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This latest version of the flagship Fenix adventure watch includes a life-saving capability: phone-free communication and emergency messaging using 4G LTE or orbital connections.

This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the previously outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating new cellular tech, along with an optional advanced microLED screen in a limited edition. It is the brand's premier device and engineered to be the only gadget needed to explore virtually any location and track all your movements.

This positions it as an very expensive option, starting at £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED model and climbing to a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm variant with microLED display – nearly double the cost of the standard Fenix 8.

Users get a significant features for your investment, with industry-leading fitness, activity and outdoor monitoring. The complete offline maps of the world can seamlessly guide you return to the path if you lose your way without a phone, and look excellent on the large, crisp and high-luminance touchscreen.

The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, omitting the smaller 43mm version available in other devices, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as tested does have an extra day of watch battery life even with the display on all the time, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charges.

Phone-Free Messaging, Calling and Live Tracking

Garmin operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your phone provider, like other wearables. But in contrast to Apple or Google's satellite-capable products, emergency messaging is not included for free.

Instead, subscriptions begin from £7.99 or similar a month, which provides unlimited LTE text and voice messaging, calls and LiveTrack position tracking – so your contacts or loved ones can keep an eye on you while engaged in jogging, cycling or comparable activities – plus SOS satellite SOS alerts.

Check-ins and messages via satellite are then billed on top, with higher-tier plans including different allowances of satellite use, climbing to a £50 a month all-inclusive plan. The watch includes a 30-day free trial so you can test out the functionality.

Once you have got it set up, you just venture the door without your phone and the watch will link to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or comparable tasks, but you can place and receive calls, send texts and overall keep in touch with your relatives and friends.

Whenever you message someone, Garmin sends 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 back and forth via typed or voice messages, and make voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, just a phone number is enough to sign up for texts.

Texting on the watch works fine but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It includes a collection of customisable pre-set replies you can send to speed things up. Voice messages and calls perform OK, although as with the majority of smartwatches, you’re unlikely going to wish to use it for extended conversations as the audio clarity is not ideal.

LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can configure to automatically send a URL to selected contacts whenever you start an activity, so they can follow your real time location on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring race progress, but it mostly acts as a tool for someone you trust to know your whereabouts in case something happens. It has typically worked well, though the real location has sometimes 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 kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to send texts, position check-ins and emergency SOS.

A guide shows you how to locate the line of sight to the orbital system, which then transmits and gets communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly straightforward to use and could be a vital safety feature, though it is essential to remember that orbital coverage is restricted to the US mainland, most of Canada, and the majority of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia above 65 degrees north.

Environmental Impact

The watch is typically repairable with services offered via the customer service portal. The battery is certified to maintain at least 90% of its original power after two years of weekly charging. The watch lacks any recycled materials. Garmin offers recycling schemes on new purchases.

Cost

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

Verdict

The Fenix 8 Pro takes a excellent adventure watch in the standard Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – along with satellite messaging, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re without coverage.

The result is an increasingly remarkable outdoor device for those that desire to be phone-free. If you want to have someone monitor you from afar while exercising after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.

This is very liberating to be outside without a phone, but that functionality comes at quite a cost, both in terms of the colossal price of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach service to enable the service. Fortunately it is not reliant on your phone provider so works with any brand of smartphone and network.

This Fenix 8 Pro is a killer gadget for someone who hates being burdened by their phone when running, biking or hiking, but nevertheless wants to be trackable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a lot of expense when the excellent Fenix 8 already exists.

Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, super-bright OLED screen, tracks all activities with premier GPS, built-in flashlight, phone and standalone voice control, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre diving, physical controls and touchscreen.

Drawbacks: very costly, LTE and satellite features need monthly subscription, restricted Garmin Pay bank support, voice features are sluggish, limited wearable functionality versus competing watches.