The latest model of the top-tier Fenix adventure timepiece brings a potentially lifesaving capability: no-phone messaging and SOS messaging using 4G LTE or orbital connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already impressive Fenix 8 by incorporating new mobile technology, along with an available state-of-the-art microLED screen in a special edition. This is the brand's premier device and engineered to be the single tool needed to venture almost any location and track all your movements.
This positions it as an extremely pricey proposition, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and climbing to a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED screen – nearly twice the cost of the standard Fenix 8.
Users receive a significant features for your money, with best-in-class fitness, activity and adventure tracking. Its complete offline mapping of the globe can seamlessly direct you back to the trail if you get lost absent a phone, and look excellent on the sizable, crisp and super-bright touchscreen.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, omitting the more compact 43mm version found in other devices, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as tested boasts an extra day of watch battery life despite the screen on all the time, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Texting, Calls and Real-Time Location
Garmin uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service instead of depending on a watch plan tied to your phone provider, as with other wearables. However in contrast to competing satellite-enabled products, emergency messaging is not included for free.
Instead, plans start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes unlimited LTE SMS and voice messaging, calls and LiveTrack position tracking – so your friends or loved ones can monitor you while engaged in running, biking or comparable activities – along with SOS satellite SOS messaging.
Check-ins and texts via orbital are then charged additionally, with higher-tier subscriptions offering different quotas of orbital use, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the service.
After you have completed setup, you simply venture outside without your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or comparable activities, but you are able to place and receive calls, dispatch texts and generally stay connected with your family and companions.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a random phone number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate reciprocally using typed or voice messages, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin account to use the Messenger app, just a mobile number is enough to register for texts.
Texting on the watch works fine but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a set of personalizable canned responses you can send to expedite communication. Spoken recordings and calls work OK, though as with the majority of wearables, you’re not going to want to use it for lengthy discussions as the audio clarity is not fantastic.
LiveTrack is the handiest function. You can set it up to automatically transmit a link to chosen contacts whenever you start an activity, so they can follow your live position on a map. It’s great for following competition performance, but it mostly serves as a tool for someone you rely on to be aware of your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has typically worked well, though the actual location has sometimes lagged when moving in and out of good LTE signal.
All of these features are available on other Garmin devices if you carry your phone with you, but in areas where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, location updates and SOS SOS.
A on-screen assistance shows you how to locate the line of sight to the satellite, which then transmits and gets messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly straightforward to use and could be a crucial lifeline, however it is essential to remember that orbital coverage is limited to the US mainland, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe except for regions of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Environmental Impact
The watch is typically repairable with services available through the support portal. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its original power after two years of regular charging. The watch does not contain any reused materials. Garmin offers recycling programs on recent purchases.
Price
The Fenix 8 Pro is priced from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach subscription packages begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Verdict
The Fenix 8 Pro takes a excellent adventure watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite communication, check-in and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.
The result is an increasingly remarkable outdoor device for those that desire to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone keep an eye on you remotely while running after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without requiring additional gear.
It is quite liberating to be outside without a phone, but that functionality carries quite a price, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach plan to provide the service. At least it isn’t reliant on your phone provider so works with any make of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer gadget for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when jogging, cycling or trekking, but still wants to be locatable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a lot of money when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Advantages: LTE and satellite communication, high-luminance OLED display, monitors all activities with premier GPS, integrated flashlight, voice and standalone commands, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touchscreen.
Drawbacks: very expensive, LTE and satellite functions need monthly payment, restricted Garmin Pay bank support, speech capabilities are slow, limited wearable functionality compared with competing watches.
