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This most recent version of the flagship Fenix adventure watch includes a life-saving capability: no-phone messaging and SOS alerts using 4G LTE or orbital links.

This Fenix 8 Pro upgrades the already outstanding Fenix 8 by incorporating cutting-edge mobile tech, along with an available advanced microLED screen in a special edition. This is Garmin's premier device and designed to be the single gadget required to venture almost any location and monitor every activity.

This makes it an extremely pricey option, priced from £1,030 (€1,200, $1,200, A$2,300) for the 47mm OLED version and climbing to a colossal £1,730 (€2,000/$2,000/A$3,399) for the 51mm edition with microLED display – nearly double the cost of the regular Fenix 8.

Users get a significant functionality for your investment, with best-in-class fitness, activity and outdoor tracking. The complete offline maps of the world can seamlessly direct you return to the trail if you lose your way absent a phone, and look excellent on the large, sharp and super-bright touchscreen.

The 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 big watch for bigger wrists. But the 47mm OLED version as reviewed boasts an extra day of smartwatch battery life despite the screen always active, lasting a reliable eight to nine days between charging.

Phone-Free Messaging, Calling and Live Tracking

Garmin operates its proprietary inReach LTE (4G) and satellite service plan rather than relying on a watch plan tied to your phone carrier, as with other smartwatches. However unlike Apple or Google's satellite-capable products, emergency communication is not provided for free.

Rather, subscriptions begin from £7.99 or similar a month, which provides limitless LTE text and voice messaging, call functionality and LiveTrack location sharing – so your friends or loved ones can monitor you while out running, cycling or similar pursuits – along with emergency orbital SOS messaging.

Location updates and texts over satellite are then charged additionally, with higher-tier plans offering 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 test out the functionality.

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 similar activities, but you can place and receive calls, dispatch texts and overall keep in touch with your family and friends.

When you text 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 application, you can then communicate reciprocally using text or spoken messages, and initiate voice calls. Your contact is not required to have a Garmin profile to use the Messenger app, only a mobile number is sufficient to register for texts.

Messaging on the watch works fine but typing out texts on the small on-screen keyboard is slow. It has a set of personalizable canned responses you can send to speed things up. Spoken messages and calls perform OK, although as with most smartwatches, you’re not going to want to use it for extended discussions as the audio clarity is less than fantastic.

LiveTrack is the most useful feature. You can set it up to automatically send a link to chosen contacts whenever you start an exercise, so they can follow your real time position on a map. It’s great for monitoring race progress, but it mostly serves as a utility for someone you rely on to be aware of your whereabouts in case something happens. It has typically worked well, though the actual location has occasionally lagged when moving in and out of strong LTE signal.

These capabilities are accessible on other Garmin devices if you carry your phone with you, but in areas where LTE lacks coverage, the satellite kicks in on the Fenix 8 Pro to transmit texts, position check-ins and emergency SOS.

A guide 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 unexpectedly straightforward to use and could be a vital lifeline, though it is essential to note that orbital coverage is restricted to the US mainland, most of Canada, and most of Europe excluding regions of Scandinavia north of 65 degrees latitude.

Sustainability

The watch is typically serviceable with services offered via the customer service portal. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its original power after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not contain any recycled components. Garmin provides disposal schemes on recent purchases.

Cost

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

Verdict

This Fenix 8 Pro takes a excellent outdoor watch in the standard Fenix 8 and adds LTE for messaging, calls and LiveTrack – plus satellite messaging, location update and SOS SOS for when you’re out of signal.

Outcome is an increasingly impressive 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 accomplishes this without requiring additional gear.

This is quite liberating to be outdoors without a phone, but that capability comes at quite a cost, both in terms of the colossal cost of the watch and the monthly fee of the inReach plan to provide the service. Fortunately it is not dependent on your phone carrier so functions with any make of smartphone and carrier.

The Fenix 8 Pro is a top-tier device for someone who dislikes being burdened by their phone when running, cycling or hiking, but still desires to be trackable and reachable. For other users, it is a lot of money when the superb Fenix 8 already exists.

Advantages: LTE and satellite communication, super-bright OLED display, monitors everything with premier GPS, integrated flashlight, voice and standalone voice control, 8+ day battery life, Garmin Pay, complete offline mapping and routes, offline Spotify, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre underwater use, physical controls and touchscreen.

Cons: very costly, LTE and orbital features require ongoing payment, limited Garmin Pay financial support, speech features are sluggish, limited smartwatch features compared with competing watches.