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GPS Watch Comparison Guide: Garmin Epix Gen 2 vs Garmin Fenix 7

Garmin Epix Gen 2 Premium Outdoor Smartwatch Overview:

The Garmin Epix Gen 2 is all about celebrating grandeur in outdoor and sports watch technology. This high-end smartwatch comes with an impressive AMOLED display, promising up to 16 days of battery life in smartwatch mode. It's more than just a watch; it's a health and wellness mentor on your wrist. With a plethora of features such as Pulse Ox2, respiration tracking, and 24/7 heart rate monitoring, it serves as an everyday health companion. Its built-in sports apps cater to over 30 sports, ensuring that athletes from all disciplines find value. Adventure seekers will appreciate the TopoActive mapping feature and those opting for the Sapphire editions will benefit from multi-band GNSS technology, which offers better positioning in challenging terrains. From a design perspective, its 1.3” AMOLED display, a combination of touchscreen and traditional buttons, and options of sapphire display, titanium, or stainless steel bezel ensure it looks as good as it functions.

Garmin Fenix 7 Multisport GPS Smartwatch Overview:

The Fenix 7 stands as a testament to Garmin's commitment to pushing the boundaries of what multisport smartwatches can do. Packed with features that cater to an array of sports and activities, it is designed for individuals who wish to track and improve their performance across various disciplines. Whether it's the new Track Run mode, the MTB dynamics or the advanced sleep tracking, the Fenix 7 is crafted to provide intricate details of one's activities. Furthermore, the improved battery performance, which offers up to 18 days in smartwatch mode and 115 hours in maximum battery GPS mode, ensures longevity. The Fenix 7 is also a stylistic masterpiece, with its Power Glass™ solar charging lens, which uses sunlight to extend battery life.

Comparing the Two:

Display and Battery: While both smartwatches are built for rugged outdoor use and intense activities, they differ slightly in design and display. The Epix Gen 2 features a vivid AMOLED display, whereas the specifics of Fenix 7's display remain more traditional yet solar-powered. In terms of battery life, while the Epix promises up to 16 days in smartwatch mode, the Fenix 7 takes it a notch higher with up to 18 days, also boasting an incredible 115 hours in its GPS mode.

Health and Wellness Features: Both watches are geared to offer comprehensive health and wellness insights. However, the Epix Gen 2 goes deeper into health metrics with features such as the Health Snapshot™, stress tracking, and hydration tracking. Both watches offer Pulse Ox and respiration tracking, but the Epix seems to have a slight edge with its broader range of health features.

Sports and Adventure Features: When it comes to sports and outdoor adventure features, both watches stand tall, though with slight variations. While both offer multiple sports apps and training plans, the Epix Gen 2 provides animated workouts and a more diverse range of sports profiles. The Fenix 7, on the other hand, puts a spotlight on features like Track Run and MTB dynamics. For adventurers, the Epix Gen 2's Sapphire editions offer multi-band GNSS technology, enhancing positioning in challenging environments, a feature not explicitly highlighted in the Fenix 7.

Connectivity and Smart Features: Both watches excel in ensuring users remain connected, offering smart notifications, music apps, Garmin Pay, and safety features. However, the Epix Gen 2 seems to slightly edge out with its Wi-Fi® connectivity allowing downloads of TopoActive maps and its compatibility with Surfline Sessions™ app, which can create videos of surfing sessions.

In conclusion, both the Garmin Epix Gen 2 and the Fenix 7 stand as premier offerings in the world of multisport GPS smartwatches. Your choice between the two might hinge on specific preferences, be it the vibrant AMOLED display and health metrics of the Epix Gen 2 or the superior battery life and unique sports features of the Fenix 7. Either way, both are engineered to impress.



Full Spec Comparison

General

Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Garmin Fenix 7
>Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Garmin Fenix 7
Lens Material Corning® Gorilla® Glass Corning® Gorilla® Glass
Bezel Material passivated stainless steel stainless steel
Case material fiber-reinforced polymer with steel rear cover
Sapphire Editions: fiber-reinforced polymer with titanium rear cover
fiber-reinforced polymer with metal rear cover
QuickFit™ watch band compatible

included (22 mm)

included (22 mm)
Strap material

silicone

silicone
Physical size

47 x 47 x 14.5 mm

Fits wrists with the following circumference:
Silicone band: 125-208 mm
Leather band: 132-210 mm
Fabric band: 132-210 mm
Metal band: 132-215 mm

47 x 47 x 14.5 mm

Fits wrists with the following circumference:
Silicone band: 125-208 mm
Leather Band: 132-210 mm
Fabric Band: 132-210 mm
Metal Band: 132-215 mm

Weight

76 g (case only: 53 g)

79 g (case only: 56 g)
Water rating 10 ATM 10 ATM
Touchscreen
Display Type AMOLED (always-on) sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP)
Display Size 1.3” (33.0 mm) diameter 1.3” (33.02 mm) diameter
Display resolution 416 x 416 pixels 260 x 260 pixels
Color display
Battery life

Smartwatch: Up to 16 days (6 days always-on)
Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 21 days
GPS Only: Up to 42 hours (30 hours always-on )
All Satellite Systems: Up to 32 hours (24 hours always-on)
All Satellite Systems + Music: Up to 10 hours (9 hours always-on)
Max Battery GPS: Up to 75 hours
Expedition GPS: Up to 14 days

Smartwatch: Up to 18 days
Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 57 days
GPS Only: Up to 57 hours
All Satellite Systems: Up to 40 hours
All Satellite Systems + Music: Up to 10 hours
Max Battery GPS: Up to 136 hours
Expedition GPS: Up to 40 days

Charging method Garmin proprietary plug charger Garmin proprietary plug charger
Memory/History 16 GB 16 GB

Clock Features

Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Garmin Fenix 7
Time/date
GPS Time Sync
Automatic daylight saving time
Alarm clock
Timer
Stopwatch
Sunrise/sunset times

Health & Wellness Monitoring

Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Garmin Fenix 7
Wrist-based heart rate (constant, every second)
Daily resting heart rate
Abnormal heart rate alerts yes (high and low) yes (high and low)
Respiration rate (24x7)
Pulse Ox blood oxygen saturation
Fitness age yes (in app) yes (in app)
Body Battery™ energy monitor
All-day stress
Relaxation breathing timer
Breathwork
Sleep yes (advanced) yes (advanced)
Sleep score and insights
Hydration yes (in Garmin Connect™ and optional Connect IQ™ widget) yes (in Garmin Connect™ and optional Connect IQ™ widget)
Women's health yes (in Garmin Connect™ and optional Connect IQ™ widget) yes (in Garmin Connect™ and optional Connect IQ™ widget)
Health snapshot
Jet lag adviser

Sensors

Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Garmin Fenix 7
GPS
GLONASS
Galileo
Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate monitor
Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor
Barometric altimeter
Compass
Gyroscope
Accelerometer
Thermometer
Ambient light sensor

Daily Smart Features

Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Garmin Fenix 7
Connectivity Bluetooth®, ANT+®, Wi-Fi® Bluetooth®, ANT+®, Wi-Fi®
Connect IQ™ (downloadable watch faces, data fields, widgets and apps)
On-device Connect IQ™ Store
Smart Notifications
Text response/reject phone call with text (Android™ only)
Morning report
Calendar
Weather forecasts
Realtime settings sync with Garmin Connect™ mobile
Battery saver (customizable low power watch)
Controls smartphone music
Plays and controls watch music
Music storage
Find My Phone
Find My Watch
VIRB® Remote
Smart trainer control
Pairs with Garmin Connect™ Mobile
Smartphone compatibility iPhone®, Android™ iPhone®, Android™
Stocks
Garmin Pay™
Red shift mode

Safety and Tracking Features

Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Garmin Fenix 7
Incident Detection during select activities
Incident detection alert on phone for wearables
Assistance
LiveTrack
Group LiveTrack
Live Event Sharing

Tactical Features

Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Garmin Fenix 7
Dual grid coordinates

Gaming Features

Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Garmin Fenix 7
Gaming activity
GameOn™ app compatible

Boating Features

Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Garmin Fenix 7
Wearable trolling motor remote

Activity Tracking Features

Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Garmin Fenix 7
Step counter
Move alerts (displays on device after a period of inactivity; walk for a couple of minutes to reset it)
Auto goal (learns your activity level and assigns a daily step goal)
Calories burned
Floors climbed
Distance traveled
Intensity minutes
TrueUp™
Move IQ™
Garmin Connect™ Challenges app yes (optional Connect IQ app) yes (optional Connect IQ app)

Gym & Fitness Equipment

Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Garmin Fenix 7
Available gym activity profiles Strength, HIIT, Cardio and Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor Rowing, Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts, Pilates, Yoga Strength, HIIT, Cardio and Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor Rowing, Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts, Pilates, Yoga
Cardio workouts
Strength workouts
HIIT workouts
Yoga workouts
Pilates workouts
On-screen workout animations
On-screen workout muscle maps
Automatic rep counting

Training, Planning and Analysis Features

Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Garmin Fenix 7
HR zones
HR alerts
HR calories
% HR max
% HRR
Recovery time
Auto max HR
Race glance/widget
HRV status
Training readiness
HRV stress test (measures your heart rate variability while standing still, for 3 minutes, to provide you with an estimated stress level; the scale of this is 1 to 100; low scores indicate lower stress levels) yes (with compatible accessory) yes (with compatible accessory)
HR broadcast (broadcasts HR data over ANT+® to paired devices)
Respiration rate (during exercise) yes (with compatible accessory) yes (with compatible accessory)
GPS speed and distance
Customizable data pages
Customizable activity profiles
Auto Pause®
Interval training
Advanced workouts
Downloadable training plans
Power Modes - customizable in-activity battery settings
HRM running pace and distance
Auto Lap®
Manual lap
Rest timer
Configurable lap alerts
Heat and altitude acclimation
VO2 Max (Run)
VO2 Max (Trail Run)
Realtime stamina
Endurance Score
Load ratio
Training status
Training load
Training load focus
Training effect
Training effect (anaerobic)
Primary benefit (Training Effect labels)
Improved recovery time
Daily suggested workouts
Custom alerts
Audio prompts
Finish time
Virtual Partner
Race an Activity
Auto multisport activities
Manual multisport activities
Course guidance
Garmin Live Segments
Strava Live Segments
Round-trip course creator (running/cycling)
Trendline™ Popularity Routing
Touch and/or button lock
Hot keys
Auto scroll
Activity history on watch
Physio TrueUp
Unified training status

Running Features

Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Garmin Fenix 7
Available run profiles

Running, Outdoor Track Running, Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running, Trail Running, Virtual Running, Ultra Running

Running, Outdoor Track Running, Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running, Trail Running, Virtual Running, Ultra Running
GPS-based distance, time and pace
Running dynamics
Vertical oscillation and ratio
Ground contact time and balance yes (GCT balance with accessory) yes (GCT balance with accessory)
Stride length (real time)
Cadence (provides real-time number of steps per minute)
Running power
Grade-adjusted pace
Performance condition
Lactate threshold yes (with compatible accessory) yes (with compatible accessory)
PacePro™ Pacing Strategies
Run workouts
Hill score
Trail run auto climb
Race predictor
Foot pod capable
Run/Walk/Stand detection

Golfing Features

Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Garmin Fenix 7
Preloaded with 43,000 courses worldwide
Yardage to F/M/B (distance to front, middle and back of green)
Yardage to layups/doglegs
Measures shot distance (calculates exact yardage for shots from anywhere on course) automatic automatic
Digital scorecard
Custom targets
Stat tracking (strokes, putts per round, greens and fairways hit)
Garmin AutoShot™
Full vector map
Auto CourseView updates
Green View with manual pin position
Hazards and course targets
PinPointer
PlaysLike distance
Touch-targeting (touch target on display to see the distance to any point)
Handicap scoring
Round timer/odometer
Automatic club tracking compatible (requires accessory)
Wind speed and direction (requires connection to Garmin Golf app)
Virtual caddie
Pairs with Garmin Golf app
Tournament legal
Green Contours (with Garmin Golf membership)

Outdoor Recreation

Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Garmin Fenix 7
Available outdoor recreation profiles

Hiking, Indoor Climbing, Bouldering, Climbing, Mountain Biking, Skiing, Snowboarding, Backcountry Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing, Backcountry Skiing, Water Skiing, Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing, Kayaking, Surfing, Wakeboarding, Wakesurfing, Tubing, Hunting, Kiteboarding, Windsurfing, Snowshoeing, Fishing, Horseback Riding, Motorcycling, Overlanding, Motocrossing, ATVing, Snowmobile, Ice Skating, Boating, Sailing, Sail Racing, Jumpmaster, Tennis, Pickleball, Padel, Badminton, Squash, Table Tennis, Archery, Whitewater, Tactical, Disc Golf, Sailing Expedition

Hiking, Indoor Climbing, Bouldering, Climbing, Mountain Biking, Skiing, Snowboarding, Backcountry Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing, Backcountry Skiing, Water Skiing, Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing, Kayaking, Surfing, Wakeboarding, Wakesurfing, Tubing, Hunting, Kiteboarding, Windsurfing, Snowshoeing, Fishing, Horseback Riding, Motorcycling, Overlanding, Motocrossing, ATVing, Snowmobile, Ice Skating, Boating, Sailing, Sail Racing, Jumpmaster, Tennis, Pickleball, Padel, Badminton, Squash, Table Tennis, Archery, Whitewater, Tactical, Disc Golf, Sailing Expedition
Sport profiles

American Football, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Soccer/Football, Lacrosse, Rugby, Ultimate Disc, Cricket, Softball, Baseball, Basketball, Volleyball

American Football, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Soccer/Football, Lacrosse, Rugby, Ultimate Disc, Cricket, Softball, Baseball, Basketball, Volleyball
Point-to-point navigation
Bread crumb trail in real time
Back to start
TracBack®
UltraTrac mode
Around Me mode
Reference point
Up Ahead
NextFork™ navigation
Elevation profile
Distance to destination
Barometric trend indicator with Storm Alert
ClimbPro™ Ascent Planner
Vertical speed
Total ascent/descent
Rest Timer (Ultra Run only)
Auto rest
Future elevation plot
Preloaded topographical maps yes (Sapphire Editions only) yes (Sapphire & Pro Editions only)
Preloaded ski resort maps
Downloadable cartography support
GPS coordinates
Sight 'N Go
Area calculation yes (via Connect IQ™) yes (via Connect IQ™)
Fish forecast
Projected waypoint
Sun and moon information yes (via Connect IQ™) yes (via Connect IQ™)
XERO™ Locations
Expedition GPS Activity
Tides yes (via Connect IQ™) yes (via Connect IQ™)
Tide glance

Cycling Features

Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Garmin Fenix 7
Available cycling profiles

Biking, Road Biking, Mountain Biking, Gravel Biking, Bike Commuting, Bike Touring, eBiking, eMountain Biking, Indoor Biking, Cyclocross, Triathlon

Biking, Road Biking, Mountain Biking, Gravel Biking, Bike Commuting, Bike Touring, eBiking, eMountain Biking, Indoor Biking, Cyclocross, Triathlon
Courses
Bike lap and lap maximum power (with power sensor)
Race an activity
Alerts (triggers alarm when you reach goals including time, distance, heart rate or calories)
FTP (Functional Threshold Power) yes (with compatible accessory) yes (with compatible accessory)
Power curve and % FTP workouts
Cycle Map (routable cycling-specific street map)
MTB Grit & Flow
Advanced cycling dynamics
Compatible with Vector™ and Rally™ (power meters)
Compatible with Varia Vision™ (head-mounted display)
Compatible with Varia™ radar (rear-facing radar)
Compatible with Varia™ lights
Speed and cadence sensor support (w/sensor)
Power meter compatible
Power guide

Swimming Features

Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Garmin Fenix 7
Available swim profiles

Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming, Swimming/Running

Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming, Swimming/Running
Open-water swim metrics (distance, pace, stroke count/rate, stroke distance, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories)
Pool swim metrics (lengths, distance, pace, stroke count, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories)
Stroke type detection (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) (pool swim only)
Drill logging (pool swim only)
Basic rest timer (up from 0) (pool swim only)
"Repeat on" rest timer (pool swim only)
Auto rest (pool swim only)
Time and distance alerts
Pacing alerts (pool swim only)
Countdown start (pool swim only)
Pool swim workouts
Critical swim speed
Underwater wrist-based heart rate
Heart rate from external HRM (real-time during rests, interval and session stats during rests, and automatic heart rate download post-swim) yes (with HRM-Tri, HRM-Swim, HRM-Pro or HRM-Pro Plus) yes (with HRM-Tri, HRM-Swim, HRM-Pro or HRM-Pro Plus)

Kid Activity Tracking Features

Garmin Epix (Gen 2) Garmin Fenix 7
Toe-to-Toe™ Challenges app yes (optional Connect IQ Toe-to-Toe™ Challenges app) yes (optional Connect IQ Toe-to-Toe™ Challenges app)