This most recent model of Garmin's top-tier Fenix outdoor watch brings a life-saving capability: no-phone communication and emergency alerts using 4G LTE or satellite connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the previously impressive Fenix 8 by adding new mobile tech, along with an available state-of-the-art microLED screen in a special edition. This is Garmin's top device and engineered to be the single gadget required to explore almost any location and track all your movements.
This positions it as an extremely pricey proposition, starting at £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 variant with microLED display – nearly twice the price of the regular Fenix 8.
You do get a lot of functionality for your money, with industry-leading workout, activity and adventure tracking. Its full offline mapping of the world can automatically guide you return to the trail if you get lost without a phone, and look great on the sizable, sharp and high-luminance display.
The Fenix 8 Pro is only offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the smaller 43mm version available in other models, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as tested does have an additional day of smartwatch battery life even with the screen on all the time, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charging.
No-Phone Messaging, Calls and Real-Time Location
The company operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription plan instead of depending on a watch plan tied to your mobile provider, like other smartwatches. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-capable devices, SOS communication is not included for no cost.
Instead, plans start at £7.99 or similar a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and audio messages, calls and LiveTrack position tracking – so your friends or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in running, cycling or comparable activities – along with SOS satellite SOS messaging.
Location updates and texts over satellite are then charged on top, with more expensive plans offering various quotas of orbital use, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive plan. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the service.
After you have got it set up, you just head out outside without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or comparable activities, but you are able to make and take calls, dispatch texts and generally stay connected with your relatives and companions.
Whenever you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message back and forth via text or voice communications, and make voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin account to use the Messenger application, just a phone number is enough to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch works adequately but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It includes a collection of personalizable canned responses you can send to speed things up. Voice recordings and calls perform OK, although as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for extended conversations as the audio clarity is not fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can set it up to on its own transmit a URL to selected contacts every time you start an exercise, so they can follow your real time location on a map. It’s excellent for following competition performance, but it primarily serves as a tool for someone you trust to be aware of your whereabouts in case something happens. It has generally worked effectively, though the actual position has occasionally lagged when transitioning in and out of good LTE signal.
These capabilities are accessible on other Garmin watches 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 send texts, location check-ins and SOS SOS.
A on-screen assistance displays you how to locate 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 vital safety feature, though it is important to remember that satellite coverage is limited to the US mainland, most of Canada, and most of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically repairable with services offered through the customer service portal. The battery is rated to maintain 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.
Cost
This Fenix 8 Pro is priced from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The optional Garmin inReach subscription plans cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus satellite messaging, check-in and SOS SOS for when you’re without signal.
Outcome is an increasingly impressive adventure device for those that want to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone keep an eye on you remotely while exercising out at night or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without needing additional gear.
It is very freeing to be outside without a phone, but that capability carries a significant cost, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach plan to provide the features. At least it is not dependent on your phone provider so functions with any brand of smartphone and carrier.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when jogging, cycling or trekking, but nevertheless wants to be trackable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a lot of expense when the superb Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, high-luminance OLED screen, monitors everything with best-in-class GPS, built-in torch, voice and standalone voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, full offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touch.
Cons: extremely costly, LTE and orbital features require ongoing subscription, restricted Garmin Pay financial support, speech features are sluggish, limited wearable functionality compared with competing watches.
