This newest model of the premium Fenix outdoor watch includes a life-saving feature: phone-free messaging and SOS messaging via 4G LTE or orbital connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating new cellular technology, plus an available state-of-the-art microLED screen in a special edition. This is the brand's top model and designed to be the only gadget required to explore almost anywhere and track every activity.
This makes it an extremely 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 edition with microLED display – almost twice the price of the regular Fenix 8.
Users receive a significant functionality for your money, with best-in-class fitness, activity and adventure monitoring. The complete offline maps of the globe can seamlessly guide you back to the trail if you get lost absent a phone, and look great on the sizable, crisp and super-bright display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the more compact 43mm version found in other models, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED version as tested does have an extra day of watch battery life despite the display on all the time, enduring a reliable eight to nine days between charging.
Phone-Free Texting, Calling and Real-Time Location
The company uses its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital subscription plan instead of relying on a watch plan linked to your phone carrier, like other smartwatches. But unlike competing satellite-capable products, emergency communication is not included for free.
Instead, plans start at £7.99 or similar a month, which provides unlimited LTE text and audio messages, calls and LiveTrack location tracking – so your contacts or loved ones can monitor you while engaged in running, biking or comparable activities – plus emergency orbital SOS messaging.
Check-ins and messages over orbital are then billed additionally, with higher-tier plans offering various quotas of orbital usage, 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 simply head out outside minus your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You cannot use it for playing music or comparable activities, but you are able to make and take calls, dispatch texts and generally stay connected with your relatives and friends.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can respond to back to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate back and forth via typed or voice messages, and make voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin account to use the Messenger app, only a phone number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Messaging on the watch works fine but typing out texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It has a collection of personalizable pre-set responses you can use to expedite communication. Spoken messages and calls work OK, though as with the majority of wearables, you’re not going to want to use it for lengthy discussions as the quality is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can set it up to automatically send a link to chosen contacts whenever you start an exercise, so they can track your real time position on a map. It’s excellent for following race performance, but it primarily acts as a utility for someone you trust to know your location in case something happens. It has typically worked effectively, although the real location has occasionally been delayed when transitioning in and out of strong LTE coverage.
These features are available on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in areas where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, position updates and emergency SOS.
A guide displays you how to locate the line of sight to the satellite, which then sends and receives communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a crucial lifeline, though it is important to note that satellite coverage is limited to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is generally repairable with services available via the customer service portal. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any reused materials. Garmin provides disposal programs on new purchases.
Price
This Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach subscription packages begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic adventure 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 out of coverage.
Outcome is an even more impressive adventure device for those that desire to be unplugged. If you want to have someone keep an eye on you remotely while exercising after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.
It is quite liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality comes at a significant price, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach plan to enable the service. Fortunately it isn’t dependent on your phone carrier so functions with any brand of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer gadget for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, cycling or hiking, but nevertheless wants to be locatable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a lot of money when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Advantages: LTE and satellite communication, super-bright OLED screen, monitors all activities with premier GPS, integrated torch, phone and standalone voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touchscreen.
Cons: extremely costly, LTE and orbital functions require monthly subscription, limited Garmin Pay bank compatibility, voice capabilities are sluggish, limited smartwatch features compared with competing watches.
