This newest model of Garmin's flagship Fenix outdoor watch includes a life-saving feature: phone-free messaging and SOS alerts via 4G LTE or satellite links.
This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the already outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating new cellular technology, along with an optional state-of-the-art microLED screen in a limited edition. This is the brand's premier model and designed to be the single gadget required to explore virtually any location and track all your movements.
This makes it an very expensive proposition, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and reaching a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED screen – almost double the cost of the standard Fenix 8.
Users get a significant functionality for your money, with industry-leading fitness, activity and outdoor monitoring. Its full offline mapping of the world can seamlessly guide you return to the trail if you lose your way without a phone, and look excellent on the large, sharp and super-bright display.
The Fenix 8 Pro is only available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the more compact 43mm size available in other devices, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as reviewed boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life even with the screen always active, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Live Tracking
The company uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription plan rather than depending on a watch plan tied to your mobile carrier, as with other smartwatches. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled products, SOS messaging is not provided for no cost.
Instead, subscriptions start at £7.99 or similar a month, which includes unlimited LTE SMS and voice messaging, calls and LiveTrack location tracking – so your friends or family can monitor you while out running, cycling or comparable activities – plus SOS orbital SOS messaging.
Check-ins and messages over satellite are then billed additionally, with more expensive subscriptions offering various quotas of orbital usage, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day trial period so you can evaluate the service.
After you have got it set up, you just venture outside minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or similar activities, but you are able to place and receive calls, dispatch texts and generally keep in touch with your family and friends.
Whenever you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a random phone number, which they can respond to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate back and forth via typed or spoken messages, and make voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin account to use the Messenger application, only a mobile number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Messaging on the watch functions fine but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a set of customisable pre-set responses you can use to speed things up. Voice messages and calls perform OK, although as with the majority of wearables, you’re not going to wish to use it for lengthy discussions as the quality is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the handiest function. You can configure to on its own send a link to chosen contacts every time you begin an activity, so they can follow your real time position on a map. It’s great for following race progress, but it mostly acts as a utility for someone you rely on to know your location in case an incident occurs. It has typically functioned effectively, although the real position has sometimes been delayed when transitioning in and out of good LTE coverage.
All of these capabilities are available on other Garmin devices if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location check-ins and SOS SOS.
A guide shows 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 unexpectedly easy to use and could be a vital safety feature, however it is essential to note that satellite service is limited to the US continent, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia above 65 degrees latitude.
Sustainability
The watch is typically repairable with services offered through the support site. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of regular charging. The watch does not contain any recycled components. Garmin provides recycling schemes on new purchases.
Price
The Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach service plans cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
This Fenix 8 Pro takes a excellent outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – plus orbital communication, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re out of coverage.
The result is an increasingly remarkable adventure device 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 remote areas, the Garmin does so without requiring additional gear.
This is very freeing to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality comes at a significant cost, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach plan to provide the features. Fortunately it is not dependent on your phone provider so functions with all make of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or hiking, but nevertheless wants to be trackable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a significant money when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Advantages: LTE and orbital messaging, super-bright OLED display, tracks all activities with premier GPS, integrated torch, phone and standalone voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, full offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, buttons and touch.
Cons: very costly, LTE and satellite functions require ongoing subscription, restricted Garmin Pay bank support, speech features are slow, basic wearable features versus competing watches.
