- HMD has launched a new location-sharing device, the HMD OffGrid
- It brings satellite communication capabilities to any smartphone
- The device costs $199 / £169 upfront with a $14.99 / £14.99 monthly subscription fee
CES 2025, which takes place in the Mojave Desert (albeit in its most urbanized area), seems a fitting place for HMD to launch its latest piece of tech: the HMD OffGrid.
Described by the Nokia phone maker as “cutting-edge satellite technology [that] offers off-grid connectivity with 24/7 search & rescue,” the OffGrid is a pocket-sized location-sharing device that promises to bring iPhone-style satellite communication capabilities to any smartphone, regardless of operating system.
Apple‘s Messages via Satellite feature, which allows iPhone users to send text messages in areas lacking cell coverage, is limited to the iPhone 14 and upwards, while Android users have few equivalent options beyond the Google Pixel 9 series, which now offers SOS via satellite, but not satellite-based messaging.
The HMD OffGrid, meanwhile, will allow any smartphone user (within reason – HMD hasn’t specified exact compatibility just yet) to send and receive messages via satellite, or send an SOS distress signal, using the HMD OffGrid app in remote locations.
It’s a nigh-on identical offering to Garmin’s InReach messenger device, which launched back in 2022 and has since been upgraded to allow two-way messaging via satellite as well as SOS communication. However, in keeping with HMD’s modus operandi (see the improbably cheap HMD Key smartphone), the HMD OffGrid is considerably cheaper than its big-brand counterpart.
The device costs $199 / £169 upfront (versus $299.99 / £209.99 for the Garmin InReach) and a further $14.99 / £14.99 monthly subscription fee for unlimited messages, check-ins (i.e. pre-configured messages to friends and family), and SOS services (that’s comparable to Garmin’s subscription fee). More expensive subscription packages are available for both devices.
For my money, the HMD OffGrid is the better-looking of the two trackers, too. Boasting military-grade MIL-STD-810H case durability, IP68 weather sealing, and weighing just 60g, it’s something that wouldn’t look out of place on Batman’s utility belt, and with a reported three-day battery life, it shouldn’t need recharging mid-adventure.
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As CNET notes, the HMD OffGrid is technically a rebranded (and upgraded) version of the Motorola Defy Satellite Link, which was introduced at CES 2024 and developed by rugged smartphone manufacturer Bullitt. The latter company was acquired by RCD 2023 last year, and HMD partnered with RCD 2024 on the release of the OffGrid. The original Motorola product only offered SOS communication, not two-way messaging via satellite.
HMD says the OffGrid will be available via its website “starting in January” in the US, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, with more territories coming throughout 2025. We’ve called the product in for testing, so stay tuned for our hands-on report from the middle of nowhere.
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axel.metz@futurenet.com (Axel Metz)
