Kit & Gear

REVIEW: Garmin Fēnix 7X Multisport GPS Smartwatch

Go longer, get stronger, seven days a week, with the new rugged Garmin Fēnix 7X Sapphire Solar multisport GPS smartwatch. Equipped with brand-new features like a touchscreen interface, built-in LED flashlights and stamina tracking, the new Garmin Fēnix® 7X Sapphire Solar multisport GPS smartwatch is your new trusted partner for all your athletic and outdoor challenges.

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To find out more about the new Garmin Fēnix 7X we asked our SportsShoes ambassador, Ben Mounsey, to put this new smartwatch to the test and to find out exactly how it differs from the Garmin Fēnix 6 range.

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WHAT ARE THE KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE NEW GARMIN FĒNIX 7X AND THE GARMIN FĒNIX 6 RANGE?

Fans of the Garmin Fēnix have been waiting with bated breath for the release of the new Fēnix 7 series and early signs indicate that they won’t be left disappointed. Garmin have upgraded their most popular trail model with a number of high-quality features and software updates, so naturally I was keen to find out what all the fuss is about. After all, there must be several good reasons why my social media feeds are littered with posts from people selling their Fēnix 6 smartwatches in order to upgrade!

In this review I’ve focussed on the new features and key improvements to try and help you determine whether it’s worth the upgrade and suitable for your personal training needs.

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IMPROVED BATTERY LIFE

The battery life of Garmin devices continues to soar with every new release and the Fēnix 7 is no exception to that trend. Now featuring a scratch-resistant Power Sapphire™ Solar charging lens, second only to diamond in strength and durability, meaning you can do more and charge less. The table below indicates the battery life of the three Fēnix 7 models, with an increase in growth over the Fēnix 6 and Solar models.

* Solar charging, assuming all-day wear with 3 hours per day outside in 50,000 lux conditions

** Solar charging, assuming use in 50,000 lux conditions

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As an owner of the Garmin Enduro (you can read my full review of the Enduro here), I’ve been spoilt with battery life and it’s something that I’ve grown very used to. The Fēnix doesn’t have the battery power to match the Enduro, but it does boast some impressive stats, yielding up to 37 days of battery life in smartsmartwatch mode with Solar charging. If you’re an ultra-runner then this will be music to your ears. Less charging means you can compete in longer activities, perfect for ultra-distance events like the Montane Spine Race or Dragon’s Back.

Increased battery life also means that you can wear the smartwatch more without having to charge it as often. Garmin smartwatches are designed to track more than just training activities, they provide you with detailed information about your general health and wellness, like body battery, stress level, sleep score, respiration and calories burned. This information is all tracked from your wrist so it’s important to wear it as much as possible. I for one really value this information because it gives you a more complete picture of your lifestyle, not just training and performance. You’ll know your body better with 24/7 wellness tracking and you can’t monitor sleep if your smartwatch is charging every night!

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BUILT-IN FLASHLIGHT

To help guide your way in low-light conditions, a built-in multi-LED flashlight provides quick access to a bright, steady beam of illumination. Only available on the Fēnix 7X, it’s one of my favourite additional features of this smartwatch and I regularly use it on my runs. Just to be clear, it’s not designed to be a replacement for a head torch and it certainly won’t light up an entire valley, but it does serve a purpose as a secondary light and a good emergency back-up should your actual head torch run out of battery. There is a choice of five lighting options, which include a white light on 4 strength settings and a single option of a red beam. This feature is perfect for pounding the pavements on dark nights, as not only will it help light your path, it will also make you more visible to oncoming motorists. Early signs of use indicate that it doesn’t have too much impact on battery life when used on full power.

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TOUCH-SCREEN TECHNOLOGY & IMPROVED MAPPING FEATURE

One thing I love about Garmin GPS devices, as a whole, is the clarity of information on the screen during exercise. The ability to see the distance you have covered, heart rate and your current pace at a super-quick glance is particularly useful when travelling at speed. So, arguably the biggest update is the new touch-screen technology which really enhances this user experience. This new feature hasn’t completely replaced the functionality of the buttons, but is designed to be used in conjunction with the latter. I’ve found the touch-screen option especially useful during a run when I want to interact with the mapping software. In fact, I tested it last weekend in the thick mist whilst running to the summit of the Old Man of Coniston in the Lake District. I wasn’t lost, but found the conditions perfect for testing the navigation feature of the smartwatch - the ability to zoom in and out of the map with your fingertips is pretty mind-blowing to say the least. It’s the first time I’ve really enjoyed and fully appreciated engaging with a map on a smartwatch face before. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve followed maps and preloaded routes on my previous smartwatches plenty of times – with varying degrees of success. I’ve never found them easy to use or 100% reliable. Often mistakes are made when following routes on a smartwatch because of the clarity of the map, especially when moving at pace. But the mapping software on the Fēnix 7 really is something else. You can zoom in in great detail and the large colour screen makes everything much more visible.

It’s worth mentioning that Fenix models come equipped with free TopoActive Maps from around the world. Just use built-in Wi-Fi connectivity to easily load and update maps and software without using a computer.

For general day-to-day use, I find myself switching seamlessly between the buttons and the touch screen, so for me the addition of this new technology is a massive bonus.

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MULTI-BAND FREQUENCY GPS

Taking GPS accuracy to a new level, multi-band technology has strengthened GPS performance by eliminating poor signals to provide better coverage with even higher precision. Which means that usage in areas where GNSS signals are often weak e.g. challenging alpine environments, will improve coverage significantly.

Personally, I’ve never had an issue with the speed or performance of GPS on any of my Garmin devices, but any improvement in tracking accuracy is always welcome.

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REAL-TIME STAMINA FEATURE

We’ve all been there…go too fast, too early in an endurance race and you risk running into a wall, blowing up or in some cases unable to finish the race. Underdo it and you’ll miss out on your PB.

The Fēnix 7 range includes a new Stamina feature, giving you real-time updates during athletic performance and predicting how much further you could run/ride at your current pace. This data will help you to track and manage your exertion — and help avoid overexerting at the start of your run or bike.

Walking for hours may only slightly drain your stamina but sprinting at top speed can deplete your stamina relatively quickly. You can easily recognize the relationship between stamina and performance intensity from our own experiences.

Top endurance athletes develop their ability to manage stamina over years of training. A good performance means not running out of stamina too early and not crossing the finish line with too much left in the tank. The insight you gain from real-time stamina monitoring helps fast track your own progress by offering context for what your body is telling you along the way.

After using this new Stamina feature over the last few weeks, I can honestly say that it’s a big breakthrough. I love the fact this real-time information is readily available at your fingertips, as the on-screen data is key to providing insight into your current performance potential and ultimately your current level of stamina. So far, I only used this for training, but I’m very much looking forward to using this feature in a trail race to help me better pace my effort.

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NEXT GEN WRIST HR (GEN4)

The Fēnix 7 has a new sensor layout for increased accuracy, providing you with better heart rate monitoring.

For all my training activities, I still use the Garmin Heart Rate Monitor Pro Chest Strap because I’m convinced that this is still the most accurate way to capture your heart rate during exercise. But in terms of tracking your daily biometric and wellness trends then it’s good to know that the wrist-based heart rate sensor has been improved and updated for more accurate readings.

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DOES THE FĒNIX 7X LIVE UP TO THE HYPE AND IS IT WORTH THE EXTRA MONEY?

As an owner of the Garmin Enduro, I suppose the burning question is would I consider upgrading to a Fēnix 7 and are there enough additional features to make it worthwhile. If I was judging the contest purely based on battery life, the answer would be no. I could probably even live without the Touch Screen technology (although it is an excellent feature). But in all honesty, after interacting with the quality of the mapping software I will struggle to go back to the Enduro. And that flashlight, don’t even get me started on the flashlight. I’ve been really spoilt with this testing experience.

But, don’t just take my word for it. I spoke to Tom Smith, a personal trainer and avid fell runner, who has recently upgraded to a Fēnix 7 after previously owning a 6.

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Of course, most of the features on the Fēnix 7 are shared across all Garmin devices. And so, for this very reason I wouldn’t say that everyone who runs needs to immediately go out and buy this smartwatch. This latest model is the new pinnacle of the Fēnix series and because of this it’s also the most expensive. It’s not a necessity, it’s a luxury and it’s aimed at the most committed of athletes who take their training, performance and data very seriously. This smartwatch is designed to help you go the distance, with a battery life to match that of any elite professional. But, if this doesn’t sound like you, there are many other less-expensive Garmin devices to better suit your needs.

The Garmin Fēnix 7 GPS smartwatch is now available in three models; The Fēnix 7, the Fēnix 7S and the Fēnix 7X.

SHOP GARMIN FĒNIX 7

SHOP GARMIN FĒNIX 7S

SHOP GARMIN FĒNIX 7X

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