The Fenix series from is primarily a series aimed at those who won't compromise on anything. The new watch screams top quality and functionality: A combination I can best describe as quite BATMAN.
The Pro version builds on the base model ’s introduction of Garmin Messenger, from which you could send messages and make calls from the watch if it was connected to your phone. This year, the phone is no longer necessary.
The updated sharp, bright screen gives the watch the feel of the smartwatch it also is, and it makes you want to use it all day.
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Specifications:
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AMOLED screen
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Battery: Up to 27 days (51 mm) and 15 days (47 mm) in smartwatch mode
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Phone-free messages and calls via Garmin Messenger (Subscription required)
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Phone-free SOS emergency calls
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Weight: 78 grams (47mm)
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Advanced features like Body Battery, Running Economy, and PacePro help you understand your training and recovery
Design – Is the largest too large?
As a relatively slender middle-distance runner, I was a bit worried about testing a watch of the size that the many features and battery life require. My first running watch was a Fenix 3HR, which I replaced with a watch, as the Fenix watch felt large and clunky back then.
I can now confidently write that the Fenix watch will be my new daily watch. It is far from the clunky dials of earlier models, and the new screen gives the smartwatch impression, making it comparable to other modern watches.
The screen fills most of the dial, while space is still used for the reinforcing titanium bezel. The former makes the watch more elegant than previous models, where the screen had large “dead” areas, making the watch feel unnecessarily large. The watch feels well-balanced, even for a middle-distance runner.
inReach Features – Connection in nature
Leave the phone at home on your next adventure, as Garmin inReach allows you to stay connected with the world without a mobile. Make calls, send messages, send SOS, and use LiveTrack, which sends your adventure progress directly to your contacts, straight from the watch.
Fenix 8 Pro will first try to use your phone's connection. If this is unavailable, the watch will connect to the cellular towers, like those your phone uses with, for example, 4G.
Not only this: Should you find yourself somewhere on your adventure without cellular coverage, the watch can use Garmin's two-way satellite function; something never before seen in a watch.
IMPORTANT! - This naturally depends on whether you can connect to the satellites. And although the Skylo satellites have coverage that stretches over almost the entire world, they are all in orbit around the equator. The further north or south of the equator you are, the lower the satellites are on the horizon. This means that from about the middle of Norway and northwards, you have coverage, but you cannot always rely on having a direct connection to a satellite. Therefore, check a map of where you are going before you blindly trust that you can connect to the outside world.
The InReach SOS function is free for one year from the month you start your subscription, regardless of whether your subscription is active or inactive. All other InReach functions require an active InReach subscription.
If this becomes a message to a contact or an SOS is relevant, the watch guides you with animations and instructions to position yourself towards the nearest satellite to establish the connection. Then your message is sent to a contact or, if you are in an emergency, the emergency signal to Garmin's 24/7 emergency center, through the satellite connection.
I was well aware that the Fenix series is quite far from the usual, but when I first sent a message after following my watch's instructions, so it could connect with the so-called Iridium satellite system, which hangs about 780 km above the earth's surface, I went a bit wild. It's one of the watch's wildest features, if you ask me.
Software – An overwhelming arm monster
Although the watch has become more streamlined physically since the early Fenix watches, don't be mistaken: more and more features have been added since then, while battery life remains top-notch.
I've had the watch for almost six weeks now, and I still feel like I haven't scratched much more than the sapphire surface: from advanced multi-continent maps with GPS navigation to diving functions working down to 40 meters depth; from the underrated flashlight hidden in the watch case to advanced strength training programs with accompanying animations.
Don't forget the simple functions either. I quickly get out on runs and walks, as I never have to wait for the precise GPS signal, and the watch's Smart Wake function gently wakes you in the morning by analyzing your sleep phases. A feature I've become quite fond of.
Here you can read more about the features on .
All the above elements are just a selection of the nearly overwhelming number of features you find in the watch. All packed in a rustic yet elegant package, which for now is hard to surpass.
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