🔗 Share this article

This most recent model of the premium Fenix adventure watch brings a potentially lifesaving capability: no-phone messaging and emergency messaging via 4G LTE or satellite connections.

The Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already outstanding Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge cellular tech, along with an available state-of-the-art microLED display in a special edition. It is the brand's top model and designed to be the single tool needed to explore virtually anywhere and track all your movements.

That 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 substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED screen – nearly double the price of the standard Fenix 8.

Users receive a lot of functionality for your investment, with best-in-class fitness, activity and outdoor tracking. The full offline mapping of the globe can seamlessly guide you return to the path if you get lost without a phone, and look excellent on the sizable, crisp and high-luminance display.

The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the smaller 43mm size found in other devices, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as tested does have an extra day of watch battery life despite the screen always active, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charging.

No-Phone Messaging, Calling and Real-Time Location

The company uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital subscription plan rather than relying on a watch plan linked to your phone carrier, like other smartwatches. But unlike competing satellite-capable products, emergency communication is not provided for no cost.

Rather, subscriptions start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes unlimited LTE text and voice messages, call functionality and LiveTrack position sharing – so your friends or loved ones can monitor you while out running, cycling or similar activities – plus SOS orbital SOS alerts.

Check-ins and texts over orbital are then billed on top, with more expensive plans offering different quotas of orbital use, climbing to a £50 a month unlimited subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day trial period so you can evaluate the functionality.

After you have completed setup, you just venture outside minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for playing music or similar activities, but you can place and receive calls, send texts and generally stay connected with your family and companions.

When you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a random phone number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message back and forth via typed or voice communications, and initiate voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, only a mobile number is sufficient to register for texts.

Texting on the watch works fine but typing out texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It has a collection of personalizable pre-set responses you can send to speed things up. Spoken messages and calls perform OK, although 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 automatically transmit a URL to selected contacts whenever you begin an activity, so they can follow your live position on a map. It’s great for monitoring race performance, but it primarily serves as a utility for someone you rely on to know your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has generally worked well, though the real position has sometimes been delayed when moving in and out of good LTE coverage.

All of these features are accessible 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, position updates and SOS SOS.

A guide shows you how to find the line of sight to the satellite, which then sends and receives messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly easy to use and could be a vital safety feature, though it is important to note that orbital service is restricted to the US continent, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia above 65 degrees latitude.

Environmental Impact

The watch is typically repairable with options offered via the support site. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any reused materials. Garmin provides recycling programs on new purchases.

Price

This Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The optional Garmin inReach subscription 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 standard Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite messaging, check-in and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.

The result is an increasingly impressive adventure device for those that desire to be unplugged. If you want to have someone monitor you remotely while running after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin accomplishes this without needing anything else.

This is very freeing to be outside without a phone, but that capability carries quite a price, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the monthly subscription of the inReach plan to enable the features. Fortunately it is not reliant on your phone provider so functions with any brand of smartphone and network.

This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier gadget for someone who dislikes being burdened by their phone when running, cycling or hiking, but nevertheless desires to be locatable and contactable. For other users, it is a significant money when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.

Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, high-luminance OLED display, monitors everything with best-in-class GPS, built-in flashlight, voice and standalone commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, buttons and touch.

Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and satellite functions need ongoing subscription, limited Garmin Pay financial support, speech features are sluggish, basic wearable features versus competing watches.