This most recent version of the flagship Fenix adventure watch introduces a life-saving feature: phone-free communication and SOS alerts using 4G LTE or orbital links.
This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating new mobile technology, along with an available advanced microLED display in a limited edition. It is the brand's top device and designed to be the only tool required to venture almost anywhere and track all your movements.
This positions it as an extremely expensive option, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and climbing to a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED screen – nearly double the price of the regular Fenix 8.
You do receive a significant functionality for your investment, with best-in-class fitness, activity and adventure tracking. Its full offline mapping of the world can seamlessly direct you return to the trail if you get lost without a phone, and look excellent on the large, crisp and super-bright touchscreen.
The Fenix 8 Pro is only offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the more compact 43mm size available in other models, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED model as reviewed boasts an extra day of watch battery life despite the display on all the time, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charging.
No-Phone Messaging, Calling and Live Tracking
The company uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital subscription plan instead of relying on a watch plan linked to your phone provider, as with other smartwatches. But unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled products, emergency messaging is not provided for no cost.
Instead, subscriptions start at £7.99 or similar a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and voice messaging, calls and LiveTrack location sharing – so your friends or family can keep an eye on you while engaged in running, cycling or comparable activities – along with emergency satellite SOS messaging.
Location updates and messages over orbital are then billed on top, with higher-tier plans including various allowances of orbital usage, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can test out the service.
Once you have got it set up, you just venture the door minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or similar activities, but you are able to make and take calls, dispatch texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and friends.
Whenever you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate reciprocally via typed or spoken communications, and initiate voice calls. Your contact is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, just a mobile number is enough to register for texts.
Texting on the watch functions adequately but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It includes a set of customisable canned replies you can send to speed things up. Spoken messages and calls perform acceptably, though as with the majority of wearables, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for extended conversations as the quality is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can configure to automatically transmit a link to chosen contacts every time you start an exercise, so they can track your real time position on a map. It’s excellent for following race progress, but it primarily serves as a tool for someone you rely on to know your location in case something happens. It has generally functioned effectively, though the actual location has occasionally lagged when transitioning in and out of strong LTE coverage.
All of these features are accessible on other Garmin watches 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 SOS SOS.
A guide shows you how to locate the line of sight to the orbital system, which then sends and receives messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly straightforward to use and could be a crucial safety feature, however it is important to remember that orbital coverage is limited to the US mainland, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically serviceable with services available through the customer service portal. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its initial power after two years of regular charging. The watch does not contain any reused components. Garmin offers disposal schemes on new purchases.
Cost
This Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The optional Garmin inReach subscription plans cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
The Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic adventure watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.
The result is an increasingly remarkable outdoor device for those that want to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone keep an eye on 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 outside without a phone, but that functionality comes at quite a price, both in terms of the substantial cost of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach service to enable the features. At least it isn’t reliant 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 dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or hiking, but still wants to be trackable and reachable. For other users, it is a significant expense when the superb Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, high-luminance OLED display, tracks all activities with premier GPS, built-in torch, voice 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 touchscreen.
Drawbacks: very costly, LTE and satellite functions need monthly subscription, limited Garmin Pay bank support, voice capabilities are slow, limited wearable functionality compared with competing watches.
