The newest model of Garmin's top-tier Fenix adventure watch includes a life-saving feature: phone-free communication and SOS messaging using 4G LTE or orbital connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by adding new cellular tech, plus an available advanced microLED screen in a special edition. It is Garmin's top model and designed to be the only tool required to explore virtually anywhere and monitor all your movements.
This positions it as an very expensive 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 – almost twice the cost of the standard Fenix 8.
You do get a lot of features for your investment, with best-in-class fitness, activity and outdoor tracking. Its full offline mapping of the globe can automatically guide you return to the trail if you lose your way absent a phone, and appear excellent on the large, crisp and super-bright display.
This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the smaller 43mm version available in other models, so it is a large watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as tested boasts an additional day of watch battery life even with the display on all the time, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charging.
Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Real-Time Location
The company operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital subscription plan rather than depending on a watch plan linked to your phone provider, as with other wearables. But unlike competing satellite-capable devices, SOS communication is not provided for free.
Instead, subscriptions begin from £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides limitless LTE SMS and voice messages, call functionality and LiveTrack position tracking – so your friends or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in jogging, cycling or comparable pursuits – along with emergency orbital SOS alerts.
Check-ins and texts via satellite are then charged on top, with higher-tier plans including various quotas of satellite use, climbing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the functionality.
Once you have got it set up, you just head out outside without your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You cannot 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 family and companions.
When you message someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a random number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate reciprocally via typed or spoken communications, and make voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, just a mobile number is enough to sign up for texts.
Texting on the watch works fine but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a collection of personalizable canned replies you can send to speed things up. Voice messages and calls work OK, though as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for lengthy discussions as the audio clarity is less than ideal.
LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can set it up to on its own send a link to chosen contacts every time you start an activity, so they can track your real time location on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring competition progress, but it mostly acts as a utility for someone you trust to know your location in case an incident occurs. It has generally worked well, although the real location has sometimes been delayed when moving in and out of strong LTE signal.
All of these capabilities are available on other Garmin devices if you bring your phone with you, but in areas where LTE does not reach, the orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, position check-ins and emergency SOS.
A guide shows you how to locate the clear view to the orbital system, 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 important to note that orbital service is restricted to the US mainland, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia above 65 degrees latitude.
Sustainability
The watch is typically repairable with services offered through the support site. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its initial power after two years of regular charging. The watch lacks any reused components. Garmin offers recycling programs on new purchases.
Price
The Fenix 8 Pro costs 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
The 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 emergency SOS for when you’re out of coverage.
Outcome is an increasingly impressive adventure device for those that want to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone keep an eye on you from afar while exercising after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without needing additional gear.
It is quite liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that capability carries quite a cost, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach plan to provide the service. Fortunately it isn’t reliant on your phone provider so functions with any make of smartphone and network.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or hiking, but nevertheless wants to be trackable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a significant expense when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.
Pros: LTE and satellite messaging, high-luminance OLED display, monitors everything with best-in-class GPS, built-in flashlight, voice 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.
Drawbacks: very costly, LTE and satellite features need monthly payment, limited Garmin Pay bank support, voice capabilities are sluggish, limited smartwatch features compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
