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This newest version of the top-tier Fenix adventure watch includes a potentially lifesaving feature: no-phone communication and SOS alerts using 4G LTE or satellite links.

This Fenix 8 Pro builds upon the already outstanding Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge mobile technology, along with an available advanced microLED screen in a special edition. This is Garmin's top device and designed to be the only tool required to explore virtually any location and monitor every activity.

That positions it as an very pricey proposition, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and climbing to a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED screen – nearly twice the price of the standard Fenix 8.

Users get a lot of features for your investment, with best-in-class fitness, movement and adventure tracking. Its full offline mapping of the world can seamlessly direct you return to the trail if you lose your way absent a phone, and appear excellent on the sizable, crisp and high-luminance touchscreen.

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

Phone-Free Texting, Calling and Real-Time Location

The company uses its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service instead of relying on a watch plan tied to your mobile provider, like other smartwatches. However in contrast to Apple or Google's satellite-enabled products, emergency communication is not provided for free.

Rather, subscriptions start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes limitless LTE SMS and voice messages, call functionality and LiveTrack location tracking – so your contacts or family can keep an eye on you while engaged in jogging, biking or similar pursuits – along with SOS orbital SOS alerts.

Check-ins and texts over satellite are then billed additionally, with more expensive plans offering various quotas of satellite usage, increasing to a £50 a month unlimited plan. The watch comes with a 30-day trial period so you can test out the functionality.

Once you have completed setup, you just head out the door without your phone and the watch will link 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 overall keep in touch with your relatives and companions.

When you message someone, Garmin sends them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger application, you can then communicate reciprocally using text or voice messages, and initiate voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin account to use the Messenger app, only a phone number is sufficient to sign up for texts.

Messaging on the watch works fine but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It has a set of personalizable pre-set replies you can use to expedite communication. Spoken messages and calls perform acceptably, though as with most wearables, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for lengthy conversations as the audio clarity is less than fantastic.

LiveTrack is the handiest function. You can set it up to on its own send a URL to chosen contacts every time you begin an activity, so they can track your real time position on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring race progress, but it primarily acts as a utility for someone you trust to be aware of your whereabouts in case something happens. It has typically worked well, though the actual location has occasionally been delayed when moving in and out of strong LTE signal.

These capabilities are accessible on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in locations where LTE does not reach, the satellite kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, position check-ins and emergency SOS.

A on-screen assistance displays you how to find the line of sight to the satellite, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly straightforward to use and could be a vital safety feature, though it is essential to remember that orbital service is limited to the US continent, most of Canada, and most of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.

Environmental Impact

The watch is generally repairable with services offered via the customer service site. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any reused components. Garmin offers recycling schemes on recent purchases.

Price

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

Conclusion

This Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite communication, check-in and SOS SOS for when you’re out of signal.

Outcome is an increasingly impressive outdoor tool for those that desire to be phone-free. If you want to have someone monitor you remotely while running after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without needing anything else.

This is quite liberating to be outside without a phone, but that functionality comes at a significant price, both in terms of the substantial cost of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach plan to provide the features. At least it isn’t dependent on your phone provider so functions with all brand of smartphone and carrier.

The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer device for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when jogging, biking or trekking, but still desires to be locatable and contactable. For other users, it is a lot of expense when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.

Pros: LTE and satellite messaging, high-luminance OLED screen, monitors all activities with best-in-class GPS, built-in flashlight, phone and offline commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, buttons and touch.

Drawbacks: extremely costly, LTE and satellite functions need monthly payment, limited Garmin Pay bank compatibility, voice features are slow, basic smartwatch features versus competing watches.