In-depth Review of the Garmin Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar

Some of the most highly anticipated news for smartwatch aficionados arrived yesterday with the release of the Garmin Fenix 7 watch collection. Equipped with sapphire solar displays, titanium cases and a new range of sports apps and navigation tools, these premium multisport GPS watches are already proving to be a huge hit. But of course, in typical Jura Watches style, we had to discover this for ourselves, and so today we will be taking an in-depth look at the new Garmin Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar watch collection…

Case & Strap Options

While it is undoubtedly Garmin’s technology that has raised them to the upper leagues, a good luxury smartwatch still must maintain a level of sophistication and attractiveness. This wasn’t something we were worried about however, since the previously launched Garmin Fenix 6 and high-end Garmin MARQ collection had already succeeded in proving that smartwatches can go from day to night. The same can be said for the Garmin Fenix 7 watch collection which delivers three case sizes engineered from fibre-reinforced polymer with titanium bezels treated with a choice of DLC coating.

The smallest of the trio is the Garmin Fenix 7S measuring in at 42mm in diameter and is available in Cream Gold with a sand-coloured rubber strap or nylon band, Carbon Grey DLC with a black rubber strap, Dark Bronze with a shale-grey strap or Rose Gold with a limestone leather band. Since engineered from titanium, it is no surprise that the whole Garmin Fenix 7 collection sits lightly on the wrist and as the smallest, the Garmin Fenix 7S weighs in the least at 58 grams when on a silicone band.

For the middle-ground Garmin Fenix 7, you’re looking at case sizes of 47mm and colourways including Carbon Grey DLC with a black rubber band or full titanium bracelet, Mineral Blue DLC with a white rubber strap, Black DLC with a matching black rubber strap and lastly, a pure Titanium model with a chestnut leather strap. The Garmin Fenix 7 watches sit on the wrist at 73 grams. Lastly, for the larger of the trio, the Garmin Fenix 7X measures to a statement 51mm and comes in all the same case and strap options as the regular Fenix 7 however, since larger, it weighs in a little more at 89 grams. According to Garmin, all the Garmin Fenix 7 watches are tested to U.S. military standards for thermal, shock and water resistance with the latter rated to 100 metres.

Display

To match with the ultra-tough aesthetic of the cases, the Garmin Fenix 7 watches are equipped with a durable full-colour touchscreen display to match. Protected by sapphire crystal glass as standard, the displays are a definite upgrade compared to the Corning Gorilla glass used on previous Fenix models offering crisper legibility and impressive scratch resistance. For the Fenix 7S, the display comes in at 1.2 inches, for the Fenix 7 its 1.3 inches and for the larger Fenix 7X its 1.4 inches. All three sizes are then paired with Garmin’s remarkable solar-powered Power Sapphire lens which guarantees a 300% increase in solar harvesting capabilities compared to the Fenix 6 Solar. So how exactly do the new sapphire solar displays affect battery life?

Battery Life

For a quick comparison in battery life, the Garmin Fenix 6 Solar watch offered a 16 day battery life in smartwatch mode with solar. For the 47mm Garmin Fenix 7, you’re looking at an impressive 22 day battery life in smartwatch mode in solar. You’ve also got 173 days in Battery Saver Watch Mode, 73 hours in GPS only mode, 289 hours in Max Battery GPS and 74 days in Expedition GPS. As you’d expect, the smaller Garmin Fenix 7S offers a slightly shorter battery with 14 days in smartwatch mode, 87 days in Battery Saver Watch Mode, 46 hours in GPS only mode, 162 hours in Max Battery GPS and 43 days in Expedition GPS. Meanwhile, the Garmin Fenix 7X champions the entire series with a battery life of 37 days with solar in smartwatch mode, over a year in Battery Saver Watch Mode, 122 hours in GPS only, 578 hours in Max Battery GPS and 139 days in Expedition GPS.

Health & Fitness Features

Across the entire Garmin Fenix 7 line, you can expect to see all the same functionality found in the Garmin Fenix 6 alongside some new features. One of these includes the new upgraded heart rate monitor which is now locked in a radially sealed glass and protected by the metal case. There’s also a new feature called Real Time Stamina which ultimately uses your heart, stress, respiration and sleep to give you an insight into how much you have left in the tank and how to manage your exertion.  Another new feature on the Garmin Fenix 7 is the Visual Race Predictor which estimates your time for runs based on your current fitness levels.

Alongside this, you get all the classic health and fitness features from the Fenix 6 including built-in sports apps for trail running, swimming, running, biking, hiking, rowing, skiing, golfing, surfing, indoor climbing and more, the HIIT workout profile recently revealed on the Venu 2, daily workout suggestions and PacePro technology. There’s also performance metrics, recovery time advisor, Pulse Ox sensor, sleep score and sleep tracking, Body Battery Energy monitoring and hydration tracking.

Navigation Features

One of the most significant add-ons to the new Garmin Fenix 7 smartwatch is the improved mapping. The multi-continental TopoActive maps are now viewable in a new map manager which makes organising existing ones all the easier and you can now download new ones over Wi-Fi. To work alongside this, there’s also a new Up Ahead feature which gives you a heads-up of selected points of interest coming up. You can also view performance metrics, split times and distance/elevation plus a summary of key trail points up ahead.

Exclusive to the Garmin Fenix 7X smartwatch, there’s also the addition of a brand-new LED flashlight integrated into the case. With a double tap, the light illuminates the ground in front of you for easy navigation when you’re out exploring in the dark. The feature also has a Red Mode so you can signal for help and similarly an SOS Mode which allows the light to flash to signal for help and will display information about the user and/or their emergency contact on the watch display. Other navigational tools on the Garmin Fenix 7 watches include multi-GNNS systems including GPS, Galileo and GLONASS and ABC sensors for altimeter, barometer and compass.

Smart Features

Unlike the Garmin Fenix 7 series, the Fenix 6 came with a Pro edition which compared to other models had more internal storage, room for music downloads, map downloads and Wi-Fi to support those features. For the Garmin Fenix 7, the “Pro” concept is scrapped and instead all of these features arrive as standard. There’s also new access to the Garmin Connect IQ store directly and sync settings between the watch and Garmin Connect in real time. We’re still treated to the same classic smart notifications, safety and tracking features and Garmin Pay.

Price & Availability

The Garmin Fenix 7 smartwatch collection has officially launched, and the entire series is available to order now on the Jura Watches website here with prices starting from £779. For more information on the range and for advice on the interest free finance and free next day delivery available, get in touch with the Jura Watches team on 01335 453453 or send us a message at help@jurawatches.co.uk.