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This newest iteration of Garmin's top-tier Fenix outdoor watch includes a life-saving feature: phone-free communication and SOS alerts using 4G LTE or satellite connections.

The Fenix 8 Pro enhances the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge cellular technology, plus an available advanced microLED display in a special edition. This is Garmin's top device and designed to be the single gadget needed to venture almost any location and monitor all your movements.

This makes it an very pricey option, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and reaching a substantial £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED screen – nearly twice the price of the standard Fenix 8.

Users receive a significant features for your money, with industry-leading workout, movement and outdoor monitoring. Its complete offline maps of the world can seamlessly guide you return to the path if you lose your way absent a phone, and appear excellent on the sizable, crisp and super-bright touchscreen.

The Fenix 8 Pro is only available in 47mm or 51mm case sizes, not the smaller 43mm size found in other models, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED model as tested boasts an extra day of watch battery life even with the display always active, lasting a solid eight to nine days between charging.

Phone-Free Messaging, Calling and Real-Time Location

The company operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription plan rather than depending on a watch plan linked to your mobile provider, as with other smartwatches. But unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled products, emergency communication is not included for free.

Instead, plans begin from £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE text and voice messaging, calls and LiveTrack location sharing – so your contacts or family can monitor you while out running, biking or similar pursuits – plus emergency orbital SOS alerts.

Location updates and messages via satellite are then charged additionally, with higher-tier plans including different quotas of orbital usage, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day trial period so you can evaluate the functionality.

After 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 streaming music or similar activities, but you are able to place and receive calls, send texts and overall keep in touch with your family and friends.

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

Texting on the watch functions adequately but typing out texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a set of customisable pre-set replies you can use to speed things up. Spoken messages and calls perform OK, although as with most smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for extended discussions as the audio clarity is not fantastic.

LiveTrack is the handiest function. You can configure to automatically transmit a link to selected contacts every time you begin an activity, so they can track your real time location on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring race progress, but it mostly serves as a tool for someone you trust to know your location in case an incident occurs. It has typically functioned well, though the real location has sometimes lagged when moving in and out of strong LTE coverage.

All of these features are accessible on other Garmin devices 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 check-ins and SOS SOS.

A on-screen assistance displays you how to find the clear view to the orbital system, which then sends and receives communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was unexpectedly easy to use and could be a vital safety feature, however it is important to note that orbital coverage is restricted to the US continent, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.

Sustainability

The watch is typically repairable with services offered via the support portal. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any recycled materials. Garmin offers disposal programs on recent purchases.

Price

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

Verdict

The Fenix 8 Pro takes a excellent adventure watch in the regular Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with orbital messaging, check-in and SOS SOS for when you’re without coverage.

The result is an increasingly impressive outdoor tool for those that desire to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone monitor you from afar while exercising after dark or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.

This is very freeing to be outside without a phone, but that capability carries quite a cost, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach service to provide the features. Fortunately it isn’t reliant on your phone carrier so functions with all make of smartphone and network.

The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer device for someone who hates being burdened by their phone when jogging, biking or trekking, but still wants to be locatable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a lot of expense when the superb Fenix 8 already exists.

Advantages: LTE and satellite communication, high-luminance OLED screen, monitors everything with best-in-class GPS, built-in flashlight, voice and standalone commands, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre diving, buttons and touch.

Drawbacks: extremely expensive, LTE and orbital features need ongoing subscription, restricted Garmin Pay financial support, voice capabilities are sluggish, basic smartwatch functionality compared with competing watches.