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The Garmin fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version ($800) is our favourite in our Greatest GPS Operating Watches information.
It brings every part we beloved in regards to the Garmin fēnix 6 — remember to learn our Garmin fēnix 6 assessment — whereas upgrading the battery life and including some helpful options together with a flashlight and a touchscreen.
Garmin has six principal watch collection with a number of choices beneath every however for our cash, as ultrarunners, the Garmin fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version checks all the packing containers for normal efficiency, reliability, options, and design and is the one watch that balances the most effective know-how with essentially the most aggressive worth.
An choice just like the Garmin epix can have superior show capabilities, however largely the identical characteristic set for a pair hundred {dollars} additional. That’s not to recommend 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 if you’re looking for a whole package deal that can carry you thru working 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 images: 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 methods. Using its photo voltaic charging, you possibly can count on nearly 73 hours of use in regular GPS mode. Coros watches supply merely the most effective battery efficiency, however they compromise in lots of different areas, like navigation and third-party connectivity, and typically with related costs.
This watch has confirmed itself to the iRunFar staff in quite a few races, notably 100 milers. The massive battery, which is made even stronger with the addition of photo voltaic charging, is enough for almost all of us. In contrast to watches from Suunto, for instance, you gained’t be capable to use the fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version whereas it’s charging however helpful 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 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 finest replace within the fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version. The fēnix 6 was class main for its navigation features. With all the similar preloaded, offline-enabled mapping capabilities as its predecessor, the up to date model means you possibly can scroll the display screen along with your fingertip relatively than utilizing a mixture of a number of buttons to “zoom-in, zoom-out” and “side-to-side” features of the earlier model.
This can be 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 approach via 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 pink. The flashlight is positioned on the display screen. This can be a subtly helpful characteristic 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 telephone 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 chrome steel bezel and Garmin’s trademark Energy Glass display screen. For the reason that 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 ideal job of masking fingerprints.
The “begin” and “cease” exercise button is remoted with a textured steel encased in a pink rectangle for visibility.
The short-release silicone straps are very straightforward to take away; actually, you possibly can take away the straps and simply toss the watch in a pocket if you happen to’d prefer 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 might probably 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 be blazing quick. No different conventional GPS watch we’ve examined can entry Wi-Fi to switch info and information. The mixing between your own home Wi-Fi and the Garmin Join app means you possibly can synchronize music and podcasts by way of Spotify in minutes. When mixed with its enormous 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, resembling pedometer, energy, girls’s well being, respiration price, stress, and leisure reminders. But it surely’s additionally the catalyst for designing routes or importing GPX routes that you just wish to run. Sending the file to the machine occurs with a single contact.
The fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version provides multiband satellite tv for pc community assist (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 implies the watch will resolve which system to make use of by itself, preserving battery and the integrity of your GPS observe concurrently.
Navigation could be essentially the most spectacular characteristic of the fēnix 7 — Photo voltaic Version, however the one I exploit essentially the most every day is Spotify. It permits you to obtain offline Spotify playlists so you possibly can go working with out your telephone 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 will probably 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 fully.
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 actually floored after years of utilizing Suunto’s watches. It had so many progressive and may’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 take a look at by a few of these similar 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 the way a GPS working watch ought to be. That mentioned, 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 acquire off by tons of of 1000’s of toes; Spotify playback usually doesn’t reply to its instructions swiftly; and the charging wire has develop into very insecure — it detaches very simply from the port. Arduous resets and software program updates solely typically enhance these bugs. However with some severe 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 most effective throughout GPS look ahead to ultrarunning we’ve used, and that’s why we’ve ranked it primary in our Greatest GPS Operating 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’s 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 Operating Watches
Take a look at our Greatest GPS Operating 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.
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