The latest model of the flagship Fenix outdoor watch brings a potentially lifesaving feature: phone-free communication and SOS alerts using 4G LTE or satellite connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already impressive Fenix 8 by adding new mobile tech, along with an optional advanced microLED screen in a limited edition. It is the brand's top device and engineered to be the single gadget required to explore virtually anywhere and track all your movements.
This makes it an very expensive option, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and climbing to a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED screen – nearly twice the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a lot of features for your investment, with industry-leading workout, activity and outdoor monitoring. Its complete offline mapping of the world can automatically direct you back to the path if you get lost without a phone, and look excellent on the large, crisp and super-bright touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the more compact 43mm size found in other models, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED version as reviewed does have an extra day of watch battery life despite the screen always active, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Messaging, Calls and Real-Time Location
Garmin uses its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service rather than depending on a watch plan linked to your phone provider, like other wearables. But unlike competing satellite-capable products, emergency communication is not provided for free.
Instead, plans begin from £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes unlimited LTE text and audio messages, call functionality and LiveTrack position tracking – so your contacts or loved ones can monitor you while engaged in jogging, cycling or comparable activities – plus SOS orbital SOS messaging.
Location updates and messages via satellite are then billed additionally, with higher-tier subscriptions offering various allowances of orbital usage, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can evaluate the service.
Once you have got it set up, you just venture outside without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for playing music or comparable activities, but you can make and take calls, dispatch texts and generally keep in touch with your relatives and friends.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate reciprocally using text or spoken messages, and make voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, just a mobile number is enough to register for texts.
Messaging on the watch works fine but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a collection of personalizable canned responses you can use to speed things up. Voice recordings and calls perform acceptably, although as with most wearables, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for extended conversations as the quality is less than fantastic.
LiveTrack is the handiest function. You can configure to on its own transmit a link to selected contacts every time you start an activity, so they can track your real time location on a map. It’s great for following competition performance, but it mostly serves as a utility for someone you trust to be aware of your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has typically functioned effectively, although the actual position has occasionally lagged when moving in and out of strong LTE coverage.
All of these capabilities are available on other Garmin devices if you carry your phone with you, but in areas where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location updates and SOS SOS.
A guide displays you how to find the clear view to the satellite, which then sends and receives communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly easy to use and could be a crucial safety feature, however it is essential to remember that satellite service is restricted to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees latitude.
Sustainability
The watch is generally serviceable with services offered through the support site. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its original power after two years of regular charging. The watch lacks any reused components. Garmin provides recycling programs 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 subscription plans cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent outdoor watch in the standard Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite messaging, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re without signal.
Outcome is an even more remarkable outdoor tool for those that desire to be phone-free. If you want to have someone monitor you remotely while exercising out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without requiring additional gear.
This is quite liberating to be outside without a phone, but that capability carries quite a price, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach service to enable the features. At least it is not dependent on your phone carrier so functions with all brand of smartphone and carrier.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when jogging, biking or hiking, but still wants to be locatable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a significant expense when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and satellite communication, high-luminance OLED screen, monitors everything with best-in-class GPS, built-in flashlight, voice and offline voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, buttons and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: extremely costly, LTE and orbital functions need monthly subscription, restricted Garmin Pay bank compatibility, voice capabilities are slow, basic smartwatch functionality compared with competing watches.
