Garmin introduces Fenix 7 and Epix Gen 2 smartwatches

2022-01-18

Garmin is updating its flagship Fenix smartwatches with the new 7 series. These are the brand’s ultimate sports and activity tracking GPS smartwatches and now come with fancy new solar panels, sapphire and titanium materials as well as an all-new LED flashlight for nighttime training.

Epix Gen 2 is a slightly more toned-down option with rugged casing and always-on AMOLED display and Garmin's stellar health and sports tracking features.

Fenix 7 series

There are three models in the Fenix 7 series – the Fenix 7S, a vanilla Fenix7 and the Fenix 7X. They come in 42mm, 44mm, 47mm and 51mm sizes respectively. Material choices vary from fiber-reinforced polymer and stainless steel while the Solar and Sapphire Solar models add sapphire glass protection and titanium casings as well as solar charging panels.

All Fenix 7 models come with transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) color touchscreen displays with a 1.2-inch diagonal on the 42mm model, 1.3” on the 47mm and 1.4” on the 51mm model. You also get haptic controls via the five side-mounted buttons.

Battery life ranges from 90 hours on the smallest 7S model with GPS on up to 213hours with the high-end Solar models. Fenix 7X comes with a built-in LED flashlight that helps runners be seen during night training sessions and climbers to navigate caves. All new Fenix models bring wrist-based heart rate measurements, SpO2, stress, breathing and sleep tracking and are 10ATM waterproof.

The big deal here is the seemingly endless number of sports and activity tracking profiles which include detailed metrics for running, cycling, skiing, swimming, golf and strength training among others. You can even download topoactive and ski maps directly on the watch for optimal navigation on your climbing or ski sessions.

All Fenix 7 smartwatches support all GNSS positioning standards including the L5 standard which offers more accurate details. There’s 16GB storage on the 7S and 32GB on the Sapphire Solar model and all versions come with NFC that supports Garmin Pay.

Garmin Fenix 7 and 7S start at $700 for the baseline 42mm solar-less versions and go up to $900 if you want the Sapphire Solar models. The 7X goes between $900 and $1,000. All versions are available on Garmin’s site.

Epix Gen 2

Garmin’s first Epix series smartwach came out way back in 2015 and its successor brings notable improvements across the board. You get a 1.3-inch Always on AMOLED touchscreen in a single 47mm casing which can be made up from stainless steel or titanium. The entry-level models come with Gorilla Glass DX protection while the top-tier ones get sapphire crystal material.

Garmin is quoting 16-day battery life with moderate usage. You get the same health tracking features here as well as extensive sports and wellness monitoring. No solar charging or fancy LED flashlight here. Storage varies between 16GB and 32GB depending on the trim level and you get 10 ATM water resistance and support for all GNSS positioning systems.

Garmin Epix Gen 2 starts at $900 and goes up to $1,000 of you opt for the titanium versions.

Garmin Fenix 7 series • Epix Gen 2 series