This latest version of the premium Fenix adventure watch brings a potentially lifesaving feature: no-phone messaging and emergency messaging via 4G LTE or satellite connections.
The Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the previously impressive Fenix 8 by adding new cellular technology, along with an optional state-of-the-art microLED display in a limited edition. This is the brand's top device and designed to be the only tool needed to venture virtually anywhere and monitor all your movements.
This positions it as an very pricey proposition, 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 display – almost double the cost of the standard Fenix 8.
Users get a significant features for your money, with best-in-class workout, activity and outdoor monitoring. The complete offline maps of the globe can seamlessly guide you back to the trail if you lose your way absent a phone, and appear great on the large, sharp and high-luminance touchscreen.
The 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 version as reviewed boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life despite the display always active, enduring a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Texting, Calling and Live Tracking
Garmin uses its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription service rather than depending on a watch plan linked to your mobile carrier, like other smartwatches. However unlike competing satellite-capable products, emergency messaging is not provided for free.
Rather, plans start at £7.99 or similar a month, which provides limitless LTE SMS and voice messages, call functionality and LiveTrack location sharing – so your friends or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in running, biking or similar activities – along with emergency orbital SOS alerts.
Location updates and texts over orbital are then charged additionally, with higher-tier subscriptions offering various allowances of satellite usage, climbing to a £50 a month all-inclusive plan. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can evaluate the service.
Once you have completed setup, you just head out outside minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or similar activities, but you are able to place and receive calls, dispatch texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and companions.
Whenever you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a random phone number, which they can respond to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate reciprocally via text or voice messages, and make voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin account to use the Messenger app, only a phone 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 includes a collection of personalizable pre-set responses you can use to speed things up. Voice recordings and calls perform acceptably, although as with most smartwatches, you’re not going to wish to use it for extended discussions as the quality is less than fantastic.
LiveTrack is the handiest function. You can set it up to automatically transmit a link 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 mostly serves as a tool for someone you trust to know your location in case an incident occurs. It has generally functioned well, although the real position has sometimes lagged when moving in and out of good LTE signal.
All of these capabilities are accessible on other Garmin devices if you bring your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, location check-ins and SOS SOS.
A guide shows you how to locate the clear view to the orbital system, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly straightforward to use and could be a vital safety feature, though it is essential to remember that satellite coverage is restricted to the US mainland, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees latitude.
Sustainability
The watch is generally repairable with options available via the customer service portal. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of regular charging. The watch lacks any reused materials. Garmin offers disposal 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 optional Garmin inReach service plans cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent outdoor watch in the standard Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – plus satellite communication, check-in and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.
Outcome is an increasingly remarkable outdoor tool for those that desire to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone keep an eye on you remotely while running after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without needing anything else.
It is very liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that capability comes at quite a price, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach service to enable the features. Fortunately it is not dependent on your phone provider so functions with all brand of smartphone and carrier.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a killer gadget for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, cycling or trekking, but still wants to be trackable and reachable. For other users, it is a significant expense when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, super-bright OLED screen, tracks all activities with best-in-class GPS, built-in flashlight, voice and standalone commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, physical controls and touch.
Cons: very expensive, LTE and satellite functions require monthly payment, restricted Garmin Pay bank support, voice features are slow, limited smartwatch features versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
