What it’s good to know
- The HMD OffGrid satellite accessory supports two-way SMS communication, live tracking, check-in messages and SOS requests via your Android or iOS phone.
- Supports coverage in North America, Europe and Australia/New Zealand.
- The device costs $199 plus $79 per yr or $15 per thirty days for satellite, depending on the extent of service.
- It has three-day battery life, MIL-STD-810H durability, and a messaging companion app.
HMD Global, the brand behind Nokia’s latest smartphones, is expanding into satellite communications. At CES 2025, it announced HMD OffGrid, a satellite smartphone accessory that appears and functions just like the Motorola Defy Satellite Link released in 2023.
HMD OffGrid uses L-band satellite via Viasat and Skylo (Defy uses the latter service). Sends messages, voice notes and check-ins to family and friends from the OffGrid app.
Your text messages will probably be sent out of your phone number, so nobody else can have to download the app to speak with you. Real-time tracking permits you to share your GPS-based location with as much as 5 contacts – via a shared link – on the press of a button on the OffGrid platform.
While the OffGrid HMD is claimed to last three or 4 days on a single charge, this only applies to messages and check-ins at regular 30-minute intervals. Even though the battery provides a 10-day standby time, it’ll only last for a day or two in the event you continuously use GPS and satellite for automatic 3-minute check-ins.
Most importantly for anyone using this satellite dongle in signal-free areas, it supports SOS signals via the device’s dedicated SOS button. Pressing it triggers a series of questions via Focus Point International, the 24-hour emergency service, akin to “Are you alone?”, “Where are you?” and “What happened?”
If needed, Focus Point will dispatch Overwatch x Rescue to offer assistance if needed and canopy the rescue bill – although you’ll have to pay the medical bills yourself.
The satellite service covers the continent and as much as 70 miles off the coast in eligible areas akin to the Americas, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, with additional territories to follow “in 2025.” – says HMD.
“HMD OffGrid is a new, affordable, portable and easy-to-use offering that delivers both capability and reliability – especially when it matters most,” says HMD President and CEO Jean-Francis Baril. “Whether you’re hiking or skiing off-piste, HMD OffGrid ensures you’re never truly off the grid.”
HMD OffGrid is dust and water-resistant in accordance with the IP68 standard and in addition has a MIL-STD-810H durability certificate. It weighs 60 g (2.1 oz) and has a dedicated space for a carabiner if you desire to hang it in your backpack. Taking it on an overland trip seems very convenient, although we’ve the identical design concerns as with the Defy: the exposed SOS button seems a bit too easy to press without the duvet. Other satellite devices we tested, akin to the Garmin GPSMAP 67i, require the protective cover to be faraway from the SOS button.
In addition to OffGrid’s $199 upfront cost, you will have to pay for HMD Unlimited or HMD Freedom to make it greater than a paperweight. Unlimited costs $14.99 per thirty days for unlimited texts and check-ins, while Freedom costs $79.99 per yr with a 350-character limit for texts, $0.10 for location check-in, and a $20 activation fee .
HMD also mentioned that it’ll offer some type of enterprise software for OffGrid with unique features, even though it didn’t go into too many details.
While more phones and carriers are adding satellite messaging or SOS services, from the iPhone 14 and Pixel 9 Pro to Verizon phones, something like HMD OffGrid or Motorola Defy provides satellite access without tying it to a particular device.
Considering that Defy received generally average reviews and needed to weather the bankruptcy of Bullitt Satellite Messaging – acquired by one other company in 2024 – I’m sure outdoor enthusiasts will appreciate the HMD OffGrid as a possible alternative. The principal query will probably be whether satellite coverage and messaging will work as intended.
For more information or to pre-order the OffGrid HMD, you should purchase the satellite device on the web site HMD website.
