The most recent iteration of the premium Fenix adventure timepiece includes a potentially lifesaving feature: no-phone messaging and SOS alerts using 4G LTE or satellite links.
The Fenix 8 Pro enhances the already outstanding Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge mobile tech, along with an available state-of-the-art microLED display in a special edition. It is the brand's top device and designed to be the only tool needed to venture virtually any location and track every activity.
That positions it as an very expensive proposition, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and reaching a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED screen – almost twice the cost of the standard Fenix 8.
Users get a lot of functionality for your money, with industry-leading fitness, activity and adventure monitoring. The full offline mapping of the world can automatically guide you back to the path if you get lost absent a phone, and appear excellent on the large, crisp and high-luminance display.
The Fenix 8 Pro is only available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the more compact 43mm size available in other models, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as tested boasts an additional day of smartwatch battery life despite the display always active, enduring a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Real-Time Location
Garmin uses its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription plan instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your phone carrier, as with other wearables. But unlike competing satellite-capable devices, emergency communication is not provided for no cost.
Rather, plans start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides limitless LTE SMS and audio messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack position sharing – so your friends or loved ones can monitor you while engaged in jogging, cycling or comparable activities – plus emergency satellite SOS alerts.
Location updates and messages over orbital are then billed additionally, with more expensive plans offering different quotas of satellite use, climbing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can test out the functionality.
Once you have completed setup, you just venture the door minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or comparable tasks, but you can make and take calls, dispatch texts and overall keep in touch with your family and friends.
Whenever you message 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 application, you can then message back and forth using text or voice messages, and make voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, just a mobile number is enough to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch works fine but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a set of personalizable canned responses you can send to speed things up. Voice recordings and calls work OK, though as with most smartwatches, you’re not going to want to use it for lengthy discussions as the quality is less than fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can set it up to automatically transmit a URL to selected contacts every time you begin an exercise, so they can track your real time location on a map. It’s excellent for following competition progress, but it mostly acts as a tool for someone you rely on to know your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has typically functioned well, though the real location has sometimes lagged when moving in and out of good LTE signal.
All of these capabilities are available on other Garmin watches if you carry 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 locate the line of sight to the orbital system, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly easy to use and could be a vital lifeline, though it is important to note that satellite service is limited to the US mainland, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Environmental Impact
The watch is generally serviceable with services available via the customer service portal. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any reused components. Garmin offers disposal programs on recent 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 packages begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite messaging, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re without coverage.
Outcome 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 accomplishes this without requiring additional gear.
It is quite liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality comes at a significant cost, both in terms of the substantial cost of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach plan to provide the service. Fortunately it is not reliant on your phone provider so works with any make of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a killer gadget for someone who dislikes being burdened by their phone when running, cycling or trekking, but still wants to be locatable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a significant expense when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Advantages: LTE and satellite messaging, high-luminance OLED screen, tracks everything with premier GPS, built-in torch, phone and offline voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touch.
Cons: very costly, LTE and orbital features require monthly subscription, limited Garmin Pay bank support, speech features are sluggish, basic wearable features versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
