Garmin Fenix 8 Pro LTE and Satellite – the big fail explained

Further Reading: Garmin Fenix 8 Pro Buyers Guide

Garmin’s Fenix 8 Pro was the serious hiker’s dream adventure watch of the year. Or at least that’s how it first appeared.

The headline features are two-way connectivity over a wide range of features within cell range (LTE) and when off-grid using satellite connection. I’ll go into the Fail in more depth but suffice it to say, the fail covers severe usability restrictions, sky-high pricing, critical battery life compromises, and design trade-offs.

The new Pro model is a regular Fenix 8 on connected steroids. Sometimes the problem is disconnected..not connected.

A $200 price bump gives the Pro version a new starting price of $1,199.99. It’s expensive, but if the features work flawlessly everywhere, it could be a price worth paying.

The Proprietary LTE Problem: You Can’t Just ‘Call’ Your Friends

Your shiny new watch arrives. Your first job is to sign up for a Garmin inReach subscription to make both the LTE and satellite features work. While the one-off connection fee is waived, your monthly subscription to inReach will be around $7.99. I can see how Garmin justifies the subscription for a genuinely separate service that is expensive to operate, but it makes the price hike for the watch a little bit harder to swallow.

Garmin uses an energy-efficient 4G LTE-M network connection, but it is not the same kind of LTE connection that your friends might use with Apple Watch or Pixel Watch.

Q: Do I use my regular cell phone provider to sign up for LTE?

A: No. Just get the inReach subscription

Q: Do I keep my phone number?

A: No. There is no phone number linked to your inReach subscription. It doesn’t work that way.

Maybe the answers to those two questions will start alarm bells ringing, and you will be right to ask, “How on Earth do people contact me?” Well, Garmin has a separate, proprietary global network, and the only way to use that is with the Garmin Messenger app. Your partner literally can’t call you unless they have the Garmin Messenger app installed.

Think of it as a little bit like WhatsApp calling (on steroids).

Then you might think there is a Garmin directory where people find your calling details. Nope. Voice access is limited to a relatively small circle of known contacts.

Q: Can I send a text?

A: Yes, that’s a little bit easier. You can text any number, but the recipient will get the text from a seemingly random number.

Then there’s the battery drain caused by LTE and how Garmin manages it.

Let’s say you have LTE in Always-On mode. You can easily experience real-world watch-mode battery life significantly less than 3 days but that compares to the maximum life of 36 hours for Apple Watch Ultra 3. The precise drop will depend on whether your smartphone is with you and how good the LTE signal is in your location. While that performs better than the Apple Watch Ultra 3 on LTE, it’s in a similar ballpark—oh, and Apple Watch uses the new 5G RedCap connection.

Now, Garmin has decided to manage this using an ‘Auto LTE’ mode. This is a novel approach where the Fenix turns on LTE only when an outbound feature is used. That’s fair enough, but the obvious downside is that your incoming messages are not received immediately. You have to manually check for inbound messages.

Satellite Service: Why the GEO Network Fails When You Need It Most (Crevasse Scenario)

Garmin has chosen the new Skylo geostationary (GEO) satellite network.

This has different pros and cons compared to Garmin’s older Iridium network. For starters, Iridium had moving satellites in low Earth orbit and global coverage. Contrast that to GEO, whose satellites are in fixed positions skewed towards equatorial locations. Thus, the further North you go, the more the GEO coverage deteriorates—you’ll likely be fine in Europe and the USA, but less so in Northern Canada or Northern Scandinavia.

Go on your adventure. But don’t be too adventurous.

Let’s say you want to send an Emergency SOS request over satellite. There are a couple of practical issues to overcome here. First, you might have to angle and reorient your wrist so that the Fenix 8 Pro points to the correct part of the sky, which could be uncomfortable or awkward. And where exactly is the ‘correct’ part of the sky? Second, if there is no reception, you have to move. If you think about it, this makes sense, as the Skylo satellites won’t change positions by the very nature of their geosynchronous orbit. With Iridium, it was different as the satellites were constantly moving.

Problem: You’ve fallen into a crevasse or a gorge. How do you move to get a signal? That’s a major safety consideration, albeit with a stark example.

A final, but minor, issue is that an automated, continuous LiveTrack over satellite isn’t possible. The Fenix owner has to manually share their location.

Fenix 8 Pro models – other issues

One knock-on factor from supporting satellite connection is that Garmin had to do a fantastic job integrating a big aerial into the existing watch format. It was a tight squeeze, so tight that the usual smaller 43mm case model couldn’t be made; thus, those with smaller wrists will be disappointed.

Finally, the supreme letdown of the even more expensive microLED model exists. Garmin has the best display of any smartwatch. Well, it’s the best in every signal performance aspect except battery life. And it’s turned out to be an unexpected battery guzzler, delivering a lower battery life than the AMOLED version. To Garmin’s credit, this issue lies with the manufacturer, AU Optronics (AUO). The primary benefit of microLED, touted for the last two years, is that it saves energy. Except. Clearly, it doesn’t. It does look awesome, though.

Final Verdict: microLED – future potential or immediate letdown?

Recommendation: No, I can’t recommend it for now. microLED is going to improve significantly; only go for the microLED option for its ‘awesome toy’ factor. The battery life will just annoy any current Garmin owner used to super-long battery life.

Fenix 8 Pro vs Apple Watch Ultra 3

Here’s where you might think I’d recommend you to go with the Apple Watch Ultra 3. It too has maps, satellite and LTE.

Indeed, Watch Ultra 3 does use the GlobalStar satellite system which is not geostationary (good) but it lacks coverage in some countries, oceans and parts of South America, Africa, and the South Asian subcontinent. 

Its LTE service is, in fact, not LTE but rather the newer 5G RedCap, which falls back to 4G LTE when 5G is unavailable (Its 5G service lacks support outside of the USA…check for updates). This works more normally because you can contact anyone as you would with a phone, but, like Garmin inReach, there is a similar monthly fee in the form of a data plan. However, you will also likely experience roaming problems with that plan when overseas (check before you leave).

Take Out: Apple Watch Ultra 3 has a poorer battery life than Fenix 8 Pro, and its navigation features, whilst they look fantastic in places, fall behind the depth and professionalism of Garmin’s. You could always get a Watch OS app like the rather awesome WorkOutdoors to compensate.

Fenix 8 Pro – The Easiest Upsell or A Hurdle too high to jump

I’ve used LTE connections for several years now, mainly to avoid carrying a phone. Having first gone down that route because of my role on this site, I initially resisted using the feature. However, whilst the core competency of the feature (on Apple) hasn’t changed that much over the years, I have grown used to it and like the convenience. The Garmin LTE setup is a step backwards for me. Actually, two steps backwards – poor coverage and restricted communication options; and I wouldn’t take those steps. It’s too high a hurdle for me.

However, to others who are more invested in the Garmin ecosystem and perhaps more prone to more frequent adventures, the Fenix 8 Pro is a very attractive connected tool for the weekends. And if you stray off grid, no problemo. The satellite should kick in (admittedly, it would also be on my Apple Watch Ultra). Just don’t fall into a crevasse.

TL;DR –  The Fenix 8 Pro is currently best suited where cost is no object: to someone deeply invested in the Garmin ecosystem, who often trains outside of cell coverage, values emergency features, and is willing to accept feature compromises. Then why not buy a dedicated inReach device? The value proposition fails because what’s on offer here is more expensive than a dedicated inReach device without as good satellite connectivity.

The technical proposition is exciting from an enthusiast’s perspective, but only because it’s a big technical step forward for Garmin. It’s new/ It’s different. But it’s not the best when compared to other options. Sometimes that can be forgiven, and we’d say, “Oh, it’s a first-generation product; it’s a first step towards greater things.” However, I’m not sure that’s the case. It’s a step, alright, but it’s a step down a path constrained by the LTE limitations of Garmin’s Messenger/inReach ecosystem and its choice of satellite access. What use is a step down the “Road to nowhere?”

You might get a Fenix 8 Pro because you want one, not because you will trust your life in its hands.

Sources

• More: A fabulous Watch OS app fro outdoor navigation and mapping WorkOutdoors App
• Full details on Apple 4G, 5G coverage
• Full details on Garmin Fenix 8 Pro LTE Coverage
• In-depth Article on Garmin Fenix 8 Pro Comprehensive Buyers Guide (Including microLED)
• A Fenix 8 guide by dcrainmaker
• Thoughts on Fenix 8 Pro by Pro Hiker – @thehikingGuy. A recommended YouTuber!