The latest model of the top-tier Fenix adventure timepiece introduces a life-saving capability: no-phone messaging and emergency alerts via 4G LTE or satellite connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the already outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge cellular technology, plus an available state-of-the-art microLED display in a special edition. It is the brand's premier device and designed to be the single tool required to venture virtually any location and monitor all your movements.
That positions it as 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 screen – nearly twice the price of the standard Fenix 8.
Users get a significant functionality for your investment, with best-in-class fitness, activity and adventure monitoring. Its full offline mapping of the globe can automatically guide you back to the path if you get lost absent a phone, and appear great on the large, crisp and high-luminance display.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the smaller 43mm size available in other models, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as tested boasts an additional day of smartwatch battery life despite the screen on all the time, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charging.
No-Phone Texting, Calls and Live Tracking
The company uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service instead of depending on a watch plan tied to your phone carrier, like other smartwatches. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled products, SOS communication is not included for no cost.
Instead, subscriptions begin from £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes unlimited LTE SMS and voice messaging, calls and LiveTrack position sharing – so your contacts or family can monitor you while engaged in jogging, biking or comparable activities – plus emergency orbital SOS alerts.
Location updates and texts via orbital are then charged on top, with more expensive subscriptions offering various quotas of satellite use, climbing to a £50 a month all-inclusive plan. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the service.
After you have got it set up, you simply venture outside minus your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or comparable tasks, but you are able to place and receive calls, dispatch texts and overall keep in touch with your family and companions.
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 message back and forth using typed or spoken messages, and make voice calls. Your contact is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, just a mobile number is enough to register for texts.
Texting on the watch functions fine but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a set of personalizable pre-set responses you can send to expedite communication. Voice messages and calls perform acceptably, although as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for lengthy discussions as the audio clarity is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the handiest function. You can set it up to automatically transmit a link to chosen contacts every time you begin an activity, so they can follow your live location on a map. It’s great for following competition progress, but it mostly acts as a utility for someone you trust to be aware of your whereabouts in case something happens. It has typically worked effectively, although the actual position has occasionally been delayed when transitioning in and out of good LTE coverage.
These capabilities are available on other Garmin devices if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the satellite activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, position check-ins and emergency SOS.
A guide shows you how to find the clear view 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 safety feature, however it is important to remember that orbital coverage is restricted to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees latitude.
Sustainability
The watch is generally repairable with options available via the customer service site. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its original power after two years of regular charging. The watch lacks any reused components. Garmin offers recycling programs on recent purchases.
Price
This Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The optional Garmin inReach subscription plans begin 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 texting, calls and LiveTrack – plus orbital messaging, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re out of coverage.
Outcome is an increasingly impressive outdoor device for those that want to be unplugged. If you want to have someone monitor you remotely while exercising out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.
It is quite freeing to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality carries quite a cost, both in terms of the substantial price of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach service to enable the service. Fortunately it isn’t dependent on your phone provider so works with all make of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier gadget for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or trekking, but nevertheless desires to be locatable and contactable. For other users, it is a lot of expense when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and satellite messaging, super-bright OLED screen, monitors everything with best-in-class GPS, integrated torch, phone and standalone commands, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, physical controls and touch.
Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and satellite features require monthly payment, limited Garmin Pay financial support, speech capabilities are slow, limited wearable functionality compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
