The most recent iteration of Garmin's flagship Fenix outdoor watch includes a life-saving capability: no-phone messaging and SOS alerts via 4G LTE or orbital links.
The Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge mobile tech, along with an optional advanced microLED screen in a limited edition. This is Garmin's top model and designed to be the single tool required to explore almost anywhere and track all your movements.
This makes it an very pricey proposition, priced from £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 – nearly twice the cost of the standard Fenix 8.
You do get a lot of features for your money, with industry-leading workout, activity and outdoor tracking. Its full offline mapping of the globe can seamlessly guide you back to the path if you lose your way without a phone, and appear excellent on the large, sharp and super-bright display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the more compact 43mm version found in other models, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as tested boasts an extra day of watch battery life even with the screen on all the time, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Messaging, Calling and Live Tracking
The company uses its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service instead of relying on a watch plan tied to your phone provider, like other wearables. However unlike competing satellite-capable products, emergency messaging is not provided for free.
Rather, plans begin from £7.99 or similar a month, which includes unlimited LTE SMS and voice messages, call functionality and LiveTrack position tracking – so your friends or loved ones can monitor you while engaged in running, cycling or comparable pursuits – plus emergency satellite SOS alerts.
Check-ins and messages over orbital are then charged on top, with higher-tier plans offering different quotas of satellite use, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can test out the functionality.
Once you have completed setup, you simply head out the door without your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or similar tasks, but you are able to make and take calls, dispatch texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and friends.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger app, you can then message back and forth via text or spoken messages, and initiate voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, only a mobile number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch functions adequately but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It has a collection of customisable pre-set replies you can send to speed things up. Spoken messages and calls perform OK, although as with the majority of wearables, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for extended conversations as the audio clarity is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can configure to on its own transmit a URL to chosen contacts whenever you begin an activity, so they can follow your real time location on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring race progress, but it primarily serves as a utility for someone you rely on to know your location in case something happens. It has generally functioned effectively, although the actual location has occasionally lagged when transitioning in and out of good LTE coverage.
All of these capabilities are accessible on other Garmin devices if you bring your phone with you, but in areas where LTE does not reach, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, position updates and emergency SOS.
A guide shows you how to locate the line of sight to the satellite, which then transmits and gets messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a crucial lifeline, however it is important to remember that satellite service is restricted to the US mainland, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is typically serviceable with options offered through the customer service site. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its original power after two years of regular charging. The watch does not contain any recycled materials. Garmin provides disposal schemes on new purchases.
Price
The 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).
Verdict
The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent adventure watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for texting, call functionality and LiveTrack – along with orbital communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re without coverage.
The result is an increasingly impressive adventure tool for those that want to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone monitor you remotely while exercising out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without needing additional gear.
This is quite freeing to be outside without a phone, but that functionality comes at a significant cost, both in terms of the substantial cost of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach plan to enable the service. Fortunately it is not dependent on your phone carrier so functions with any make of smartphone and carrier.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who hates being burdened by their phone when running, biking or trekking, but nevertheless desires to be trackable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a significant expense when the excellent 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, phone and offline 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.
Drawbacks: extremely costly, LTE and satellite features require monthly subscription, restricted Garmin Pay bank support, speech capabilities are slow, limited smartwatch features versus competing watches.
