The latest version of Garmin's top-tier Fenix outdoor watch includes a potentially lifesaving capability: phone-free messaging and SOS alerts via 4G LTE or satellite connections.
The Fenix 8 Pro enhances the already outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge mobile tech, plus an available advanced microLED display in a limited edition. It is the brand's top device and engineered to be the single tool required to venture almost any location and track all your movements.
That makes it an very expensive proposition, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and climbing to a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED screen – nearly double the cost of the standard Fenix 8.
Users get a lot of features for your investment, with best-in-class fitness, movement and adventure tracking. Its full offline mapping of the globe can seamlessly guide you back to the path if you get lost absent a phone, and look excellent on the sizable, sharp and high-luminance display.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the more compact 43mm size found in other models, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as tested boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life despite the display on all the time, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Texting, Calls and Real-Time Location
The company operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your mobile provider, like other smartwatches. However in contrast to Apple or Google's satellite-capable products, emergency communication is not provided for no cost.
Rather, subscriptions begin from £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE text and audio messages, call functionality and LiveTrack location tracking – so your contacts or family can monitor you while engaged in running, cycling or comparable activities – along with emergency orbital SOS messaging.
Location updates and texts over satellite are then charged additionally, with more expensive subscriptions including different allowances of orbital use, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the service.
Once you have completed setup, you simply head out the door minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for playing music or similar activities, but you can place and receive calls, dispatch texts and generally keep in touch with your family and companions.
Whenever you message someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can respond to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger app, you can then message back and forth via text or voice communications, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, only a mobile number is sufficient to register for texts.
Messaging on the watch functions fine but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a set of personalizable canned replies you can use to speed things up. Voice recordings and calls perform OK, although as with the majority of wearables, you’re not going to want to use it for extended conversations as the quality is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the handiest feature. You can set it up to on its own transmit a link to selected contacts whenever you begin an exercise, so they can follow your live position on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring competition progress, but it mostly serves as a tool for someone you trust to know your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has generally worked well, though the real position has occasionally been delayed when transitioning in and out of good LTE signal.
These capabilities are available on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in areas where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, location check-ins and SOS SOS.
A guide shows you how to locate the clear view to the orbital system, which then transmits and gets messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly easy to use and could be a vital safety feature, however it is important to note that orbital coverage is limited to the US continent, most of Canada, and most of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees latitude.
Environmental Impact
The watch is generally serviceable with services offered through the customer service site. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its initial power after two years of regular charging. The watch does not contain any reused components. Garmin provides 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 cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – along with orbital communication, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re without coverage.
The result is an increasingly impressive outdoor device for those that want to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone monitor you from afar while running out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin accomplishes this without requiring additional gear.
It is quite freeing to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality comes at a significant price, both in terms of the substantial cost of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach plan to provide the service. At least it isn’t reliant on your phone carrier so functions with any brand of smartphone and carrier.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a killer device for someone who dislikes being burdened by their phone when running, biking or hiking, but nevertheless wants to be locatable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a significant money when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and orbital messaging, high-luminance OLED display, monitors everything with best-in-class GPS, built-in torch, phone and offline commands, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, buttons and touchscreen.
Cons: very expensive, LTE and orbital features require ongoing payment, restricted Garmin Pay bank compatibility, speech features are slow, limited wearable features compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
