The newest version of Garmin's flagship Fenix adventure timepiece introduces a life-saving feature: phone-free communication and SOS messaging using 4G LTE or orbital links.
This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by adding new mobile technology, along with an available advanced microLED screen in a limited edition. This is Garmin's premier device and designed to be the single tool needed to venture almost any location and track all your movements.
This makes it an extremely pricey proposition, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and reaching a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED display – nearly double the price of the regular Fenix 8.
Users receive a significant functionality for your money, with best-in-class workout, movement and adventure tracking. Its full offline mapping of the globe can seamlessly direct you back to the trail if you get lost without a phone, and look excellent on the sizable, sharp and super-bright touchscreen.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the smaller 43mm version found in other models, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED version as tested boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life despite the screen on all the time, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Live Tracking
The company operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital subscription service rather than depending on a watch plan tied to your phone carrier, like other wearables. But unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled devices, emergency communication is not included for no cost.
Instead, plans start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes unlimited LTE SMS and audio messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack location tracking – so your contacts or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in running, biking or similar pursuits – plus SOS orbital SOS alerts.
Location updates and texts via orbital are then charged on top, with higher-tier subscriptions offering different quotas of satellite usage, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the functionality.
Once you have completed setup, you simply venture outside without your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or similar tasks, but you can place and receive calls, dispatch texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and companions.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate back and forth via text or voice communications, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin account to use the Messenger app, just a mobile number is enough to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch functions adequately but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a set of personalizable pre-set responses you can send to speed things up. Spoken recordings and calls perform OK, though as with most smartwatches, you’re not going to want to use it for lengthy conversations as the audio clarity is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can set it up to automatically send a URL to selected contacts every time you begin an activity, so they can follow your real time location on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring competition progress, but it primarily serves as a tool for someone you trust to be aware of your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has generally worked well, though the real position has sometimes been delayed when moving in and out of good LTE coverage.
These capabilities are available on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in areas where LTE does not reach, the satellite activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, position updates and emergency SOS.
A guide displays you how to find the clear view to the orbital system, which then sends and receives messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a crucial lifeline, though it is important to remember that orbital coverage is limited to the US mainland, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is typically repairable with options offered through the customer service site. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any recycled components. Garmin provides recycling programs on recent purchases.
Cost
This Fenix 8 Pro is priced 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
The Fenix 8 Pro takes a excellent adventure watch in the standard Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus orbital communication, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re without coverage.
The result is an increasingly remarkable outdoor tool for those that want to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone monitor you remotely while exercising after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin accomplishes this without needing additional gear.
It is quite liberating to be outside without a phone, but that capability carries quite a price, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach plan to enable the features. At least it is not dependent on your phone provider so works with any make of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer device for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or hiking, but still wants to be locatable and reachable. For other users, it is a lot of money when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and satellite messaging, super-bright OLED display, monitors everything with best-in-class GPS, built-in torch, phone and offline commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, buttons and touch.
Drawbacks: extremely costly, LTE and orbital functions need ongoing subscription, limited Garmin Pay bank compatibility, voice capabilities are slow, basic smartwatch functionality compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
