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The newest iteration of the top-tier Fenix outdoor watch brings a life-saving capability: no-phone messaging and emergency messaging using 4G LTE or orbital connections.

This Fenix 8 Pro enhances the already outstanding Fenix 8 by adding cutting-edge cellular tech, plus an optional advanced microLED display in a limited edition. This is the brand's premier model and engineered to be the only tool required to venture almost any location and monitor every activity.

This positions it as an very expensive proposition, starting at £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 edition with microLED display – nearly twice the price of the standard Fenix 8.

Users get a lot of functionality for your investment, with best-in-class fitness, movement and outdoor monitoring. Its complete offline maps of the globe can seamlessly direct you return to the trail if you lose your way absent a phone, and appear great on the large, sharp and high-luminance touchscreen.

The Fenix 8 Pro is exclusively offered in 47mm or 51mm case dimensions, not the smaller 43mm version found in other devices, so it is a big watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as reviewed boasts an extra day of watch battery life despite the screen on all the time, enduring a reliable eight to nine days between charging.

Phone-Free Messaging, Calling and Live Tracking

The company uses its own inReach LTE (4G) and orbital service plan rather than depending on a watch plan tied to your mobile carrier, as with other wearables. But in contrast to Apple or Google's satellite-enabled products, emergency messaging is not provided for free.

Rather, subscriptions start at £7.99 or equivalent a month, which includes unlimited LTE text and audio messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack location tracking – so your friends or loved ones can keep an eye on you while out running, biking or similar activities – plus emergency satellite SOS messaging.

Check-ins and messages via orbital are then charged on top, with more expensive subscriptions offering different quotas of satellite use, increasing to a £50 a month all-inclusive subscription. The watch comes with a 30-day free trial so you can test out the service.

Once you have completed setup, you just head out the door minus your phone and the watch will connect to LTE. You can not use it for streaming music or similar activities, but you can make and take calls, dispatch texts and overall stay connected with your relatives and friends.

When you text someone, Garmin dispatches them an SMS from a random number, which they can reply to back to your watch. If they download the Garmin Messenger app, you can then message reciprocally using typed or spoken messages, and make voice calls. Your contact does not need a Garmin profile to use the Messenger application, only a mobile number is enough to register for texts.

Texting on the watch functions fine but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is time-consuming. It has a collection of personalizable pre-set replies you can send to speed things up. Voice recordings and calls perform acceptably, though as with the majority of wearables, you’re unlikely going to want to use it for lengthy discussions as the quality is not ideal.

LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can configure to on its own transmit a URL to chosen contacts every time you start an exercise, so they can track your real time position on a map. It’s great for monitoring race progress, but it mostly acts as a tool for someone you trust to be aware of your whereabouts in case an incident occurs. It has generally worked well, though the actual location has occasionally lagged when transitioning in and out of strong LTE signal.

All of these features are accessible on other Garmin devices if you bring your phone with you, but in locations where LTE lacks coverage, the satellite activates on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, location check-ins and SOS SOS.

A on-screen assistance shows you how to find the clear view to the satellite, which then sends and receives communications within about 10 to 30 seconds. It was surprisingly easy to use and could be a vital lifeline, though it is important to remember that orbital coverage is limited to the US continent, the majority of Canada, and most of Europe except for parts of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees latitude.

Sustainability

The watch is typically serviceable with services offered via the support portal. The battery is rated to maintain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any recycled materials. Garmin offers recycling programs on new 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 subscription plans begin from £7.99 (€9.99/$7.99/A$13.50).

Verdict

The Fenix 8 Pro builds on a fantastic outdoor watch in the regular Fenix 8 and incorporates LTE for texting, call functionality and LiveTrack – plus orbital communication, location update and emergency SOS for when you’re without coverage.

Outcome is an even more impressive adventure tool for those that desire to be unplugged. If you want to have someone monitor you remotely while running out at night or in the middle of nowhere, the Garmin does so without requiring anything else.

This is quite liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that functionality comes at quite a price, both in terms of the substantial price of the watch and the recurring fee of the inReach plan to provide the features. Fortunately it is not dependent on your phone carrier so functions with all make of smartphone and network.

The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who dislikes being weighed down by their phone when running, biking or trekking, but nevertheless desires to be trackable and reachable. For everyone else, it is a lot of money when the superb Fenix 8 is already available.

Advantages: LTE and orbital communication, super-bright OLED display, tracks everything with best-in-class GPS, integrated torch, voice and offline commands, 8+ day endurance, Garmin Pay, full offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre waterproofing and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touch.

Cons: extremely expensive, LTE and satellite functions require monthly subscription, restricted Garmin Pay financial compatibility, speech capabilities are slow, basic wearable features compared with Apple/Google/Samsung watches.