This latest model of the top-tier Fenix adventure timepiece introduces a potentially lifesaving capability: no-phone messaging and SOS messaging via 4G LTE or orbital connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge cellular technology, plus an optional state-of-the-art microLED screen in a limited edition. It is the brand's top model and designed to be the single gadget needed to venture virtually anywhere and track all your movements.
That makes it an extremely pricey proposition, priced from £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 edition with microLED display – almost twice the cost of the standard Fenix 8.
You do get a significant features for your money, with industry-leading workout, movement and outdoor monitoring. Its full offline mapping of the globe can seamlessly direct you return to the trail if you lose your way without a phone, and look excellent on the large, crisp and high-luminance touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, omitting the smaller 43mm version found in other devices, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED model as tested boasts an extra day of watch battery life despite the display always active, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Texting, Calling and Real-Time Location
The company operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your mobile provider, like other wearables. But unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled products, emergency communication is not included for free.
Instead, plans start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and audio messages, call functionality and LiveTrack position tracking – so your contacts or loved ones can monitor you while engaged in running, cycling or comparable activities – along with emergency orbital SOS alerts.
Check-ins and messages via orbital are then billed on top, with higher-tier plans including different quotas of orbital use, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day trial period so you can test out the functionality.
Once you have completed setup, you just head out outside minus your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You can not use it for playing music or similar tasks, but you can place and receive calls, send texts and overall keep in touch with your family and companions.
When you text someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can respond to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message reciprocally using text or spoken messages, and make voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, only a phone number is enough to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch works fine but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a collection of personalizable canned responses you can send to expedite communication. Voice recordings and calls perform OK, though as with most wearables, you’re not going to wish to use it for extended conversations as the audio clarity is not fantastic.
LiveTrack is the handiest function. You can configure to automatically send a URL to chosen contacts whenever you begin an activity, so they can follow your live location on a map. It’s great for following race progress, but it mostly serves as a utility for someone you rely on to be aware of your whereabouts in case something happens. It has typically worked effectively, though the actual position has occasionally lagged when moving in and out of good LTE coverage.
These capabilities 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, location check-ins and emergency SOS.
A guide shows you how to find the line of sight to the satellite, which then transmits and gets messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a crucial safety feature, though it is essential to remember that orbital service is restricted to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees latitude.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically serviceable with services available through the support site. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its initial power after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any reused materials. Garmin provides disposal schemes on recent purchases.
Price
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).
Conclusion
The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re without coverage.
Outcome is an even more impressive outdoor device for those that desire to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone keep an eye on you from afar while running after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin accomplishes this without requiring anything else.
This is quite freeing to be outside without a phone, but that capability carries a significant cost, both in terms of the substantial cost of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach service to enable the features. At least it is not dependent on your phone provider so functions with all brand of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when jogging, cycling or hiking, but nevertheless desires to be trackable and contactable. For other users, it is a lot of money when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and orbital communication, high-luminance OLED display, tracks everything with best-in-class GPS, built-in torch, voice and offline voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, buttons and touch.
Drawbacks: very costly, LTE and satellite features need ongoing subscription, limited Garmin Pay financial support, speech capabilities are slow, basic wearable features versus competing watches.
