This newest model of the flagship Fenix outdoor timepiece includes a life-saving capability: phone-free messaging and SOS alerts using 4G LTE or satellite links.
The Fenix 8 Pro enhances the already outstanding Fenix 8 by adding new mobile tech, along with an available advanced microLED display in a limited edition. It is Garmin's premier device and designed to be the only gadget required to explore virtually anywhere and monitor every activity.
That makes it an extremely pricey proposition, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and reaching a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED screen – nearly twice the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
Users receive a significant features for your money, with best-in-class workout, activity and outdoor tracking. The complete offline maps of the world can seamlessly direct you back to the trail if you get lost absent a phone, and look excellent on the sizable, sharp and super-bright touchscreen.
The Fenix 8 Pro is only offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the smaller 43mm size found in other devices, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as tested does have an additional day of watch battery life despite the display always active, enduring a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
Phone-Free Messaging, Calls and Live Tracking
The company uses its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service plan rather than depending on a watch plan linked to your phone provider, like other smartwatches. However unlike competing satellite-capable devices, emergency messaging is not provided for free.
Instead, subscriptions start at £7.99 or similar a month, which includes unlimited LTE text and audio messages, call functionality and LiveTrack location sharing – so your contacts or family can keep an eye on you while engaged in running, biking or comparable activities – along with emergency satellite SOS messaging.
Check-ins and messages via satellite are then billed additionally, with more expensive subscriptions offering different quotas of orbital usage, climbing to a £50 a month all-inclusive plan. The watch comes with a 30-day trial period so you can test out the service.
After you have completed setup, you just head out the door without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or similar tasks, but you are able to place and receive calls, dispatch texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and companions.
When you message someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a random number, which they can respond to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate reciprocally using text or spoken communications, and make voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, only a mobile number is sufficient to register for texts.
Texting on the watch functions adequately but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a collection of personalizable pre-set replies you can use to expedite communication. Spoken recordings and calls work OK, though as with most wearables, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for lengthy discussions as the quality is not fantastic.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can configure to automatically send a link to chosen contacts every time you begin an activity, so they can track your live position on a map. It’s excellent for following competition performance, but it primarily serves as a utility for someone you rely on to know your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has typically worked well, although the real position has sometimes been delayed when transitioning in and out of good LTE signal.
All of these features are accessible on other Garmin devices if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE lacks coverage, the satellite kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, position check-ins and SOS 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 surprisingly easy to use and could be a crucial lifeline, though it is important to note that satellite service is limited to the US mainland, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is typically serviceable with options offered through the customer service portal. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of regular charging. The watch lacks any reused components. Garmin offers recycling schemes on new 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 service packages begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic adventure watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – plus orbital communication, check-in and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.
The result is an even more impressive adventure device for those that want to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone monitor you from afar while exercising out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.
It is quite liberating to be outside without a phone, but that functionality carries quite a price, both in terms of the substantial price of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach service to enable the service. Fortunately it is not reliant on your phone carrier so functions with all make of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier gadget for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when jogging, biking or hiking, but nevertheless wants to be trackable and contactable. For other users, it is a lot of money when the superb Fenix 8 already exists.
Pros: LTE and orbital messaging, high-luminance OLED display, tracks everything with best-in-class GPS, built-in flashlight, phone and offline commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, full offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, buttons and touch.
Drawbacks: extremely expensive, LTE and orbital functions need ongoing subscription, limited Garmin Pay bank compatibility, voice capabilities are sluggish, basic wearable features versus competing watches.
