This latest iteration of the premium Fenix adventure watch introduces a life-saving capability: no-phone messaging and SOS alerts using 4G LTE or orbital connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already outstanding Fenix 8 by adding new cellular tech, along with an optional advanced microLED display in a special edition. This is the brand's premier device and engineered to be the single gadget required to venture virtually anywhere and monitor every activity.
That makes it an extremely expensive proposition, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and climbing to a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED screen – almost double the cost of the regular Fenix 8.
You do receive a significant functionality for your money, with industry-leading fitness, activity and outdoor monitoring. Its full offline mapping of the world can seamlessly guide you return to the path if you get lost without a phone, and appear great on the sizable, crisp and high-luminance touchscreen.
The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the smaller 43mm size found in other devices, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as tested does have an additional day of smartwatch battery life despite the display on all the time, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charges.
No-Phone Messaging, Calling and Real-Time Location
The company uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital subscription service rather than relying on a watch plan tied to your phone carrier, like other wearables. But in contrast to Apple or Google's satellite-enabled products, emergency communication is not included for free.
Rather, subscriptions begin from £7.99 or similar a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and voice messages, calls and LiveTrack location tracking – so your contacts or family can monitor you while engaged in running, biking or similar activities – plus SOS satellite SOS messaging.
Check-ins and messages via orbital are then billed additionally, with more expensive plans including different allowances of orbital usage, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day trial period so you can test out the functionality.
After you have got it set up, you simply head out the door minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or similar activities, but you can place and receive calls, dispatch texts and overall stay connected with your relatives and companions.
When you text someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate back and forth using text or spoken communications, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin account to use the Messenger app, only a phone number is enough to sign up for texts.
Messaging on the watch works fine but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It has a collection of personalizable pre-set replies you can send to speed things up. Spoken messages and calls perform OK, though as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re not going to wish to use it for extended conversations as the audio clarity is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can set it up to automatically send a link to chosen contacts whenever you begin an exercise, so they can follow your real time location on a map. It’s great for monitoring competition progress, but it primarily serves as a tool for someone you rely on to be aware of your whereabouts in case something happens. It has generally worked well, although the actual location has sometimes lagged when transitioning in and out of good LTE signal.
These capabilities are accessible on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in areas where LTE does not reach, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, position updates and SOS SOS.
A guide shows you how to find the clear view to the orbital system, which then transmits and gets 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 note that orbital service is limited to the US mainland, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.
Sustainability
The watch is typically serviceable with services available through the support portal. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any reused components. Garmin offers disposal schemes 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 cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).
Conclusion
This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus satellite messaging, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re without signal.
Outcome is an even more impressive adventure device for those that desire to be unplugged. If you wish to have someone monitor you remotely while running out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.
This is quite liberating to be outside without a phone, but that functionality carries quite a price, both in terms of the substantial cost of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach plan to provide the features. At least it is not dependent on your phone provider so functions with all make of smartphone and carrier.
This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier gadget for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when jogging, biking or hiking, but still wants to be trackable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a significant money when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Pros: LTE and satellite messaging, super-bright OLED display, monitors all activities with best-in-class GPS, built-in torch, voice and offline commands, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, buttons and touchscreen.
Cons: very expensive, LTE and orbital functions require ongoing payment, limited Garmin Pay financial compatibility, voice features are slow, basic wearable functionality versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
