The latest iteration of Garmin's top-tier Fenix outdoor timepiece brings a potentially lifesaving capability: no-phone messaging and emergency alerts using 4G LTE or satellite links.
This Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the already impressive Fenix 8 by incorporating new mobile tech, plus an optional advanced microLED display in a limited edition. This is Garmin's top device and designed to be the single gadget required to venture virtually anywhere and track every activity.
This positions it as an very expensive proposition, priced from £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 variant with microLED display – almost double the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
You do receive a lot of functionality for your investment, with industry-leading fitness, movement and adventure monitoring. Its complete offline mapping of the world can automatically guide you back to the path if you lose your way without a phone, and look excellent on the sizable, crisp and high-luminance display.
The Fenix 8 Pro is only offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the more compact 43mm version found in other models, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as reviewed does have an additional day of smartwatch battery life despite the display always active, enduring a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Messaging, Calling and Live Tracking
Garmin operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service plan rather than relying on a watch plan tied to your mobile provider, as with other smartwatches. However unlike competing satellite-enabled devices, emergency messaging is not provided for free.
Instead, plans start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes limitless LTE text and audio messages, call functionality and LiveTrack position sharing – so your friends or loved ones can monitor you while engaged in running, cycling or similar activities – along with emergency orbital SOS alerts.
Check-ins and texts over satellite are then charged additionally, with more expensive subscriptions including different quotas of orbital usage, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the service.
After you have completed setup, you simply head out outside minus your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You can not use it for playing music or comparable tasks, but you can place and receive calls, send texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and friends.
When you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can respond to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger app, you can then message reciprocally via text or spoken communications, and initiate voice calls. Your contact is not required to have a Garmin account to use the Messenger app, just a mobile number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch works fine but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It includes a set of customisable canned responses you can send to speed things up. Voice recordings and calls perform OK, although as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for lengthy discussions as the quality is not fantastic.
LiveTrack is the handiest feature. You can configure to on its own send a link to selected contacts whenever you begin an activity, so they can track your live location on a map. It’s excellent for following race performance, but it mostly acts as a utility for someone you rely on to know your whereabouts in case something happens. It has typically worked well, though the real location has sometimes been delayed when moving in and out of strong LTE signal.
All of these capabilities are available on other Garmin watches 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, position updates and SOS SOS.
A on-screen assistance displays you how to find the clear view to the orbital system, which then sends and receives 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 remember that satellite coverage is limited to the US mainland, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically serviceable with services offered via the support site. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its original power after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any recycled components. Garmin provides disposal programs on new purchases.
Cost
This Fenix 8 Pro is priced from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The optional Garmin inReach subscription packages cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with orbital messaging, check-in and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.
The result is an increasingly remarkable outdoor device for those that want to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone monitor you remotely while running out at night or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.
It is very freeing to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality comes at a significant cost, both in terms of the substantial price of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach plan to provide the service. At least it isn’t reliant on your phone carrier so works 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 jogging, biking or hiking, but nevertheless desires to be locatable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a significant expense when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and orbital messaging, high-luminance OLED display, monitors everything with best-in-class GPS, built-in torch, phone and offline commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre diving, buttons and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: very costly, LTE and orbital features require ongoing subscription, limited Garmin Pay financial compatibility, voice capabilities are sluggish, limited smartwatch features compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
