Our review: Still the market leader thanks to impressive features, brilliant battery life and fantastic usability
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Garmin’s Fenix range has long been at the pinnacle of the GPS watch sector, but in recent years the brand’s competitors have been launching excellent watches, too.
The question is, does the Fenix 7 offer enough for its high price tag to see it remain as the GPS watch of choice? Let’s find out…
What’s the design like?
The Fenix 7 is a premium watch and it certainly feels like it. Our test model is the Pro Solar version, which comes with a stainless steel bezel, fibre-reinforced polymer case and a steel rear cover.
That’s paired with Garmin’s tough Power Glass on the display and a silicone strap.
That all adds up to a watch that’s designed with adventurous activities in mind, so you can expect it to be robust.
While I didn’t go around banging it into rocks, my loan sample of the Fenix 7 proved tough and long-term experiences with past versions leave me with little doubt about its durability.
On test here is the 47mm case, but there is also a 42mm and 51mm option, should you want a different size.
I have reasonably thin wrists and, while the watch is far from slimline, I didn’t find it too large or unwieldy on my arm.
If you want something slightly lighter with similar functionality, though, consider the Forerunner 955, which weighs 53g, compared to the 79g that the Fenix 7 weighs.
How easy is it to use?
If you’ve used a Garmin watch before, you’ll be right at home. If you haven’t, don’t worry. The five-button setup is very easy to learn and is intuitive, too.
Of course, the Fenix 7 also features a touchscreen, which you can turn off if you don’t want to use.
The interface is responsive and smooth, though when you’re recording an activity you can only use touch on the map.
That works well, though, and it’s much nicer to move around the map using touch than it is using buttons.
How does the display perform?
In a word, great! It doesn’t quite match the vibrancy of an AMOLED display, as is found on the latest Garmin Forerunner 965 and 265, nor the colour and brightness of the Apple Watch Ultra, but it’s plenty bright enough.
Garmin uses colour very efficiently, too, differentiating key data with different accents to help it stand out.
The layout is intuitive and it’s easy to find the info you want or need. The good news is that you can also customise the screens and their layouts to your liking.
The 33mm (diameter) screen is also plenty large enough to allow for information to be displayed in a manner that’s not cramped, but is easy to read.
How good is the navigation?
The Fenix 7 is a fantastic navigational aid. You can plan routes in Garmin Connect (the brand’s accompanying web/app software) or import one you’ve found or created before.
Once it’s synced with your watch, you can follow it with turn-by-turn directions. You’ll get alerted if you go off-course and if you do, it’ll point you back the right way.
There’s also a map view, giving you sight of the terrain around you, plus some paths. If you decide you want to turn back, you can use the watch to guide you back to your start point.
GPS accuracy is very good in all-systems mode and excellent in multi-band mode, though the latter does drain your battery quicker. For most, the former will be more than adequate.
The watch is also quick to pick up GPS when you’re starting an activity. You also get a compass, altimeter, barometer and various different ways to view those screens.
What training and performance features does it have?
Being one of Garmin’s most premium offerings, the Fenix 7 pretty much has everything you might need.
You get dozens of activity profiles, allowing you to track any sport you want.
There’s then a whole range of features including training status, training readiness, recovery time and other performance metrics, such as VO2 max or training load.
The optical heart rate monitor offers brilliant performance for a wrist-based monitor, with accurate data.
Additional interesting features available with the Fenix 7 include endurance score, which analyses your training and activity data to give you an idea of how well your body will be able to sustain exercise, and hill score, which measures your capabilities to run uphill.
What other features are there?
As ever, you’ll get your usual gamut of smart and health features, such as sleep tracking, step count, calories burned, smartphone notifications, sunrise/sunset times, jet lag advisor etc.
You can also download music to the Fenix 7 Pro Solar from platforms such as Spotify or Amazon Music to listen without your phone.
You’ll also be able to use Garmin Pay so you can use your credit or debit cards on your watch, if that’s something you’d want to do.
There’s one more surprise here, too, in the form of an LED flashlight located at the top of the watch.
Simply double-click the top left button and it switches on, shining a bright light out in front of you.
I’d put the reach at around four metres distance and two metres laterally, which is enough to get you out of a tricky situation if you get caught out on a walk that takes longer than planned.
It’s also incredibly useful for camping, giving you easy access to a light inside the tent when needed.
How good is the battery life?
Very good. The non-solar version gives you 18 days battery in smartphone mode, 57 hours in GPS-only mode and 40 hours in ‘all satellite systems’ GPS mode.
The solar version, by comparison, gives you 22 days in smartphone mode, 73 hours in GPS-only mode and 48 hours in all-systems GPS mode.
That’s more than enough to keep you going over multiple days of GPS tracking without charging.
Admittedly, it’s not the best-in-class, as the Suunto Vertical Titanium Solar beats it, as does the Coros Vertix 2.
Best for...
If you’re prepared to spend this much money – and it is a lot – then you’ll be hard pushed to find a GPS watch that performs better.
The standard version of the Fenix 7 may be a more attractive proposition than the Pro Solar given it’s considerably cheaper, but consider whether or not the non-solar battery life is going to be adequate first.
You’ll also need to consider whether or not the torch is important to you, as this isn’t found on the standard model, while the pro also has an updated heart rate monitor.
When choosing your next watch, you may want to look at the Fenix 6, too, which is also a great watch, but will come cheaper given it’s older.
Facts at a glance: Garmin Fenix 7 Pro Solar
RRP: £749.99 as tested (£559.99 for the standard 47mm version)
Size: 47mm x 47mm
Thickness: 14.5mm
Weight: 79g
Display type: Sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP)
Display size: 1.3in (33mm)
Battery life: 18 days (22 for the Solar model) in smartwatch mode; 40 hours with full GPS (48 hours in solar)
Barometer: Yes
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