🔗 Share this article

This latest version of the premium Fenix adventure watch includes a potentially lifesaving capability: phone-free messaging and SOS messaging using 4G LTE or satellite connections.

The Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge cellular tech, along with an available advanced microLED display in a limited edition. This is the brand's top device and engineered to be the single gadget needed to explore almost any location and monitor all your movements.

That positions it as an extremely pricey proposition, 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 variant with microLED screen – nearly twice the cost of the standard Fenix 8.

Users get a significant features for your investment, with industry-leading workout, movement and outdoor tracking. Its full offline mapping of the world can automatically direct you return to the path if you get lost without a phone, and look great on the sizable, sharp and high-luminance touchscreen.

The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, omitting the smaller 43mm version found in other devices, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as reviewed boasts an additional day of smartwatch battery life even with the display on all the time, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charges.

Phone-Free Texting, Calls and Real-Time Location

Garmin operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital subscription service rather than relying on a watch plan tied to your phone carrier, as with other smartwatches. However in contrast to competing satellite-capable products, emergency messaging is not provided for free.

Rather, plans start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes unlimited LTE text and audio messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack location tracking – so your friends or family can keep an eye on you while engaged in jogging, cycling or comparable activities – along with SOS orbital SOS alerts.

Check-ins and texts via satellite are then billed additionally, with more expensive subscriptions including various allowances of satellite use, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can test out the service.

Once you have completed setup, you just venture outside without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or comparable tasks, but you are able to place and receive calls, dispatch texts and overall stay connected with your family and friends.

When you message someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate reciprocally using text or voice communications, and initiate voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, just a mobile number is sufficient to register for texts.

Texting on the watch functions adequately but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It has a set of customisable canned responses you can use to expedite communication. Spoken recordings and calls perform OK, although as with most smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for extended conversations as the audio clarity is less than fantastic.

LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can configure to on its own transmit a link to selected contacts every time you begin an exercise, so they can follow your real time position on a map. It’s great for monitoring competition progress, but it mostly serves as a utility for someone you rely on to know your location in case an incident occurs. It has typically functioned well, though the real position has occasionally lagged when transitioning in and out of good LTE signal.

All of these capabilities are available on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in locations where LTE lacks coverage, the satellite kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, location check-ins and emergency SOS.

A on-screen assistance shows you how to find the clear view to the satellite, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a crucial lifeline, though it is essential to note that satellite service is restricted to the US mainland, the majority of Canada, and the majority of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.

Sustainability

The watch is typically repairable with services available through the customer service site. The battery is certified to retain at least 90% of its initial power after two years of regular charging. The watch does not contain any recycled materials. Garmin offers disposal schemes on recent purchases.

Cost

The Fenix 8 Pro is priced from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The optional Garmin inReach service plans cost from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).

Verdict

The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite communication, check-in and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.

The result is an even more impressive outdoor device for those that want to be phone-free. 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 anything else.

It is very liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality carries quite a price, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach plan to enable the features. At least it isn’t reliant on your phone provider so functions with any brand of smartphone and network.

The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer gadget for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when jogging, biking or hiking, but nevertheless wants to be trackable and reachable. For other users, it is a significant money when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.

Pros: LTE and satellite communication, high-luminance OLED display, monitors everything with premier GPS, integrated torch, voice and standalone voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, buttons and touch.

Cons: very costly, LTE and satellite functions require monthly subscription, limited Garmin Pay bank support, voice features are slow, limited smartwatch functionality compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.