Garmin Fenix 7S smartwatch: Will take everything you can throw at it

€1,000

Garmin knows how to do multisport watches well. They're packed with different features to monitor everything from your activity to your recovery; they're rugged enough to survive the harshest of conditions that the Irish outdoors can throw at you; and the battery life is generally very good.

All in all, you could probably call it a success for the company.

I’ve reviewed a few generations of Fenix watches, including the solar-augmented version of the Fenix 6 that stretched the battery life further than the standard wall charge, with favourable results. So it was with high expectations that I greeted the Garmin Fenix 7S Sapphire Solar watch, expecting it to continue that trend.

If you want to sum up the following in one short paragraph, it is this: the Fenix 7S lives up to its predecessors’ reputation. The Garmin watch will take everything you can throw at it – including mud, water and some less-than-comfortable temperatures – and come out the other side unscathed. If you are a fitness enthusiast, go for it; this is the watch you need.

The Fenix 7S itself doesn’t immediately scream smartwatch. Nor does it out itself as powerhouse in fitness tracking. The version tested here had the titanium bezel and silicon band. It’s less chunky than some of its forerunners and the swappable watch faces mean it could pass as standard watch if that’s what you are after.

Usual metrics

If you are going for a Garmin watch, though, it’s because you want all the fitness features that it offers. And the Fenix 7S doesn’t disappoint. It has a barometer, altimeter and compass built in. You get the usual metrics such as steps and heart rate on your wrist, with stress levels, sleep and your body battery metric that measures your recovery each day. It measures your blood oxygen while you sleep and tracks your VO2 max while you run. You will get more information than you ever thought you needed from this watch.

GPS route-tracking is an important feature for outdoor sports. If you are a runner, you don’t necessarily want to carry your phone with you while you run, either for route guidance or for music. The Fenix 7S will look after both, though.

It will also act as a running coach, with the PacePro feature to help you reach your goals; when you are finally ready to race, it will predict your time for the chosen distance. If you want to know more about your recovery, the real-time stamina and recovery advisor features will work to let you know if you are over- or under-exerting yourself during workout, and how long it will be before you are ready for another workout.

Speaking of workouts, there is a dizzying array of sports that the Fenix 7S can track, including golf, skiing, surfing and high-intensity interval workouts.

Touchscreen

The big difference between the Fenix 6S and the 7S is that the newest version comes with a touchscreen. It’s not a full-colour AMOLED display, using memory in pixels instead. But it is responsive without being over-sensitive, which I’d argue is more useful than the all-singing, all-dancing display when you are working out. You still have buttons on the side of the watch face, but the touchscreen is a useful addition.

That display serves another purpose too, on this version of the Fenix at least: solar charging. Everyone is going solar these days. If it’s not the neighbours hefting a few panels up on the roof to cut the costs of their electricity bill, it is the likes of Garmin making the watch face a solar cell so you can draw some power from the sun and keep topping up the battery. Will it charge it to full? Unlikely. But it means you may get extra days of use so you can leave your cable at home.

The stated battery life for the watch is 11 days in smartwatch mode, with an additional three days supplied by the solar charging glass. Put it in GPS mode and that drops to 37 hours of continuous use, with solar power giving you an additional nine. That’s enough for extreme racing fans to get a few days of racing in without losing power.

The good
Plenty of choice of sports, so regardless of whether you prefer trail running and mountain biking to yoga, you can track your activity here. You can set your favourite sports too, so you don't have to dig through a long list that includes bouldering and rowing to find your chosen sport.

Battery life is great, although the more you enable - GPS mode, for example - the less time you will get out of it. This is where the solar charging can come in handy, eking out that battery life as you walk around with the watchface exposed.

The not so good
As far as costs go, the Garmin Fenix 7S is on the pricier end of things. It is the all-singing, all-dancing version of Garmin's Fenix 7, and is really aimed at the more active end of the market. Lose the solar option and the sapphire glass and it drops €300 off the price. A cheaper alternative is the Instinct 2 Solar, or, for a less overwhelming option, try the Venu 2.

The rest
The Fenix case comes in three sizes: 51mm, 47mm and 42mm, the latter of which is ideal for those of us who don't like watches to be overly chunky.

You can download additional watch faces from the Garmin Connect store to customise the look.

The verdict
If you are a fitness enthusiast, this watch is a great option. It's expensive, but delivers enough features to earn its price tag.

[ garmin.com ]