This latest version of the flagship Fenix outdoor watch includes a life-saving feature: no-phone messaging and emergency messaging via 4G LTE or satellite connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the already impressive Fenix 8 by adding new mobile tech, along with an available advanced microLED screen in a special edition. This is the brand's top device and designed to be the single gadget required to explore almost any location and track every activity.
This positions it as an extremely pricey option, starting at £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 edition with microLED screen – nearly double the price of the standard Fenix 8.
Users get a lot of functionality for your investment, with best-in-class workout, movement and outdoor tracking. The full offline maps of the globe can seamlessly direct you back to the path if you get lost without a phone, and look excellent on the large, sharp and high-luminance touchscreen.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the smaller 43mm version available in other devices, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED version as tested does have an extra day of smartwatch battery life even with the display always active, enduring a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Texting, Calls and Live Tracking
The company uses its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service plan instead of relying on a watch plan tied to your phone carrier, like other wearables. However in contrast to competing satellite-enabled products, SOS messaging is not provided for no cost.
Rather, plans start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes limitless LTE SMS and voice messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack position tracking – so your friends or family can monitor you while engaged in running, biking or similar pursuits – plus SOS satellite SOS messaging.
Location updates and messages over satellite are then billed additionally, with higher-tier subscriptions including different allowances of satellite use, climbing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can test out the functionality.
Once you have got it set up, you simply 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, send texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and companions.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a random phone number, which they can respond to back to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate back and forth using text or spoken communications, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, only a phone number is enough to register for texts.
Texting on the watch works adequately but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It includes a set of personalizable pre-set responses you can send to speed things up. Voice recordings and calls perform OK, although as with the majority of wearables, you’re not going to wish to use it for lengthy discussions as the audio clarity is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can set it up to automatically transmit a URL to chosen contacts every time you begin an exercise, so they can track your real time location on a map. It’s great for following race performance, but it mostly acts as a utility for someone you trust to know your whereabouts in case something happens. It has generally functioned well, although the real position has sometimes lagged when moving in and out of good LTE coverage.
These capabilities are accessible on other Garmin devices if you bring your phone with you, but in locations where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, position check-ins and SOS SOS.
A on-screen assistance displays you how to find the clear view to the orbital system, which then sends and receives communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a vital lifeline, however it is important to remember that orbital service is restricted to the US continent, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is generally serviceable with options available via the support portal. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its original power after two years of regular charging. The watch does not contain any reused materials. Garmin offers recycling programs on recent purchases.
Price
The 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).
Verdict
This Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic outdoor watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for texting, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus orbital messaging, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.
The result is an even more remarkable outdoor tool for those that desire to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone keep an eye on you remotely while exercising after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without requiring additional gear.
This is very liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality comes at a significant cost, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach service to enable the service. Fortunately 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 weighed down by their phone when running, biking or trekking, but nevertheless desires to be trackable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a lot of money when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and orbital messaging, super-bright OLED display, tracks everything with best-in-class GPS, integrated torch, phone and offline voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, full offline mapping and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, physical controls and touchscreen.
Cons: very expensive, LTE and orbital features need ongoing payment, limited Garmin Pay bank support, voice capabilities are sluggish, limited wearable functionality compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
