This latest model of Garmin's top-tier Fenix outdoor watch introduces a potentially lifesaving feature: no-phone messaging and emergency alerts using 4G LTE or orbital connections.
This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge mobile tech, along with an optional state-of-the-art microLED display in a limited edition. This is Garmin's top model and designed to be the single tool needed to venture almost 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 edition with microLED screen – almost twice the price of the regular Fenix 8.
You do get a lot of functionality for your investment, with best-in-class workout, movement and outdoor tracking. Its complete offline mapping of the globe can automatically guide you return to the path if you lose your way absent 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, omitting the more compact 43mm version available in other models, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED version as tested boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life despite the screen on all the time, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charges.
Garmin uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription plan instead of depending on a watch plan tied to your phone carrier, like other smartwatches. But unlike competing satellite-capable products, emergency messaging is not included for no cost.
Instead, subscriptions begin from £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes limitless LTE text and audio messaging, calls and LiveTrack position tracking – so your contacts or family can monitor you while engaged in jogging, cycling or similar pursuits – along with SOS orbital SOS alerts.
Check-ins and messages over orbital are then billed on top, with more expensive plans offering different quotas of satellite use, climbing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day trial period so you can evaluate the service.
After you have completed setup, you simply head out the door without your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You cannot use it for playing music or comparable activities, but you are able to place and receive calls, send texts and overall stay connected with your family and companions.
Whenever you text someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can respond to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger app, you can then message back and forth using text or voice messages, and make voice calls. Your recipient does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, just a mobile number is sufficient to sign up for texts.
Messaging on the watch works adequately but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a set of personalizable pre-set responses you can send to expedite communication. Voice recordings and calls perform 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 less than fantastic.
LiveTrack is the handiest function. You can configure to on its own transmit a URL to selected contacts whenever you begin an activity, so they can track your real time position on a map. It’s great for following competition progress, but it mostly acts as a tool for someone you rely on to be aware of your whereabouts in case something happens. It has typically worked well, although the real location has occasionally lagged when moving in and out of good LTE coverage.
All of these features are available on other Garmin devices if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, location updates and SOS SOS.
A guide shows you how to find the clear view to the satellite, which then sends and receives communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly straightforward to use and could be a vital lifeline, though it is important to remember that orbital coverage is restricted to the US mainland, the majority of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees latitude.
The watch is typically repairable with services offered via the support portal. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its initial power after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any reused materials. Garmin provides recycling schemes on recent purchases.
The Fenix 8 Pro costs 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).
This Fenix 8 Pro takes a excellent outdoor watch in the standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with orbital communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re out of signal.
Outcome is an increasingly remarkable adventure tool for those that want to be phone-free. If you want to have someone keep an eye on you from afar while running after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.
It is quite freeing to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality comes at a significant cost, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach plan to enable the features. Fortunately it is not dependent on your phone carrier so functions with any make of smartphone and carrier.
The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or hiking, but nevertheless wants to be trackable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a lot of expense when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.
Pros: LTE and orbital communication, high-luminance OLED display, tracks all activities with premier GPS, built-in torch, voice and offline voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre diving, buttons and touch.
Drawbacks: very expensive, LTE and orbital functions need ongoing payment, limited Garmin Pay financial support, voice features are slow, limited wearable features compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.
A tech strategist with over a decade in AI implementation and digital transformation projects across various industries.
