For the first time, the Fenix will have a touchscreen as well as the 5-button interface of the Garmin Fenix 6, and it also comes with a host of new training tools plus a clever new safety feature for runners. Here’s everything you need to know about Garmin’s new smartwatch line.
Garmin Fenix 7: Price and availability
The Fenix 7 Series comes in three sizes — 42mm (Fenix S), 47mm (Fenix), and 51mm (Fenix X). All watches will have a responsive touchscreen as well as a 5-button interface. The touchscreen is designed to improve daily smartwatch interaction, as well as map navigation. As well as size, the Fenix 7 also comes in three different models: Standard, Solar, and Sapphire Solar. The Sapphire Solar is a new option for the Fenix line, and it’s a welcome one: users will no longer have to choose between solar charging and the scratch-resistant reinforced lens of the Sapphire model, as they have done before. Prices start from $699 for the Fenix 7S Standard model and go up to $999 for the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar model. The watches are available to order now on the Garmin (opens in new tab)website.
Garmin Fenix 7: Design
Although we’re yet to try the Garmin Fenix 7, a comparison with the Fenix 6 makes it clear that the main design change is the introduction of the touchscreen, although we’re thrilled to see the watch still has the buttons for ease-of-use on the run. On the run, the touchscreen is designed to make map reading easier; off the run, the touchscreen brings the watch more in line with smartwatch competitors such as the Apple Watch 7, the Polar Vantage M2, or the Suunto 7. For the solar-enabled watches in the Garmin Fenix 7 range, the battery life has been extended thanks to “improved solar harvesting capability,” which is now 200% stronger than it was in the Fenix 6 Solar. The Solar-enabled Fenix 7X models have a battery life of five weeks in smartwatch mode and up to five days in GPS mode. There’s also a new safety feature on the Fenix 7X — a multi-LED flashlight that is designed to give wearers greater visibility and situational awareness on and off the run. The red or white light acts as a torch on the wrist, and when the running mode is enabled, the light will match to a runner’s cadence, alternating between white and red with each arm swing so they can see and be seen on the run.
Garmin Fenix 7: New features
In addition to the design upgrades, the Fenix 7 series has a number of new, advanced training features including a Real-Time Stamina tool, which allows athletes to track their exertion levels during a run or bike activity. There’s also a Visual Race Predictor, which takes into account running history and overall fitness to provide race estimates and insights. Like other advanced Garmin watches, the Fenix 7 series will have the Recovery Time Advisor, which estimates the number of hours rest needed to properly recover, and Daily Workout Suggestions that give a recommended run or ride based on training load, training status, and overall fitness level. All Fenix 7 watches are preloaded with SkiView maps and 42,000 golf courses. Standard and Solar models will also now allow for downloadable TopoActive maps, plus the new Up Ahead feature, which provides exact locations of aid stations, trails, and next turns on race day. We’ll be bringing you a full review once we’ve had some time with the product, but for now, take a look at the best Garmin watches to buy in 2022, the best running watches on the market, and our Garmin Fenix 6 review.
