The most recent version of the premium Fenix outdoor watch brings a life-saving feature: no-phone communication and emergency messaging via 4G LTE or satellite connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the previously impressive Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge cellular tech, plus an available state-of-the-art microLED display in a special edition. This is the brand's top device and designed to be the single tool needed to explore almost any location and monitor every activity.
This positions it as an extremely pricey option, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and reaching a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED display – almost twice the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a significant features for your money, with industry-leading workout, movement and outdoor tracking. The full offline maps of the world can automatically direct you back to the trail if you get lost without a phone, and look excellent on the sizable, crisp and high-luminance touchscreen.
The Fenix 8 Pro is only available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the smaller 43mm version found in other models, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED model as reviewed does have an extra day of smartwatch battery life even with the display on all the time, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charging.
No-Phone Texting, Calls and Real-Time Location
The company operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription plan instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your phone provider, like other wearables. But unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled products, emergency communication is not included for no cost.
Rather, subscriptions start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes unlimited LTE text and audio messages, calls and LiveTrack position sharing – so your friends or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in jogging, cycling or comparable pursuits – along with emergency orbital SOS alerts.
Check-ins and messages via satellite are then billed additionally, with higher-tier subscriptions including different quotas of satellite usage, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can test out the functionality.
Once you have got it set up, you simply head out outside minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or comparable tasks, but you are able to make and take calls, send texts and overall keep in touch with your family and companions.
Whenever you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message back and forth via typed or spoken communications, and make voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, just a phone number is sufficient to register for texts.
Texting on the watch functions fine but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It includes a collection of customisable canned replies you can use to speed things up. Spoken recordings and calls perform acceptably, though as with the majority of wearables, you’re unlikely going to wish 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 on its own send a URL to chosen contacts every time you start an exercise, so they can follow your real time position on a map. It’s great for monitoring race performance, but it primarily serves as a utility for someone you rely on to know your location in case an incident occurs. It has generally worked effectively, although the actual position has occasionally lagged when transitioning in and out of strong LTE coverage.
These capabilities are available on other Garmin devices if you carry your phone with you, but in areas where LTE lacks coverage, the satellite activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, position updates and SOS SOS.
A on-screen assistance shows you how to find the clear view to the orbital system, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a crucial safety feature, though it is important to note that satellite service is limited to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is typically repairable with options offered via the customer service site. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any recycled components. Garmin provides disposal schemes on recent purchases.
Price
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 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 texting, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite communication, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re without signal.
The result is an increasingly remarkable adventure tool for those that desire to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone monitor you remotely while running out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin accomplishes this without requiring additional gear.
This is quite freeing to be outside without a phone, but that functionality carries a significant cost, both in terms of the substantial cost of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach plan to provide the features. Fortunately it isn’t reliant on your phone provider so works with any brand of smartphone and carrier.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a killer device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when jogging, cycling or trekking, but nevertheless desires to be trackable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a significant money when the superb Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, high-luminance OLED display, monitors everything with premier GPS, built-in torch, voice and offline voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, buttons and touch.
Drawbacks: extremely expensive, LTE and satellite functions need monthly payment, limited Garmin Pay bank compatibility, voice features are slow, limited smartwatch features versus competing watches.
