Garmin Rumors has offered new insights into the state of Garmin's rumoured LTE smartwatch refreshes. To recap, Garmin was spotted showing LTE connectivity options for the Fenix 8. The same was also true for the Enduro 3, Fenix E and Tactix 8 (curr. $1,299.99 on Amazon), which all contained a 'Phone' section in Garmin's pairing troubleshooting animation.
According to Garmin Rumors, Garmin is actively developing LTE connectivity as an option for the Fenix 8 series. However, it will not arrive as the Garmin Connect app suggested. Incidentally, the company has since removed these references. Nonetheless, we have managed to grab a recording before it did so, which you can find below.
Citing 'intel' rather than providing a specific source, Garmin Rumors claims that LTE will be added to the Fenix 8 line by way of a future Fenix 8 Pro release. Unlike previous generations, Garmin's 'Pro' variants are not expected to add any other design, sensors, software or hardware changes. Instead, LTE connectivity will be the only differentiating factor.
Even then, Garmin Rumors believes that the Fenix 8 Pro will use its LTE modem just like the Forerunner 945 LTE before it. That is to say that it will offer features like Emergency Assistance and Garmin's live tracking software suite but not music streaming or the ability to make and receive phone calls or texts. Unfortunately, a release date for the Fenix 8 Pro has not emerged yet, nor has launch pricing.