The latest model of the flagship Fenix adventure timepiece introduces a potentially lifesaving feature: no-phone communication and emergency alerts using 4G LTE or satellite links.
The Fenix 8 Pro enhances the already impressive Fenix 8 by incorporating new cellular tech, along with an available advanced microLED display in a special edition. It is the brand's top device and engineered to be the only tool needed to explore virtually any location and monitor every activity.
This positions it as an very pricey proposition, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and climbing to a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED screen – almost double the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users get a significant features for your money, with best-in-class workout, activity and adventure monitoring. Its full offline maps of the world can seamlessly guide you return to the trail if you lose your way absent a phone, and appear excellent on the large, crisp and high-luminance touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, omitting the smaller 43mm version found in other devices, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. But the 47mm OLED model as reviewed boasts an additional day of watch battery life even with the display on all the time, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charging.
Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Live Tracking
The company uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service plan instead of relying on a watch plan tied to your mobile carrier, as with other wearables. But in contrast to Apple or Google's satellite-enabled devices, SOS messaging is not provided for free.
Rather, plans begin from £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes limitless LTE text and audio messages, call functionality and LiveTrack position sharing – so your friends or family can monitor you while engaged in jogging, cycling or comparable pursuits – plus emergency satellite SOS alerts.
Check-ins and texts via satellite are then billed on top, with higher-tier subscriptions offering different quotas of orbital usage, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited plan. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the service.
After you have got it set up, you simply head out outside without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or comparable tasks, but you can make and take calls, send texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and friends.
Whenever you message someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can respond to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message back and forth using text or spoken communications, and initiate voice calls. Your contact is not required to have a Garmin account to use the Messenger app, only a phone number is enough to register for texts.
Texting on the watch functions adequately but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It has a set of personalizable pre-set responses you can send to speed things up. Spoken recordings and calls work acceptably, though as with the majority of wearables, you’re not going to wish to use it for lengthy discussions as the audio clarity is less than fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can set it up to automatically transmit a link to selected contacts every time you start an exercise, so they can follow your live position on a map. It’s great for following competition progress, but it mostly acts as a utility for someone you rely on to be aware of your location in case something happens. It has typically worked effectively, though the real position has sometimes lagged when transitioning in and out of good LTE coverage.
These features are available on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the satellite kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location check-ins and emergency SOS.
A on-screen assistance displays you how to find 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 crucial lifeline, though it is important to remember that orbital service is restricted to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically serviceable with services available via the customer service site. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its initial power after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any recycled components. Garmin provides recycling programs on recent purchases.
Cost
The 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 takes a excellent adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus orbital communication, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re without signal.
Outcome is an increasingly impressive adventure device for those that want to be unplugged. If you want to have someone keep an eye on you remotely while exercising after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin accomplishes this without needing anything else.
This is very freeing to be outside without a phone, but that capability carries quite a cost, both in terms of the substantial cost of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach service to provide the features. At least it is not reliant on your phone carrier so functions with any brand of smartphone and network.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when jogging, biking or trekking, but still desires to be locatable and reachable. For other users, it is a significant expense when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Advantages: LTE and satellite messaging, super-bright OLED display, monitors everything with best-in-class GPS, built-in torch, phone and offline commands, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touch.
Drawbacks: very costly, LTE and orbital features require monthly subscription, limited Garmin Pay bank compatibility, speech features are slow, basic wearable functionality compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
