Recently Released: Garmin Fenix 7

Over the last five years or so, I’ve gotten more attached to using a sport-specific fitness watch. Sure, there’s a level of general activity tracking they can do, but I’ve gotten to like them more for tracking things while I’m doing an actual workout (back when I went to the gym regularly) or when I go out for my regular jogs. They’ve even become my preferred watch for camping, as they’re light, tough, and can generally last a long weekend without a charge. The Garmin Fenix 7 manages to up the game in a major way.

The big thing that the Garmin Fenix 7 is giving us is solar charging. Basic smart watches can be power hungry, and when you add in the various health sensors and on-board GPS that a good fitness watch can bring, electrons can be in short supply in a hurry. Depending on how you’ve got the watch configured, you can get some pretty spectacular time between charges:

• Smartwatch: up to 18 days / 22 days with solar
• Battery Saver Watch Mode: up to 57 days / 173 days with solar
• GPS Only: up to 57 hours / 73 hours with solar
• Max Battery GPS: up to 136 hours / 289 hours with solar
• Expedition GPS: up to 40 days / 74 days with solar

In short, charging the Garmin Fenix 7 becomes a very infrequent thing, rather than having to plug it in every few days (or even every night). Another killer feature that the Garmin Fenix 7 brings along is the ability to put topographical maps on it. Paired with the GPS sensor, you’ll know where you are on the trail, which is perfect for outdoors adventures. And again, with that solar charging, you don’t have to sweat the battery.

Past those two great things, you can also opt for a version with a sapphire crystal on it, the same material we see in many of the “dumb” watches that we review over at WWR. It’s a tough material, and should keep that screen well-protected. Important, given the information it provides, as well as the fact it’s a touch screen (pairing this with physical buttons has been an optimum configuration in my experience). Along with colors and finish choices, the Garmin Fenix 7 is available in three different sizes:

Pricing for the Garmin Fenix 7 ranges from $699 (for the non-solar version in 42mm) up to $999 for the solar version with the sapphire crystal and 51mm sizing. Check out the full range at Garmin, or at retailers like Jurawatches or Amazon.

Core Features of the Garmin Fenix 7

• Lightweight 47mm titanium case with Carbon Grey DLC coating
• Scratch resistant sapphire crystal glass
• Solar-powered display with battery life of up to 22 days in smartwatch mode
• Pulse Ox sensor and wrist based heart rate monitor for tracking your health
• Navigate with preloaded TopoActive Europe maps and use built-in Wi-Fi for easy updates.
• PacePro technology to keep you on pace with grade-adjusted guidance as you run a course.
• Store your music and music apps on the device plus playlists from your Spotify, Deezer or Amazon Music accounts

Specifications

• Lens Material: Power Sapphire
• Bezel Material: Titanium
• Case Material: Fibre-reinforced polymer with metal rear cover
• QuickFit Watch Band Compatible: Yes (22mm)
• Strap Material: Silicone
• Case Size: 47mm x 47mm x 14.5mm
• Touchscreen: Yes
• Colour Display: Yes
• Display Size: 33.02mm
• Display Resolution: 260×260 pixels
• Display Type: Sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP)
• Weight: 73g
• Battery Life: Smartwatch: up to 18 days/22 days with solar, Battery Saver Watch Mode: up to 57 days/173 days with solar, GPS Only: up to 57 hours/73 hours with solar, Max Battery GPS: up to 136 hours/289 hours with solar, Expedition GPS: up to 40 days/74 days with solar
• Water Resistance: 100 metres
• Memory/History: 32GB
• Clock Features: Time/date, GPS time sync, Automatic daylight-saving time, Alarm clock, Timer, Stopwatch, Sunrise/sunset times
• Health Monitoring: Wrist based heart rate, Daily resting heart rate, Abnormal heart rate alerts, Respiration rate, Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation, Fitness Age, Body Battery Energy Monitor, All day stress tracking, Relaxation reminders, Relaxation breathing timer, Sleep, Sleep score and insights, Hydration, Women’s Health, Health Snapshot
• Sensors: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Multi-frequency positioning, Garmin Elevate wrist heart rate monitor, Barometric altimeter, Compass, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Thermometer, Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation monitor
• Daily Smart Features: Bluetooth, ANT and Wi-Fi Connectivity, Connect IQ, On-device Connect IQ Store, Smart notifications, Text response/reject phone call with text, Calendar, Weather, Realtime Settings Sync with Garmin Connect Mobile, Battery Saver, Controls smartphone music, Plays and controls watch music, Music storage for up to 2000 songs, Find my Phone, Find my Watch, VIRB camera remote, iPhone and Android compatible, Pairs with Garmin Golf App, Garmin Connect Mobile compatible, Garmin Pay
• Safety & Tracking Features: LiveTrack, Group LiveTrack, Live Event Sharing, Incident Detection during select activities, Assistance
• Tactical Features: Dual Grid Coordinates
• Activity Tracking Features: Step counter, Move bar, Auto goal, Calories burned, Floors climbed, Distance travelled, Intensity minutes, TrueUp, Move IQ, Garmin Connect Challenges App
• Fitness Equipment/Gym: Available gym activity profiles include strength, HIIT, cardio and elliptical training, stair stepping, floor climbing, indoor rowing, pilates and yoga, Cardio workouts, Strength workouts, Yoga workouts, HIIT workouts, Pilates workouts, On-screen workout animations, Automatic rep counting
• Training, Planning & Analysis Features: HR zones, HR alerts, HR Calories, % HR max, %HRR, Recovery time, Auto Max HR, HRV Stress Test, HR Broadcast, Respiration Rate, GPS speed and distance, Customisable screens, Customisable activity profiles, Auto pause, Interval training, Advanced workouts, Downloadable training plans, Power Modes, Auto Lap, Manual lap, Configurable lap alerts, Heat and altitude acclimation, VO2 Max, Training Status, Training Load, Training Load Focus, Training effect (aerobic), Training effect (anaerobic), Primary Benefit, Improved Recovery Time, Daily Suggested Workouts, Customisable alerts, Audio prompts, Finish time, Virtual partner, Race an activity, Auto multisport activities, Multi-sport, Course Guidance, Garmin live segments, Strava live segments, Round Trip Course Creator, Trendline Popularity Routing, Touch and/or button lock, Hot keys, Auto scroll, Activity history on watch, Physio TrueUp
• Running Features: Available running profiles including running, treadmill running, track running, trail running, indoor track running, virtual running and ultra-running, GPS-based distance, time & pace, Running dynamics, Vertical oscillation and ratio, Ground contact time and balance, Stride length, Cadence, Performance condition, Lactate Threshold, PacePro Pacing Strategies, Run workouts, Race predictor, Foot pod capable
• Golfing Features: Preloaded with 42,000 courses worldwide, Yardage to front middle and back, Yardage to layups/doglegs, Measures shot distance, Digital scorecard, Custom Targets, Stat tracking, Garmin Autoshot, Full Vector Map, Auto CourseView updates, Green view with manual pin position, Hazards and course targets, PinPointer, PlaysLike Distance, Touch-targeting, Handicap scoring, TruSwing compatible, Round time/Odometer, Automatic Club tracking, Tournament legal
• Outdoor Recreation Features: Available outdoor recreation profiles include hiking, indoor climbing, bouldering, climbing, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, XC skiing, stand-up paddleboarding, rowing, kayaking, surfing, Jumpmaster, tactical, kiteboard, windsurf and snowshoe, Point-to-point navigation, Breadcrumb trail in real time, Back to start, TracBack, Ultratrac mode, Around Me Mode, Up Ahead, Elevation profile, Distance to destination, Barometric trend indicator with storm alert, ClimbPro ascent planner, Trail run auto climb, Vertical speed, Total ascent/descent, Future Elevation Plot, Preloaded TopoActive Europe Maps, Preloaded road and trail maps, Preloaded Ski Resort Maps, Downloadable Cartography support, Compatible with BaseCamp, GPS Coordinates, Sight ‘n Go, Area calculation, Hunt/fish calendar, Projected waypoint, Sun and moon information, XERO Locations, Expedition GPS Activity, Tides
• Cycling Features: Available cycling profiles include biking, indoor biking, mountain biking and triathlon, Alerts when you reach goals, Courses, Garmin Cycle Map, MTB Grit & Flow, Available cycling profiles include biking, indoor biking, mountain biking, triathlon, Bike lap and lap maximum power, Race an activity, Functional Threshold Power, Compatible with Vector, Power meter compatible, Advanced Vector Support, Compatible with Varia Vision, Compatible with Varia Radar, Compatible with Varia lights, Speed and cadence sensor support
• Swimming Features: Available swim profiles include pool swimming, open water swimming, swimming/running, Open-water swim metrics, Pool swim metrics, Stroke type detection, Drill logging, Basic rest timer, Repeat on rest timer, Auto rest, Time and Distance alerts, Pacing alerts, Countdown start, Pool swim workouts, Critical swim speed, Underwater wrist-based heart rate, Heart rate from external HRM
• Kids Activity Tracking Features: Toe-to-toe challenges
• Connectivity: Smart Trainer Control