Garmin - fēnix® 7S Pro – Sapphire Solar Edition

So these are both watches I considered when my fitbit died but ended up going for the fenix 7s pro solar sapphire. I think swapping from one to the other will be jarring no matter which direction the swap is. Personally I am enjoying the MIP display but it is a lot different to amoled. What are the dimensions of your current watch? The Enduro is chunky. Personally I would prefer the enduro out of your current choice but it depends on your use. Enduro should have phenomenal battery life and is hopefully more robust. Apple watch tracks sleep better and is more of a smart watch. Also integrates better if you have an iphone

can't say for garmin but general rule is like that * garmin have more features. you can route maps on watch which means you can set a point where you wanna go without use of phone while on suunto you need to do that via your phone which can be annoying in areas where singal is questionable. also suunto have no names on watch itself on map but yea, their maps re more snappier, faster, etc. * garmin have way more data. now some were locked behind subrsicption, i'm not sure which data excat. suunto have less data but imo better organized * application on phone matters for me alot and there suunto is just better. they have one app for everything which imo is more user friendly. garmin have more apps for each purpouse one and steeper learning curve (my father have garmin edge 1040 bike computer and yea) but thats just from user to user, at the end it matters how you fell. * smart functions there is no question that garmin is better. suunto is really behind. you will get basic notifications with opiton to control music on your phone and call my phone function and function to turn down phone call with a SMS and thats pretty much it. garmin here have huge edge with their stuff * battery life on the other hand, here suunto wins no question at all! while in smart watch mode they re about the same, maybe 2 or 3 days difference, on gps mode there is just too much difference IMO, garmin is more than 2x behind in battery. now, does that matter to you? are you gonna do some multi day hikes or really some long lasting stuff like running 100km or you just in general wants more battery life? thats up to you. * as of GPS accuraccy, i can't really speak but i ve doubt you will be dissapointed by any of those watches. GPS recievers came soo long way in few last watch generations on all devices including Polar, Coros, Suunto, Garmin, even Amazifit and others that you can't go wrong with any of those devices in terms of gps quality. yea there re some minor + - offs bettwen watches, for example i can compare Vertical vs Fenix 7x pro sapphire on same route we logged 4,45km on Fenix vs 4,6km on my Suunto, I ve started my watch slightly faster soo there might be 50m. we also both logged slightly different alltitude gain, me with around 1065m alttitude gain vs my friend fenix 1059m allitude gain, my highest point on watch was more towards official readings of 1242m (it showed 1243m while my friend logged i think 1236m or similar soo yea, if you are like "well well, garmin for 800€ can't beat vertical from suunto i ve got for half the price" kind of attitude then sure, be my guest but in reality those re soo minor difference that if you re gonna argue on that..... yea. but just to show you what i ve meant * HR data i ve heard that suunto really did a big step foward with Race 2, still some minor problems but they really solved that issues Vertical and Race have. but imo me as some1 who do more trail runs / hikes / bike rides i just took my polar h10 with me and this is by far most accurate data imo. still just to point out suunto issues * can't say for sleep tracking or quality of life features since i'm not using that, maybe will start in future. soo yea at the end imo its more towards your usuage case. me as a trail runner or bike rider or hiker i preffer battery life, snappier maps and overwall better application more than garmin extra fuctions. plus yea in my case suunto vertical costed me 400€ while back then garmin forreruner 955 and 965 costed around the same but imo inferior watch with far less battery on gps mode + plastic desing with only gorrila glass which imo is bad for hiking specially if you go some via ferrata route or more demanding rocky area where its real fear to strach your watch. and garmin 7s solar sapphire glass costed me 600€ and yea, that was far too off to spend on. soo yea, your user case will determine at the end what you wanna buy, simply as that, what you preffer more, what u value more in your watch bcs at the end you can be happy with both options or just hated them soo its really hard to say.

Yes. I have the 7s solar and have used it in ultra up to 28h with one recharge on the way from a power bank (may not have been needed but didn't want to risk running out - would not be needed with 7). You loose HR since you can't wear it, but everything keeps working normally. PS I did use a mode where I optimized battery.

I just bought a 7s pro ss for about 600 USD equivalent (I'm in the UK and that number includes tax). They're definitely starting to be discounted to clear the way for the 8.

I had an Apple Watch for a few years before I moved to Garmin (currently have a Fēnix 7S solar sapphire). Recently I tried returning to an AW (lasted 3 weeks as I now have a chronic illness and thought I might appreciate something less sports and fitnesses focused). The reasons I prefer my Garmin are… - Screen. MIP just feels less intrusive and in-your-face to me and is one less ‘computer screen’ type thing I have to look at each day. Also I was never overly keen on any of the stock AW faces. Either too much or too little information - Buttons. Buttons during activities are 100x better than a touch screen or the fiddly AW Digital Crown. You don’t have to look, you just press. Was walking out in the rain the other day - easier with buttons. Wearing gloves in winter - easier with buttons. Want to forward adverts in a podcast when I’m falling asleep and don’t want to open my eyes - easier with buttons - Maps. I know AW maps are improving all the time but I still prefer how maps show on my Fēnix compared to my partners AWU. We live in a rural area surrounded by trails and reliable maps are so useful - Battery. I ‘only’ get 11 days because my Fēnix is the smallest size but it’s so much better than charging every day. Never worry about my watch dying during an endurance activity, either - Data screens. The Garmin data screens during activities are so much more configurable and clearer to read than the Apple Workouts data screens. I know you can use 3rd party apps instead on AW, but I still prefer the Garmin ones - Constant HR monitoring and HRV calcs during sleep. More reliable and valid IMO - It’s bomb-proof. I do a lot of adventure sports (when I’m well) and need a watch that can take some whacks. I’m also just very clumsy. Granted, I have broken a Forerunner before but the Fēnix seems indestructible, whereas I always worry if I’m wearing an AW - it does the important stuff, but doesn’t overload me with ‘smart features’. I’ve learned I’m not really a fan of having a super smart watch when I have a phone anyway Things I do think are better on an AW: - Apple Pay. Garmin Pay works with so few UK banks and makes you faff putting in a passcode for payments so I just don’t bother - Voice control is sometimes handy, to add things to a shopping list or set a timer when cooking and not watching to touch my watch/phone - Doesn’t constantly insult me for poor sleep, high RHR or low HRV, all of which are associated with my chronic illness 😂

I had an Apple Watch Series 3 for many years. Then I bought a FR645 to try alongside, just for running. Loved it so much I decided to go full Garmin with a FR745. Loved that watch so much, until I smashed it climbing 🤦‍♀️ Decided to upgrade to a Fēnix 7S SS because I wanted maps and I clearly needed the sapphire glass. I’ve had the Fēnix maybe 2.5 years now. Recently, I thought I might prefer an Apple Watch as I am now dealing with chronic illness and have not been able to engage in any of my usual sporting/outdoor activities for 6 months. I lasted 3 weeks with an Apple Watch Series 11 before coming back to my Fēnix. I just prefer the MIP display, the battery and the buttons. I don’t really care for smart features. Also the workout screens and maps but obviously not using those much right now. Sold the Apple Watch yesterday. No regrets.

7s pro sapphire solar. I picked battery and direct sun vision over the epix. I wanted the small diameter because I have a tiny wrist. Wanted sapphire glass. I'm sure a number of other options would have worked fine for me for running/cycling and every day use. I just liked the Fenix for some reason.

Fenix 7s Sapphire I wanted navigation with a map rather than breadcrumbs - for running new routes and when traveling Sapphire glass to still wear the watch while doing stupid outdoors shit (3yrs and still going strong!) Small enough for my wrist - at that time Epix wasn't available in small Ability to play music without bringing a phone I would have liked amoled, but not enough to buy a new garmin (I've had amoled before in the first Venu and had zero complaints about readibility in sunlight, probably because sunlight in NL is not that impressive)

I have had a Fenix 7S sapphire for nearly 2 years now. It does everything I want and still looks and functions like new despite a fairly rough and tumble lifestyle. My main activity is stand up paddle boarding for which it is great. The health/fitness stats are not only well thought out and mature but also quite motivating. https://preview.redd.it/jgo2s7ea7zrf1.png?width=768&format=png&auto=webp&s=9f6c8a114f85311dae077c564a2ccdfff033c5cc

I used a apple watch , then galaxy watch, then instinct gen 1, now I've got a Fenix 7S pro sapphire solar and it's been by far my favorite

I had an Apple Watch Series 5 and it was good at distance but very patchy at stroke detection (my form isn’t that bad!). Switched to a Garmin 245 4 years ago and it was much better at stroke detection. Distance is fine with the occasional missed lap but that also happened with the AW for me. I now use a Fénix 7S and I like it a lot. I really like the ability to push structured workouts to it. That was not doable with the AW. The system for logging drills is a little cumbersome but you get used to it. The missed laps problem has been reduced for me. Now I find that if I keep swimming it catches up eventually most of the time. (Of course newer AWs may have improved too.) Good luck!

That sounds very reasonable. I think I’ll get one too. (I have a Fenix 7S and get ~5 days as well.)