The Garmin fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version ($800) is our favourite in our Finest GPS Working Watches information.
It brings the whole lot we cherished concerning the Garmin fēnix 6 — you should definitely learn our Garmin fēnix 6 evaluation — whereas upgrading the battery life and including some helpful options together with a flashlight and a touchscreen.
Garmin has six predominant watch collection with a number of choices underneath every however for our cash, as ultrarunners, the Garmin fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version checks all the bins for normal efficiency, reliability, options, and design and is the one watch that balances the perfect know-how with essentially the most aggressive value.
An choice just like the Garmin epix may have superior show capabilities, however largely the identical function set for a pair hundred {dollars} additional. That isn’t to counsel the Garmin fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version is affordable — it’s not — many runners will discover decrease priced and nonetheless excessive performing GPS watches from Suunto, Coros, and others, however in case you are in search of an entire package deal that may carry you thru operating and numerous different actions, that is the one to spend money on.
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The watch face, bezel, and strap of the Garmin fēnix 7 – Photo voltaic Version. All photographs: iRunFar/Craig Randall
Garmin fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version Notable Updates
In comparison with its predecessor, the Garmin fēnix 6, the Garmin fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version has added almost two days extra battery efficiency with as much as 57 hours utilizing GPS solely and 40 hours utilizing all satellite tv for pc methods. Using its photo voltaic charging, you may anticipate nearly 73 hours of use in regular GPS mode. Coros watches provide merely the perfect battery efficiency, however they compromise in lots of different areas, like navigation and third-party connectivity, and generally with related costs.
This watch has confirmed itself to the iRunFar crew in quite a few races, notably 100 milers. The large battery, which is made even stronger with the addition of photo voltaic charging, is adequate for almost all of us. Not like watches from Suunto, for instance, you gained’t be capable to use the fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version whereas it’s charging however useful alerts mean you can draw out the battery energy by switching to a power-saving mode — which makes use of extra fundamental GPS monitoring and non-essential options might be turned off — ought to you end up pushing the battery to the brink. It’s necessary to notice that in “expedition” GPS mode the watch ought to last as long as 40 days — and 74 days with photo voltaic.
The addition of a touchscreen is the one finest replace within the fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version. The fēnix 6 was class main for its navigation capabilities. With all the identical preloaded, offline-enabled mapping capabilities as its predecessor, the up to date model means you may scroll the display screen along with your fingertip moderately than utilizing a mix of a number of buttons to “zoom-in, zoom-out” and “side-to-side” capabilities of the earlier model.
It is a main improve as a result of whether or not you might be following a route in the midst of the mountains or a brand new approach by a metropolis and simply wish to get your bearings simply, a easy swipe helps you pinpoint your location and vacation spot.
The ultimate main replace is the addition of a flashlight, which is available in three configurations: stable white, strobing white, and stable purple. The flashlight is positioned on the display screen. It is a subtly useful function that you just’ll discover helpful for illuminating path indicators, or lighting your approach round a tent in a a lot much less disruptive method than a headlamp or cellphone flashlight.
The entrance of the Garmin fēnix 7 – Photo voltaic Version, displaying the music library.
Garmin fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version Supplies
The Garmin fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version makes use of a stainless-steel bezel and Garmin’s trademark Energy Glass display screen. Because the watch has been upgraded to the touch screen-capable, the expertise of utilizing the glass has been beautiful, from the sturdiness to the readability — it does an important job of masking fingerprints.
The “begin” and “cease” exercise button is remoted with a textured steel encased in a purple rectangle for visibility.
The short-release silicone straps are very straightforward to take away; in reality, you may take away the straps and simply toss the watch in a pocket for those who’d wish to go wrist-free for exercise monitoring.
The again of the Garmin fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version.
Garmin fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version GPS Efficiency and Connectivity
The Garmin Join app is remarkably quick. It may possibly ship exercise knowledge from the Garmin fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version to third-party apps like Strava in seconds. Even Suunto’s latest watch, the Suunto Vertical, takes a number of minutes to do the identical. Transferring routes can also be blazing quick. No different conventional GPS watch we’ve examined can entry Wi-Fi to switch info and recordsdata. The combination between your house Wi-Fi and the Garmin Join app means you may synchronize music and podcasts through Spotify in minutes. When mixed with its big battery life, this watch is as near a phone-replacer as you’ll discover.
Connecting the fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version to the Garmin Join app may be very easy. The app can sync multiple watch at a time, which retains your knowledge straight. The app itself is centered largely round health monitoring, reminiscent of pedometer, energy, girls’s well being, respiration charge, stress, and rest reminders. However it’s additionally the catalyst for designing routes or importing GPX routes that you just wish to run. Sending the file to the gadget occurs with a single contact.
The fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version provides multiband satellite tv for pc community help (GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo.) The watch decides which satellite tv for pc to make use of based mostly in your positioning in extremely restricted areas, like forests or cities, or in clear circumstances in unobstructed zones. The watch is about to a default setting known as AutoSelect mode, which suggests the watch will determine which system to make use of by itself, preserving battery and the integrity of your GPS monitor concurrently.
Navigation could be essentially the most spectacular function of the fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version, however the one I exploit essentially the most every day is Spotify. It lets you obtain offline Spotify playlists so you may go operating with out your cellphone and nonetheless have entry to your music. Nonetheless, you do want a pair of wi-fi headphones and listening to music is a large battery drain; it could deal with solely about 10 hours of steady play earlier than the watch pivots to an excessive battery-saving mode or simply outright stops music playback totally.
The writer testing the Garmin fēnix 7 – Photo voltaic Version within the mountains.
Garmin fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version General Impressions
The Garmin fēnix 6 Professional was my first time utilizing a Garmin and I used to be really floored after years of utilizing Suunto’s watches. It had so many modern and might’t-live-without options which have carried over to the Garmin Fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version that I now have a tendency to evaluate all different watches I check by a few of these identical standards, particularly if the costs are related.
There’s a much less palpable “wow” issue to me now with the fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version, it’s simply the brand new torchbearer for a way a GPS operating watch ought to be. That stated, it isn’t all excellent; too usually the watch suffers from some buggy faults like when an exercise is transferred to the app it’d present the elevation achieve off by a whole bunch of 1000’s of ft; Spotify playback usually doesn’t reply to its instructions swiftly; and the charging wire has turn into very insecure — it detaches very simply from the port. Laborious resets and software program updates solely generally enhance these bugs. However with some critical know-how and an unlimited ecosystem of apps and connectivity, I can see previous a few of these defects. The watch, pound for pound, remains to be the perfect throughout GPS look ahead to ultrarunning we’ve used, and that’s why we’ve ranked it primary in our Finest GPS Working Watches information.
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Name for Feedback
- Have you ever used this newest mannequin from Garmin? What are your ideas?
- Do you assume there may be one other GPS watch that may compete with it for ultrarunning?
[Editor’s Note: If you’re affiliated (i.e., an employee, ambassador, etc.) with a brand, please share your relation in each of your comments on this article. Thanks!]
Our Favourite GPS Working Watches
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A profile view of the Garmin fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version.
