🔗 Share this article

This latest version of the top-tier Fenix outdoor watch brings a potentially lifesaving capability: no-phone communication and emergency messaging using 4G LTE or satellite links.

This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating new cellular technology, along with an available state-of-the-art microLED display in a special edition. This is Garmin's top model and engineered to be the only gadget needed to venture almost anywhere and track all your movements.

That makes it an extremely 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 display – nearly twice the cost of the standard Fenix 8.

Users get a significant features for your money, with industry-leading fitness, activity and adventure monitoring. Its complete offline maps of the world can seamlessly direct you back to the path if you lose your way without a phone, and look excellent on the sizable, sharp and super-bright touchscreen.

The Fenix 8 Pro is only available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, omitting the more compact 43mm version found in other models, so it is a big watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as tested boasts an additional day of smartwatch battery life despite the screen always active, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charges.

No-Phone Messaging, Calls and Live Tracking

Garmin operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service plan rather than depending on a watch plan linked to your phone carrier, as with other smartwatches. However unlike competing satellite-capable devices, emergency messaging is not provided for free.

Rather, plans begin from £7.99 or similar a month, which includes limitless LTE text and voice messaging, calls and LiveTrack location sharing – so your friends or loved ones can monitor you while out running, cycling or comparable activities – along with emergency satellite SOS alerts.

Location updates and messages over orbital are then billed additionally, with higher-tier subscriptions offering different allowances of satellite usage, climbing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the functionality.

After you have got it set up, you simply head out the door without your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or similar activities, but you can make and take calls, send texts and overall keep in touch with your family and friends.

When you message someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary number, which they can respond to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger app, you can then communicate reciprocally using text or voice communications, and make voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have 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 tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a set of personalizable pre-set responses you can use to expedite communication. Spoken recordings and calls perform OK, although as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for lengthy conversations as the audio clarity is less than fantastic.

LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can configure to on its own transmit a URL to chosen contacts whenever you begin an activity, so they can track your live location on a map. It’s excellent for following competition performance, but it mostly serves as a utility for someone you trust to know your location in case something happens. 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 accessible on other Garmin devices if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, position check-ins and SOS SOS.

A guide shows you how to locate the clear view to the orbital system, which then sends and receives messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly easy to use and could be a crucial safety feature, however it is important to note that orbital service is limited to the US mainland, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.

Sustainability

The watch is typically serviceable with options available through the customer service site. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any recycled materials. Garmin offers disposal programs on new purchases.

Price

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

Conclusion

The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack – along with satellite communication, check-in and SOS SOS for when you’re without coverage.

The result is an even more impressive adventure device for those that want to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone monitor you from afar while running out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin accomplishes this without needing anything else.

It is very freeing to be outdoors without a phone, but that capability carries a significant price, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach plan to provide the features. At least it is not dependent on your phone carrier so functions with any brand of smartphone and carrier.

This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when jogging, cycling or hiking, but still wants to be locatable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a significant money when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.

Pros: LTE and satellite messaging, high-luminance OLED display, tracks everything with best-in-class GPS, integrated flashlight, phone and offline voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touchscreen.

Drawbacks: extremely expensive, LTE and orbital features require monthly payment, restricted Garmin Pay bank compatibility, voice capabilities are sluggish, basic smartwatch features versus Apple/Google/Samsung watches.