Garmin Fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version Overview – iRunFar

The Garmin fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version ($800) is our favourite in our Greatest GPS Working Watches information.

It brings every little thing we liked in regards to the Garmin fēnix 6 — make sure to learn our Garmin fēnix 6 overview — whereas upgrading the battery life and including some helpful options together with a flashlight and a touchscreen.

Garmin has six primary watch collection with a number of choices below every however for our cash, as ultrarunners, the Garmin fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version checks all the packing containers for basic efficiency, reliability, options, and design and is the one watch that balances the perfect know-how with probably the most aggressive worth.

An choice just like the Garmin epix could have superior show capabilities, however largely the identical characteristic set for a pair hundred {dollars} additional. That isn’t to counsel the Garmin fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version is reasonable — 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 can carry you thru working and numerous different actions, that is the one to put money into.

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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 practically two days extra battery efficiency with as much as 57 hours utilizing GPS solely and 40 hours utilizing all satellite tv for pc techniques. Using its photo voltaic charging, you’ll be able to count on virtually 73 hours of use in regular GPS mode. Coros watches supply merely the perfect battery efficiency, however they compromise in lots of different areas, like navigation and third-party connectivity, and typically with comparable costs.

This watch has confirmed itself to the iRunFar workforce in quite a few races, notably 100 milers. The massive 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 received’t be capable of use the fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version whereas it’s charging however helpful alerts can help you draw out the battery energy by switching to a power-saving mode — which makes use of extra fundamental GPS monitoring and non-essential options will probably 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 greatest replace within the fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version. The fēnix 6 was class main for its navigation capabilities. With all the similar preloaded, offline-enabled mapping capabilities as its predecessor, the up to date model means you’ll be able to scroll the display screen along with your fingertip fairly than utilizing a mixture 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 course of the mountains or a brand new means by way of 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: strong white, strobing white, and strong crimson. The flashlight is positioned on the display screen. It is a subtly helpful characteristic that you simply’ll discover helpful for illuminating path indicators, or lighting your means 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, exhibiting 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 amazing job of masking fingerprints.

The “begin” and “cease” exercise button is remoted with a textured steel encased in a crimson rectangle for visibility.

The short-release silicone straps are very straightforward to take away; in reality, you’ll be able to 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 will possibly ship exercise information 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 data and recordsdata. The mixing between your private home Wi-Fi and the Garmin Join app means you’ll be able to synchronize music and podcasts through Spotify in minutes. When mixed with its large 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 could be very easy. The app can sync a couple of watch at a time, which retains your information straight. The app itself is centered largely round health monitoring, reminiscent of pedometer, energy, girls’s well being, respiration price, stress, and rest reminders. Nevertheless it’s additionally the catalyst for designing routes or importing GPX routes that you simply 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 primarily based in your positioning in extremely restricted areas, like forests or cities, or in clear circumstances in unobstructed zones. The watch is ready to a default setting referred to as AutoSelect mode, which suggests the watch will resolve which system to make use of by itself, preserving battery and the integrity of your GPS monitor concurrently.

Navigation may be probably the most spectacular characteristic of the fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version, however the one I take advantage of probably the most each day is Spotify. It permits you to obtain offline Spotify playlists so you’ll be able to go working 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 may possibly 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 creator 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 actually floored after years of utilizing Suunto’s watches. It had so many revolutionary 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 guage all different watches I check by a few of these similar standards, particularly if the costs are comparable.

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 working watch ought to be. That mentioned, it isn’t all good; too usually the watch suffers from some buggy faults like when an exercise is transferred to the app it would present the elevation achieve off by a whole bunch of 1000’s of toes; Spotify playback usually doesn’t reply to its instructions swiftly; and the charging wire has change into very insecure — it detaches very simply from the port. Arduous resets and software program updates solely typically enhance these bugs. However with some critical know-how and an infinite 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 Greatest 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 suppose 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

Try our Greatest GPS Working Watches article to find out about our present favourite GPS working watches for working!

A profile view of the Garmin fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version.