This most recent iteration of Garmin's top-tier Fenix adventure watch introduces a life-saving capability: phone-free messaging and emergency alerts via 4G LTE or satellite connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the already outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge mobile tech, plus an available advanced microLED screen in a special edition. It is Garmin's top model and designed to be the only gadget required to explore virtually any location and monitor all your movements.
This makes it an very expensive option, starting at £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 industry-leading fitness, movement and adventure monitoring. The full offline mapping of the world can seamlessly guide you return to the trail if you lose your way absent a phone, and look great on the sizable, crisp and high-luminance touchscreen.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, omitting the smaller 43mm size found in other devices, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as reviewed boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life even with the display always active, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Messaging, Calling and Real-Time Location
The company operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service plan instead of relying on a watch plan linked to your phone provider, as with other wearables. But in contrast to competing satellite-capable products, SOS communication is not provided for free.
Rather, subscriptions begin from £7.99 or similar a month, which includes unlimited LTE SMS and voice messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack location tracking – so your friends or loved ones can monitor you while engaged in jogging, cycling or similar activities – plus emergency orbital SOS messaging.
Location updates and messages via satellite are then charged additionally, with more expensive subscriptions offering different quotas of orbital usage, climbing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the functionality.
After you have got it set up, you simply head out the door minus your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or comparable activities, but you are able to place and receive calls, dispatch texts and generally keep in touch with your family and companions.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin sends 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 using text or voice messages, and make voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, only a mobile number is enough to register for texts.
Texting on the watch functions fine but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a collection of customisable canned responses you can send to speed things up. Voice recordings and calls perform OK, although as with most smartwatches, you’re not going to wish to use it for lengthy discussions as the quality is not ideal.
LiveTrack is the handiest function. You can configure to on its own send a URL to chosen contacts every time you begin an exercise, so they can follow your real time position on a map. It’s great for monitoring competition performance, but it mostly serves as a utility for someone you trust to know your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has typically worked well, although the actual location has occasionally been delayed when transitioning in and out of strong LTE signal.
All of these features are available on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, position updates and emergency SOS.
A on-screen assistance shows you how to find the clear view to the orbital system, which then sends and receives communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly straightforward to use and could be a vital safety feature, though it is important to remember that satellite coverage is limited to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically repairable with services available via the support portal. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any reused components. Garmin offers recycling programs on new purchases.
Cost
The Fenix 8 Pro is priced from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach service packages begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
This Fenix 8 Pro takes a excellent adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus satellite messaging, check-in and emergency SOS for when you’re without coverage.
Outcome is an increasingly remarkable adventure tool for those that desire to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone keep an eye on you from afar while running out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without needing additional gear.
It is quite liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality carries a significant cost, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach service to provide the features. Fortunately it is not dependent on your phone carrier so works with all brand of smartphone and network.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when jogging, cycling or hiking, but still wants to be trackable and contactable. For other users, it is a significant expense when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and satellite messaging, high-luminance OLED display, monitors all activities with best-in-class GPS, integrated torch, phone and offline commands, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touch.
Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and satellite features need monthly payment, limited Garmin Pay financial compatibility, voice capabilities are sluggish, limited smartwatch features versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
