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The latest iteration of Garmin's top-tier Fenix adventure timepiece includes a life-saving capability: phone-free messaging and SOS messaging using 4G LTE or orbital links.

This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the already outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating new cellular technology, plus an available advanced microLED screen in a limited edition. It is the brand's top model and engineered to be the only gadget required to explore almost 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 model and reaching a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED screen – nearly twice the price of the regular Fenix 8.

You do get a significant features for your money, with best-in-class fitness, movement and outdoor tracking. The full offline maps of the world can seamlessly guide you return to the path if you get lost absent a phone, and look great on the sizable, crisp and high-luminance display.

The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the smaller 43mm size available in other devices, so it is a large watch for larger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as reviewed does have an extra day of smartwatch battery life despite the display always active, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charges.

Phone-Free Texting, Calling and Real-Time Location

Garmin uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription plan instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your phone provider, like other wearables. However unlike competing satellite-enabled products, emergency messaging is not provided for no cost.

Instead, plans start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides limitless LTE SMS and voice messaging, calls and LiveTrack location sharing – so your friends or family can keep an eye on you while out running, cycling or comparable activities – plus SOS satellite SOS alerts.

Location updates and texts via satellite are then charged on top, with more expensive plans offering various quotas of satellite usage, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can test out 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 comparable tasks, but you are able to make and take calls, send texts and generally stay connected with your family and companions.

Whenever you message someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a random number, which they can reply to directly to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then message reciprocally via typed or voice communications, and initiate voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin account to use the Messenger app, only a phone number is sufficient to register for texts.

Texting on the watch functions fine but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a set of personalizable canned replies you can use to speed things up. Spoken messages and calls work acceptably, although as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re not going to want to use it for lengthy conversations as the audio clarity is not ideal.

LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can set it up to automatically send a URL to selected contacts every time you start an activity, so they can follow your real time position on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring race progress, but it mostly serves as a utility for someone you trust to know your location in case something happens. It has generally functioned well, though the actual location has occasionally been delayed when transitioning in and out of good LTE coverage.

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

A on-screen assistance displays you how to locate the line of sight to the orbital system, which then transmits and gets messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a vital lifeline, though it is essential to note that satellite service is restricted to the US continent, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.

Environmental Impact

The watch is generally serviceable with options offered via the customer service site. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its original power after two years of regular charging. The watch lacks any reused components. Garmin offers disposal schemes on recent purchases.

Cost

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

Verdict

The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a excellent adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, calls and LiveTrack – along with orbital messaging, check-in and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.

The result is an increasingly impressive outdoor tool for those that desire to be phone-free. If you want to have someone keep an eye on you remotely while exercising out at night or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without requiring additional gear.

This is very freeing to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality comes at quite a price, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach plan to enable the service. 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 killer device for someone who dislikes being burdened by their phone when running, cycling or trekking, but still wants to be locatable and reachable. For other users, it is a significant expense when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.

Pros: LTE and satellite communication, high-luminance OLED display, tracks all activities with premier GPS, built-in torch, phone and offline commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, buttons and touchscreen.

Drawbacks: very costly, LTE and satellite functions need monthly payment, restricted Garmin Pay bank compatibility, speech capabilities are sluggish, basic smartwatch functionality compared with competing watches.