the standard Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re out of signal.
The result is an increasingly impressive adventure device for those that want to be unplugged. If you want to have someone keep an eye on you from afar while exercising after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin accomplishes this without requiring additional gear.
It is quite freeing to be outside without a phone, but that capability comes at a significant cost, both in terms of the substantial price of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach service to enable the service. At least it isn’t reliant on your phone carrier so functions with all brand of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier gadget for someone who dislikes being burdened by their phone when running, cycling or hiking, but nevertheless desires to be trackable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a significant expense when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and satellite communication, super-bright OLED screen, tracks all activities with premier GPS, built-in flashlight, voice and standalone commands, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline mapping and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touch.
Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and satellite functions need ongoing subscription, limited Garmin Pay financial compatibility, voice capabilities are slow, basic wearable functionality versus competing watches.
