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The latest iteration of Garmin's premium Fenix adventure timepiece brings a potentially lifesaving capability: no-phone messaging and SOS messaging via 4G LTE or orbital connections.

The Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the previously impressive Fenix 8 by adding new cellular technology, plus an optional state-of-the-art microLED screen in a limited edition. It is the brand's top model and designed to be the single tool needed to explore virtually anywhere and monitor all your movements.

This positions it as an extremely expensive proposition, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and climbing to a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED display – almost twice the price of the regular Fenix 8.

Users get a lot of functionality for your money, with industry-leading fitness, activity and outdoor tracking. The complete offline maps of the globe can seamlessly guide you back to the trail if you get lost without a phone, and appear excellent on the large, crisp and high-luminance touchscreen.

This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the more compact 43mm version available in other devices, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED model as tested boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life even with the display on all the time, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charging.

No-Phone Messaging, Calls and Real-Time Location

The company operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service plan instead of depending on a watch plan tied to your phone provider, as with other smartwatches. But unlike competing satellite-capable products, SOS messaging is not included for no cost.

Rather, plans start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE text and audio messages, calls and LiveTrack position sharing – so your contacts or loved ones can keep an eye on you while out jogging, biking or comparable pursuits – along with emergency orbital SOS alerts.

Check-ins and texts over satellite are then charged on top, with more expensive subscriptions including various quotas of orbital usage, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited plan. The watch comes with a 30-day trial period so you can evaluate the functionality.

Once you have got it set up, you simply head out the door without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for playing music or similar tasks, but you are able to make and take calls, dispatch texts and generally stay connected with your relatives and friends.

When you text someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a random number, which they can respond to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message reciprocally using text or voice communications, and make voice calls. Your contact is not required to have a Garmin account to use the Messenger application, only a phone number is enough to register for texts.

Texting on the watch works adequately but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a set of customisable pre-set responses you can use to speed things up. Spoken messages and calls perform acceptably, though as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re not going to want to use it for extended conversations as the quality is less than ideal.

LiveTrack is the handiest feature. You can set it up to automatically send a link to chosen contacts whenever you start an activity, so they can follow your live location on a map. It’s great for monitoring race progress, but it mostly acts as a utility for someone you trust to be aware of your location in case something happens. It has typically worked well, although the real position has occasionally been delayed when transitioning in and out of strong LTE signal.

These features are accessible on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, location updates and emergency SOS.

A guide displays you how to locate the line of sight to the orbital system, which then sends and receives messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly straightforward to use and could be a vital safety feature, however it is important to note that orbital coverage is limited to the US mainland, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.

Sustainability

The watch is typically serviceable with options offered via the support site. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its original power after two years of regular charging. The watch does not contain any recycled components. Garmin provides disposal programs on recent purchases.

Cost

The Fenix 8 Pro costs from £1,029.99 (€1,199.99/$1,199.99/A$2,299). The additional Garmin inReach subscription plans begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).

Conclusion

This Fenix 8 Pro takes a excellent outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for texting, call functionality and LiveTrack – along with orbital messaging, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re without signal.

The result is an increasingly remarkable adventure device for those that desire to be unplugged. 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 requiring anything else.

This is very liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality carries quite a price, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach service to enable the features. At least it isn’t dependent on your phone carrier so functions with all make of smartphone and network.

This Fenix 8 Pro is a killer device for someone who hates being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or trekking, but nevertheless desires to be locatable and contactable. For other users, it is a lot of money when the superb Fenix 8 already exists.

Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, super-bright OLED screen, tracks everything with premier GPS, built-in flashlight, voice and standalone voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, buttons and touchscreen.

Cons: extremely costly, LTE and satellite functions require ongoing payment, limited Garmin Pay bank compatibility, speech capabilities are slow, limited smartwatch features compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.