This newest model of Garmin's top-tier Fenix outdoor watch includes a life-saving feature: phone-free messaging and emergency messaging using 4G LTE or satellite connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by adding new cellular tech, along with an available state-of-the-art microLED display in a special edition. It is Garmin's top model and engineered to be the only gadget required to venture 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 reaching a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED display – nearly twice the cost of the standard Fenix 8.
Users receive a significant features for your money, with industry-leading workout, movement and adventure tracking. The full offline mapping of the world can seamlessly guide you back to the trail if you lose your way absent a phone, and look great on the large, sharp and high-luminance display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the smaller 43mm version available in other devices, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as reviewed boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life even with the display always active, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Messaging, Calls and Live Tracking
Garmin uses its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service plan rather than depending on a watch plan linked to your phone carrier, like other smartwatches. But in contrast to competing satellite-capable devices, emergency messaging is not provided for free.
Rather, plans begin from £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE text and voice messages, call functionality and LiveTrack location tracking – so your contacts or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in running, biking or comparable pursuits – along with SOS orbital SOS alerts.
Location updates and messages over orbital are then billed additionally, with higher-tier subscriptions offering different allowances of orbital use, climbing to a £50 a month all-inclusive plan. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can test out the service.
After you have completed setup, you just venture the door minus your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You can not use it for playing music or comparable tasks, but you can place and receive calls, send texts and generally keep in touch with your relatives and companions.
When you text someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can respond to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message back and forth using text or spoken communications, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, just a mobile 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 time-consuming. It has a set of customisable pre-set replies you can use to speed things up. Voice recordings and calls work OK, though as with most smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for lengthy discussions as the audio clarity is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can configure to on its own transmit a URL to selected contacts whenever you begin an exercise, so they can track your live location on a map. It’s great for following competition performance, but it primarily serves as a utility for someone you trust to be aware of your location in case something happens. It has typically worked effectively, though the actual position has sometimes been delayed when moving in and out of good LTE signal.
These capabilities are available on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in areas where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, position check-ins and emergency SOS.
A guide shows you how to locate the line of sight to the satellite, which then sends and receives communications 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 service is limited to the US mainland, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees latitude.
Environmental Impact
The watch is generally repairable with services offered via the support site. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of regular charging. The watch lacks any recycled materials. Garmin provides disposal schemes on recent purchases.
Cost
This Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The optional Garmin inReach service plans begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite communication, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re without coverage.
The result is an increasingly remarkable adventure tool for those that want to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone keep an eye on you from afar while exercising after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.
It is very liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality comes at quite a price, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach plan to provide the service. Fortunately it isn’t reliant on your phone carrier so functions with all make 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 desires to be locatable and reachable. For other users, it is a lot of expense when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and orbital messaging, super-bright OLED display, monitors everything with premier GPS, integrated flashlight, voice and standalone voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touchscreen.
Cons: very costly, LTE and satellite functions need monthly payment, restricted Garmin Pay financial support, speech features are slow, limited wearable functionality versus competing watches.
