The Garmin Fenix 7 series multisport sports watches are for the athlete who wants everything and has the budget for it. Because the premium sports watches from Garmin have long ceased to be just a nice gadget, this is serious functionality for serious money. In addition to accurately recording performance, they offer more and more options to improve performance. However, this does not always make the Fenix 7 the best choice.
Garmin Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar
Recommended retail price € 899,-
Colors black, white, brown
Platform Android, iOS
Screen MIP or Amoled (260×260)
Format 5 x 5 x 1.5 cm
Weight 73 grams
Sensors heart rate monitor, accelerometer, pedometer, calorie counter, sleep monitor, altimeter
Connectivity bluetooth
Other waterproof, interchangeable straps
Website www.garmin.com 8 Score 80 
- Pros
- Buttons and touch screen
- Sports Features
- health features
- Garmin Connect
- Navigation/Topo Maps
- Negatives
- MIP vs AMOLED
- Abundance of Performances
- No LTE
- Non-standard charger
- Price
Ninety Garmin has sportswatch models on its site. Eight of them in the Fenix 7 series, but those who consider all options of color and size, the different types of glass (Gorilla or the stronger sapphire glass) and whether or not charging on solar energy (Solar) should choose from 22 different Fenix 7- models! The possibility Only show differences is quickly your best friend, even if the site only compares up to four models at a time.
The Sapphire Solar Edition tested here is the second most expensive in the Fenix 7 series behind the 7X Sapphire Solar Edition (note the subtle difference in the name). The latter offers one extra outdoor sport for a surcharge of 100 euros (Pickelball, we really have no idea) and an LED lamp that can emit a red or white light from the edge of the watch.
The Garmin website has a cool photo of a trip in a cave, but we expect it to be more useful for a nighttime trail run. Although most runners already wear a real LED lamp on their forehead, which also gives more light, does not burden the battery of the watch and automatically shines where you look. The LED can also flash at a preset interval for extra visibility on the road and to assist with interval training.
This only applies to the 7X Solar Edition and 7X Sapphire Solar Edition and not the Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar tested here. Garmin makes it more fun, but certainly not easier.
Buttons and touch
Functionally, however, this is just about all the criticism you can have of the Fenix 7 sports watches, otherwise it is mainly delicious. The biggest change compared to the 6-series is that all models can now be operated via a touchscreen in addition to buttons. That seems doubly similar, but it isn’t. Viewing your statistics quietly behind the desk or controlling the music is perfectly possible via the touch screen, while you just want to navigate accurately during exercise and use the buttons for that.
Here Garmin always scores plus points compared to all smart and sports watches with only touch control. You will certainly often consult the online manual in the beginning. There is just a lot of functionality in the Fenix 7 and you will eventually never discover or use some of it
Good night
The housing of the Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar is made of polymer with a metal back and a titanium rim. A 22mm wide silicone strap is included but can be substituted if another material is preferred. The memory-in-pixel (MIP) screen on a 47mm model is 33mm wide with a screen resolution of 260 x 260 pixels (42mm: 30mm screen 240 x 240, 51mm: 35mm screen 280 x 280). The resolution is half the AMOLED screen on the Venu 2 Plus we previously tested and the latest Garmin Epix models.
The advantage of MIP is that it reflects less in sunlight and is therefore easier to read and, above all, requires less energy, so that unlike an AMOLED, the MIP screen is always switched on. The Fenix 7 has a heart rate and a blood oxygen meter (saturation) and also uses these for health functions such as insight into the stress level and sleep. For the latter, it is necessary to wear the Fenix at night as well, which not everyone will find comfortable and a contribution to a good night’s sleep.
Sports Features
A watch like the Fenix 7 is primarily made for sporty performance. Traditionally, this mainly concerns the registration of route and speed via GPS, GLONASS or Galileo (the Sapphire models now offer multiband GNSS for more accurate positioning) and also the altitude thanks to the built-in altimeter and barometer.
Many other sensors can be connected via ANT+ and bluetooth from golf clubs, external heart rate monitors, Garmin Varia smart bicycle lights, but also smart indoor bicycle trainers and fitness equipment and much more.
Together with the aforementioned heart rate and oxygen sensors of the Fenix, this provides a lot of data about performance and recovery. More and more features are also aimed at helping improve performance. And that’s really nice and works great. Training guidance can receive daily workout tips, while PacePro provides pace guidance while running or cycling based on the difficulty of a predefined route.
Besides the fact that Garmin itself offers more and more additional functions such as training plans and virtual guidance, external services such as Strava, Zwift and TrainingPeaks can also easily synchronize with the Garmin Connect platform and thus with the Fenix.
battery life
With normal use as a watch with incoming messages and sometimes a sporty workout, the battery of the Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar will last at least 14 days without recharging. If you go on a hike of several days and you play music from the Garmin, this decreases to a day or less. Save energy is possible in many ways, for example by shortening the screen timeout, turning off the display of phone notifications or even completely bluetooth, but also less intrusive by limiting the satellite navigation to only GPS.
The Solar models, such as the Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar tested here, have a solar panel in and under the glass that can extend the battery life for several days under normal use and daylight. The visible ring on the outside of the glass is clearly larger than on the previous Fenix models.
Navigation
A difference compared to the Venu 2 Plus models, which were released approximately the same as the Fenix, is the addition of maps and navigation. All Fenix 7 models have free topographic maps for navigation. The maps for the sales region are already preloaded on the Sapphire models, the other models have to be downloaded via the Map Manager. This can be done directly from the watch via WiFi.
It is also possible different from the Venu but similar to most Forerunners, to determine a route in advance and synchronize it with the Fenix. The lack of LTE on these premium Fenix models is striking. So far, the Forerunner 945 LTE is the only Garmin sports watch where you can leave your smartphone at home to stay connected to home for live tracking or relaying a call for help.
In addition to sports, Garmin also includes smartwatch functions in its sports watches. Download music and podcasts with Spotify Premium, Amazon Music or Deezer and then play it on a bluetooth connected headset or from a connected smartphone and control it from the watch. In addition, contactless payment via Garmin Pay, displaying incoming chat, news and weather reports.
Conclusion: buy Garmin Fenix 7?
The Fenix 7 series excels in functionality, sportiness and in combination with Garmin Connect app and web service offers an unprecedented amount of data on health and sporting performance and improvements. If your sporting ambitions are just as big as your budget, then the Fenix 7 is your sports watch; provided you consciously choose a model with a MIP screen.
This is easier to read in bright sunlight than a model with an AMOLED screen and also has a much longer battery life, but less beautiful colors and a lower resolution. How often do you need that extreme battery life, is the right question.
†