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

This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already outstanding Fenix 8 by adding new cellular tech, along with an available advanced microLED screen in a special edition. It is Garmin's top model and engineered to be the single tool required to venture virtually any location and monitor every activity.

This positions it as an very pricey proposition, starting at £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 variant with microLED screen – almost double the cost of the regular Fenix 8.

Users receive a significant features for your investment, with best-in-class fitness, movement and adventure tracking. The complete offline mapping of the world can automatically guide you back to the trail if you lose your way without a phone, and appear great on the sizable, crisp and super-bright display.

This Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the smaller 43mm version available in other devices, so it is a large watch for bigger wrists. However the 47mm OLED version as reviewed boasts an extra day of watch battery life even with the display on all the time, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charges.

No-Phone Texting, Calls and Live Tracking

Garmin operates its own inReach LTE (4G) and satellite subscription plan rather than depending on a watch plan linked to your phone carrier, like other wearables. But unlike Apple or Google's satellite-enabled devices, emergency communication is not included for no cost.

Rather, plans begin from £7.99 or equivalent a month, which provides unlimited LTE SMS and audio messages, calls and LiveTrack location tracking – so your contacts or family can monitor you while out running, biking or similar activities – plus SOS satellite SOS alerts.

Check-ins and messages over orbital are then billed additionally, with more expensive subscriptions including various allowances of satellite usage, increasing 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 head out outside without your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or similar activities, but you are able to place and receive calls, dispatch texts and overall stay connected with your family and friends.

Whenever you message someone, Garmin sends 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 typed or spoken messages, and initiate voice calls. Your recipient is not required to have a Garmin account to use the Messenger app, just a mobile number is sufficient to register for texts.

Texting on the watch works adequately but composing texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a set of personalizable canned responses you can use to expedite communication. Spoken recordings and calls work OK, 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 fantastic.

LiveTrack is the most useful function. You can set it up to automatically send a link to selected contacts every time you start an exercise, so they can follow your live location on a map. It’s great for monitoring competition progress, but it primarily serves as a tool for someone you rely on to be aware of your location in case something happens. It has generally worked effectively, though the real location has occasionally been delayed when transitioning in and out of strong LTE coverage.

These capabilities are accessible on other Garmin watches if you bring your phone with you, but in locations where LTE lacks coverage, the orbital kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location check-ins and emergency SOS.

A on-screen assistance displays you how to find the line of sight to the orbital system, which then sends and receives communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly easy to use and could be a crucial lifeline, though it is important to remember that orbital service is restricted to the US continent, most of Canada, and most of Europe except for regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees north.

Sustainability

The watch is typically repairable with services offered via the customer service portal. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its initial power after two years of regular charging. The watch does not contain any recycled components. Garmin provides recycling schemes on new purchases.

Price

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

Conclusion

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

Outcome is an even more impressive adventure tool for those that desire to be phone-free. If you wish to have someone monitor you remotely while exercising after dark or in the remote areas, the Garmin does so without needing anything else.

It is quite freeing to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality carries a significant cost, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the recurring subscription of the inReach plan to provide the service. At least it is not dependent on your phone carrier so works with all brand of smartphone and carrier.

The Fenix 8 Pro is a killer gadget for someone who hates being burdened by their phone when jogging, biking or trekking, but nevertheless desires to be trackable and contactable. For everyone else, it is a significant money when the excellent Fenix 8 is already available.

Pros: LTE and orbital communication, super-bright OLED display, tracks everything with premier GPS, integrated flashlight, voice and standalone commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, complete offline maps and navigation, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touchscreen.

Drawbacks: extremely costly, LTE and orbital features need ongoing payment, limited Garmin Pay financial support, speech features are slow, basic smartwatch functionality versus competing watches.