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This newest version of Garmin's top-tier Fenix outdoor watch brings a life-saving feature: no-phone communication and emergency alerts using 4G LTE or orbital connections.

The Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already impressive Fenix 8 by adding new mobile tech, plus an optional advanced microLED screen in a special edition. This is Garmin's top device and designed to be the single tool required to explore virtually any location and monitor all your movements.

This positions it as an very pricey option, 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 variant with microLED display – nearly double the cost of the regular Fenix 8.

Users receive a lot of features for your investment, with best-in-class fitness, activity and adventure monitoring. The full offline maps of the globe can automatically direct you back to the trail if you get lost absent a phone, and look great on the sizable, sharp and high-luminance display.

This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the more compact 43mm version found in other models, so it is a large watch for larger wrists. However the 47mm OLED model as tested boasts an extra day of watch battery life even with the screen on all the time, enduring a solid eight to nine days between charges.

Phone-Free Texting, Calling and Real-Time Location

Garmin operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service service instead of depending on a watch plan linked to your mobile provider, like other smartwatches. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-capable devices, emergency messaging is not included for free.

Rather, plans start at £7.99 or similar a month, which includes limitless LTE text and voice messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack position sharing – so your contacts or loved ones can monitor you while engaged in jogging, biking or similar pursuits – along with emergency orbital SOS messaging.

Check-ins and messages over satellite are then billed on top, with more expensive plans including different allowances of satellite use, climbing to a £50 a month unlimited plan. The watch includes a 30-day trial period so you can test out the service.

After you have completed setup, you simply venture outside without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You cannot use it for streaming music or comparable tasks, but you can make and take calls, send texts and generally stay connected with your relatives and companions.

When you text someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a arbitrary phone number, which they can respond to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger app, you can then message back and forth using typed or voice messages, and initiate voice calls. Your contact is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, only a phone number is sufficient to register for texts.

Texting on the watch works adequately but composing texts on the tiny on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It includes a set of customisable pre-set replies you can use to speed things up. Spoken messages and calls work acceptably, although as with most wearables, you’re not going to want to use it for extended discussions as the audio clarity is not ideal.

LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can configure to on its own transmit a link to selected contacts every time you start an activity, so they can follow your live position on a map. It’s excellent for monitoring competition progress, but it mostly acts as a utility for someone you trust to be aware of your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has generally functioned well, though the real position has occasionally been delayed when moving in and out of strong LTE signal.

All of these capabilities are accessible on other Garmin watches if you carry your phone with you, but in areas where LTE does not reach, the orbital activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, position check-ins and emergency SOS.

A on-screen assistance shows you how to find the line of sight to the orbital system, which then sends and receives messages within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly easy to use and could be a crucial safety feature, however it is essential to remember that orbital service is limited to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and the majority of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.

Sustainability

The watch is generally repairable with services offered via the customer service portal. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its initial capacity after two years of regular charging. The watch lacks any reused components. Garmin provides disposal programs on recent purchases.

Cost

This 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

This Fenix 8 Pro takes a fantastic adventure watch in the standard Fenix 8 and adds LTE for texting, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus orbital communication, check-in and emergency SOS for when you’re without signal.

The result is an increasingly remarkable adventure tool for those that want to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone monitor you from afar while exercising out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without needing additional gear.

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

This Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier gadget for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when jogging, biking or hiking, but still wants to be locatable and contactable. For other users, it is a significant expense when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.

Pros: LTE and orbital messaging, high-luminance OLED display, tracks all activities with best-in-class GPS, integrated torch, phone and standalone commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, full offline maps and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre diving, physical controls and touch.

Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and satellite functions need ongoing subscription, restricted Garmin Pay financial support, speech features are sluggish, limited wearable functionality versus competing watches.