Garmin Fenix 7 vs Epix: 13 Key Differences Detailed

This guy just bums the epix.

The Epix is brighter when your motion turns the screen on to its brightest. However, that takes a second. Let's say you're mountain biking and you want to check your data. You only have a second to look at your watch and at that point, it's still dim and faaaar less legible than the Fenix watches with a white background and black lettering. The whole black background trend is a ridiculous trade of functionality for sexiness. I just sent back my Epix and am going back to the Fenix simply because of that white background. Function before fashion.

Do you notice a decrease in battery efficiency over time with the EPIX 2? I know with the apple watch, over time the battery health deminished considerably. Does anyone have any issue with the battery health of the epix 2 over time?

It is a very good comparison! Short, clear, and very helpful to choose between these two Epix. Thanks a lot

I just spent $1000 on the fenix simply for the solar charging. If the epix had solar option I would have bought it.

Scrap

I was surprised to see Fenix 7's display is slightly harder to read in not so bright natural light (with no backlighting) compared to my old Fenix 3 HR. This being said, I accept it because Fenix 7 has far more battery charge longevity.

Thanks!

Thanks for de video. Extraordinary contribution. One question, are the images in the video from Anaga, Tenerife, Canary Islands? I am from Tenerife and I think I have walked those routes.

I'm curious how durable they are, I've been using an instinct for over four years , I work in construction and am not easy on any watch at work or outside the instinct is great but see these are on sale and am considering upgrading

Best comparison video. Thank you

Since we are talking battery life and we are talking about expensive watches, i think it is important to talk sbout battery cycling. If you have to charge your Epix every 6 days and your Fenix every 16 days, the Fenix is going to he a lot more durable

I have the 6s since lanch. So far with all sensorrs on i get 9/10.days of life. The battery is just starting to degrade a little. Hopefully i will have this watch another year or two and reolace it with a Fenix 8

AMOLED or SOLAR!?!? DAM YOU GARMIN, JUST GIVE US BOTH!!

Very good info 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Great review, very helpful. Thank you!

This Guy is another breed

Fantastic

Excellent video, I love my Epix and wouldn't go back to a transflective display, with my current setup I charge every 10+ days and do an hour+ activity every day.

Turn the screen off on the Epix and then compare.

IMO, Epix 3 will be bestseller over Fenix 8. If not even Apple Watch Ultra 2 get over both.

A note about the Fenix7s. They call it a woman's watch, but at 42mm it is the same size as a classic men's Rolex, Omega, Breitling, or Accutron. The larger sizes are just more bling if that's your purpose.

Is there anyway to invert the colors for when outside in the data fields of the epic? It's hard to see when in bright light. Any ideas?

Someone could tell me if the bezel on the titanium versions scratches like in the 6 series? I sended back after day 1 the f6 black and having now the f7 stainless steel but I would like to upgrade on a titanium version but unfortunately are all versions anodized!

AMOLED does not have backlight, that is also why the option is not called that on the EPIX, one of the advantages of OLED the possibility of true blacks, which can be achieved due to the lack of back lighting. Instead, brightness is controlled per pixel, which gives a better contrast ratio.

The Fenix having solar too extend its life makes it worth it

I have a instinct 2 and am getting a Fenix 7x too compliment. That solar charging makes it a better deal over the epyx.

If the firmware has improved the battery life during activities for the epix, would that also mean that the approximately 16 days in smartwatch mode has increased as well? Say with a day or so?

Epix 2 is so much better with the clear and much more detail display to see all the gps map features. About the battery that last about a weeks should be no problem if you have an active mindset :)

Watch face name on the Fenix 7 please?

Why did you remove the Final Recommendations?

Anyone know how much the battery drains when you use Spotify. I like using it for my workouts and sometimes at work so maybe upwards of 3 hours of music a day.

I wish I could afford one of these so bad lol. Probably would get me out and losing weight.

Very good

Thank you and thumbs up for the great comparison. The Epix runtime (All Satellite Systems + Multi-band, Always-On) is 15 hours. Earlier you said that the brightness-level of the Epix display can be lowered a couple of times. Is there a huge incresae in run-time if i use the before mentioned settings and lover the brightness level?

I want to buy the best watch for one day activities. Hiking with turn by turn tracking in the woods, having a spontaneous look at the map sometimes looking for additional trails and record my Stand Up Paddling tours in mostly bright sunlight. I guess runtime wise either watch will fit for me. Would you say im the typical Epix guy and should enjoy the brighter display because runtime is way enough or is there a reason that i should consider buying the Fenix 7 instead? This is the first time i buy a GPS watch and want to make sure to buy the right one. 🙂

One question that is very important for me. Do i get it right that i can turn off the „notification-beeps“ while using turn by turn navigation and get only „vibration alerts“ instead? I dont want to walk beeping through the quiet and beautiful nature. 😄

Stay happy and healthy. Best wishes from Germany.

Thanks for the comparison. Love all your comparison videos. They usually help sway me one way or another… except this one. LOL

I have always went the X size. The Epix screen is enticing. I am in the market for a new one and this did not make the decision any easier. LOL

Even though you had the 7X next to the &/Epix in the video, I still could not tell if in real life the smaller watch face would bother me or just be something I get used to.

I've been watching your content for a long time, great content! Love the time and detail you put in. During the battery life test you didn't enable music though so it wasn't the strongest drain right?

Really surprised to see Epix (apple-watch like) display doesn’t drain the battery much more than the Fenix. Going to wait for a Epix 8X with a flashlight before switching from Fenix.

Thanks for this great video! Ended up buying a Fenix 7 solar sapphire. Surprised to see how much battery life you have with all the features turned on. Unfortunately not my experience in the first two weeks. Any suggestions?

Your comparision convinced me to indeed go for the Epix as a successor of my F6x. After my first bike ride with it I unfortunately have to say it was a big mistake.
The reason is that there is no way to keep the display from dimming. I was riding today from the afternoon till sunset and there no light condition where the dimmed display is readable.
On the F6/7 the backlight can be set to stay on indefinitely, but not on the Epix.
That means that all the data you want to have constantly in view like power, HR, speed, navigation etc is basically not visible. Until you press a button, touch the screen or do the wrist gesture. Thats of course not practical at all.
I understand that Garmin decided to take that route to keep that battery alive for a minimum of time. But on the other hand, this destroys all kind of other use cases. As I see it, this device is a design flaw.
I wonder why you didn't mention it in your reviews, didn't you ride during your test period?
I will go for the F7. Which is a pity, because apart from the above the Epix is indeed a beautiful device.

Thanks for the great comparison breakdowns! I especially appreciate the charts you show. I've been been looking for charts like these to compare Garmin's various models for a while now. Keep up the great work!

Thanks for this video man. Super helpful content. Just subscribed.

He went for cute looks over the better option long term

Thank you

I would add one major difference. Because Fenix is much more mainstream compared to Epix, MANY watch faces etc are not available for Epix, the developers just don't want to waste time on altering them for watch with much less users. As a new Epix user I'm actualy quite unsure about my choice because of that. Also the "flashlight" is pretty useless, the three white rings emit hardly enough light to navigate you through your appartment. Garmin should have allowed you to turn the whole screen white. On top of that music player is a joke, we finaly have touch screen but there are still just two buttons on the screen and you have to go to menu to go to previous track etc. Don't get me wrong, overall I'm very happy with Epix, I'm just trying to pinpoint the tricky parts which might negatively surprise you if you actualy buy Epix.

The red button on the Epix really puts me off... :P

Thank you so much for this. I am looking for a watch primarily for swimming (both open water and pool) and I wear glasses (long sighted) which makes it challenging to see detail when I'm swimming. I was going to just go for the Fenix 7X but its way too big for my (female) wrist to get the maximum screen size (and the flashlight is cool). Even the 7 seems a bit too big as I'd like to try and wear it all the time and I haven't worn a watch in about 25 years (god I feel old writing that). A friend of mine suggested the Epix with its brighter screen so I will go check out the sizes again and if I can handle the Epix size then I might just get the Epix. If it's still too big I will have to go the Fenix 7s. Thanks for showing the flashlight on the Epix though!! Is there anything else you would add as a decision factor between Epix and Fenix 7 with respect to swimming?

no photo, calculator, phone call, SMS, google assistant, games, browsers web, apps and 1000$ WTF?