The most recent model of the top-tier Fenix outdoor watch brings a potentially lifesaving capability: no-phone communication and SOS messaging using 4G LTE or orbital links.
This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already outstanding Fenix 8 by adding new cellular tech, plus an available state-of-the-art microLED display in a special edition. It is the brand's premier model and designed to be the only tool required to explore almost anywhere and track every activity.
This makes it an very expensive proposition, priced from £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 screen – almost twice the price of the regular Fenix 8.
Users receive a significant features for your investment, with industry-leading workout, activity and adventure tracking. Its complete offline maps of the globe can seamlessly guide you back to the path if you get lost without a phone, and look great on the large, crisp and super-bright display.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the smaller 43mm size found in other devices, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as tested does have an extra day of smartwatch battery life despite the display on all the time, enduring a reliable eight to nine days between charging.
No-Phone Texting, Calls and Live Tracking
The company operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription plan instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your mobile carrier, like other smartwatches. However in contrast to competing satellite-enabled products, emergency communication is not provided for free.
Rather, plans begin from £7.99 or similar a month, which provides limitless LTE SMS and voice messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack location tracking – so your friends or family can monitor you while out jogging, cycling or similar activities – plus emergency satellite SOS alerts.
Check-ins and texts via satellite are then charged on top, with more expensive plans including different allowances of satellite use, climbing to a £50 a month all-inclusive plan. The watch comes with a 30-day trial period so you can test out the functionality.
After you have completed setup, you simply venture the door without your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You cannot use it for playing music or comparable activities, but you can place and receive calls, dispatch texts and generally keep in touch with your family and companions.
When you text someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate back and forth via typed or spoken communications, and make voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, only a mobile number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch works fine but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It has a set of customisable canned replies you can send to expedite communication. Spoken recordings and calls perform OK, although as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for lengthy conversations as the audio clarity is less than fantastic.
LiveTrack is the handiest function. You can configure to on its own send a link to chosen contacts whenever you start an exercise, so they can follow your live position on a map. It’s great for following race performance, but it mostly serves as a tool for someone you trust to know your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has generally worked effectively, although the actual location has sometimes lagged when moving in and out of good LTE signal.
All of these features are available on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in areas where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, location updates and emergency SOS.
A guide shows you how to find the line of sight to the satellite, which then sends and receives messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly straightforward to use and could be a vital lifeline, however it is essential to note that satellite service is limited to the US continent, most of Canada, and most of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is generally repairable with services available via the support site. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its initial power after two years of regular charging. The watch lacks any reused materials. Garmin offers disposal schemes on new 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 packages begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent adventure watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – along with satellite communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re without coverage.
Outcome is an increasingly impressive adventure tool for those that desire to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone monitor you remotely while running after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.
This is quite freeing to be outside without a phone, but that capability comes at a significant price, both in terms of the substantial cost of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach service to provide the service. At least it is not dependent on your phone provider so works with any brand of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a killer device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or hiking, but still wants to be trackable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a lot of expense when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, super-bright OLED display, monitors everything with premier GPS, built-in torch, phone and offline voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, buttons and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: very costly, LTE and satellite functions need ongoing payment, limited Garmin Pay financial support, voice capabilities are sluggish, limited wearable features compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
