🔗 Share this article

The most recent model of the flagship Fenix adventure timepiece includes a potentially lifesaving capability: phone-free messaging and emergency messaging using 4G LTE or orbital connections.

The Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge cellular tech, along with an available advanced microLED screen in a special edition. It is Garmin's premier model and engineered to be the only tool required to explore virtually anywhere and monitor all your movements.

This positions it as an extremely expensive option, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and reaching a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED display – almost twice the cost of the standard Fenix 8.

Users receive a lot of features for your money, with best-in-class workout, activity and adventure monitoring. The complete offline mapping of the world can automatically guide you return to the path if you get lost without a phone, and look great on the sizable, sharp and super-bright display.

The Fenix 8 Pro is only offered in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the more compact 43mm version available in other devices, so it is a large watch for larger wrists. But the 47mm OLED model as tested boasts an additional day of watch battery life despite the screen always active, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charging.

No-Phone Texting, Calls and Real-Time Location

Garmin uses its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service service rather than depending on a watch plan linked to your phone provider, like other smartwatches. However in contrast to Apple or Google's satellite-capable products, emergency messaging is not included for free.

Instead, subscriptions begin from £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and audio messages, call functionality and LiveTrack position tracking – so your contacts or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in jogging, biking or comparable pursuits – plus emergency satellite SOS alerts.

Location updates and texts via satellite are then charged additionally, with more expensive plans including various allowances of satellite usage, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive plan. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the service.

Once you have completed setup, you simply head out the door minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or comparable tasks, but you can place and receive calls, send texts and overall keep in touch with your family and friends.

When you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a random number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they install the Garmin Messenger app, you can then message reciprocally using typed or spoken messages, and initiate voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, just a mobile number is enough to sign up for texts.

Messaging on the watch functions fine but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a collection of customisable pre-set replies you can send to speed things up. Voice recordings and calls work acceptably, although as with the majority of wearables, you’re not going to want to use it for lengthy discussions as the audio clarity is not fantastic.

LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can set it up to automatically send a link to chosen contacts every time you start an activity, so they can follow your live location on a map. It’s great for monitoring race progress, but it mostly serves as a utility for someone you trust to be aware of your location in case an incident occurs. It has generally worked effectively, although the real location has occasionally lagged when moving in and out of good LTE coverage.

All of these capabilities are available on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, location check-ins and SOS SOS.

A guide shows you how to locate the clear view to the orbital system, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly straightforward to use and could be a crucial safety feature, though it is essential to note that orbital service is restricted to the US continent, most of Canada, and most of Europe except for regions of Scandinavia above 65 degrees latitude.

Sustainability

The watch is generally repairable with options available via the customer service site. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its initial power after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any recycled materials. Garmin provides 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 begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).

Verdict

The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – along with orbital messaging, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re without coverage.

The result is an even more remarkable adventure device for those that want to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone keep an eye on you remotely while running after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without needing anything else.

It is quite liberating to be outside without a phone, but that capability comes at quite a cost, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach service to enable the service. Fortunately it is not dependent on your phone provider so works with all brand of smartphone and network.

This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier gadget for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or trekking, but nevertheless wants to be locatable 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 screen, monitors everything with premier GPS, built-in flashlight, voice and offline commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touch.

Cons: very expensive, LTE and satellite functions need ongoing subscription, limited Garmin Pay bank support, voice capabilities are slow, limited smartwatch features versus competing watches.