fēnix® 7S Pro – Sapphire Solar Edition

Same. Fenix 7S Pro, Sapphire Solar. Not really sure the solar was necessary, though.

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.

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 😂

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.

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

That's a huge reason why this watch gets literally 10x the battery life, and I have a Garmin Fenix 7S pro sapphire solar and the watchface this guy has on his Fenix makes it look absolutely horrible. That's a watchface built for a AMOLED display and the Garmin watch he has is an MIP. Watch faces build for MIP display look much better. If you compare the apple watch to a Fenix 7 or 8 with a AMOLED display the difference is much much smaller. Here's what am AMOLED Garmin looks like: https://preview.redd.it/tyzk666urs8g1.jpeg?width=1379&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0cd3b79fce92258a05f8f4c730dd2a9d274b5c8b

When I got my first Forerunner, maybe 10 or so years ago, it was because Garmin was better for what I needed (HR, GPS, marathon training plan), and I wasn’t interested in a smartwatch. It was also way more expensive, for something I saw as just “cool”, but not as solidly functional. My SIL and her family are all gaga over Apple, which was a turnoff (“why didn’t you get an Apple Watch?”, as if it 100% has to be the best thing ever, also making me feel like I was some sort of dufus). Garmin was a sports watch with a few smartwatch-type capabilities, and Apple was a smartwatch that could do a few sports/health related things. And (at least back then), you couldn’t connect an HR strap to the Apple Watch for increased accuracy. Now, I just look over at my husband every day when he says “ARGH! I forgot to charge my watch!” either before he heads out to do something he wants to record, or before bed when he remembers he needs the alarm in the morning. His Apple watch is a few years old now, but it has been like that since Day 1. Every workout is an exercise in just hoping his watch doesn’t die before he’s done. Also, he uses Strava for his workouts, which is great, but after a hike or bike ride if I ask him any details from it, he has to wait until he can look on his phone or iPad. He can’t just look through the results immediately. While I’m now on my 4th Garmin (switched to a Fenix 5s by choice, then after a while the battery started dying in cold weather (I’m a XC skier), and most recently my fenix 6s developed an inability to reliably connect to GPS), I’m not regretting it. Except the ability to take phone calls on my watch - that would be nice, but it’s literally the only feature I’m jealous about. I will say the each Garmin I’ve had has been better than the last: FR 230 < Fenix 5s < Fenix 6s < Fenix 7s Pro SS. They are getting soooo expensive, so I bought the 7s recently when they were on sale, and refuse to go to the 8s. Never thought I’d spend $650 on a watch! It’s insanity. When I was shopping around and comparing features and reviews, I looked at Polar and Suunto also. But never for a moment looked at Apple. Oh, and I most definitely do not want a touchscreen. My new Fenix 7s Pro does have one, but it also has physical buttons, and the touchscreen can be locked out as needed. All I need is to have to deal with a touchscreen while wearing ski gloves. I’m pretty well immersed in the Garmin ecosystem at this point, between the progression of watches, Edge bike computer and Varia radar. I do have an iPhone and an iPad, and used to have an iPod, but that’s more because it’s easier to use the same interface for those. Overall, it’s just personal choice. One doesn’t really have to be dominant over the other. Each person needs to look at what each watch does, compare that to their priorities and preferences and needs, and go from there. There likely isn’t a wrong answer. For me, the battery life is king, especially in cold weather. And HR accuracy, but if the thing dies mid-activity, HR recording won’t help much. To ME, Garmin is more of a training tool, and Apple is more cool eye candy.

I'm not a runner and I went with the 970: Because the 970 is basically a Fenix 8 Lite minus a couple of metrics, the sapphire glass makes it harder to scratch, I get a solid 2 weeks battery life and all the metrics and maps. I hike, walk and do strength training, pilates and yoga. I prefer my Fenix 7S Pro SS for swimming though.

Well... I have both and both fit well 😂 My wrist is 139 mm. The 7S Pro is thicker but smaller, it stays put, the band is also narrower and shorter. The 970 is larger (47 mm) but it's thinner, doesn't shift or wobble which is surprising for a larger watch on a small wrist, the band is wider and longer, but it has 2 loops to keep it secure and prevent that longer length from sticking out when the watch is secured on your wrist. The 7S Pro is probably the better fit but if your eyesight is poor (like mine) you might have problems viewing the display at times. You won't get any of the new features but you will get the maintenance updates, mine is still a solid watch and I've had it since its release. If you swim, definitely go with the 7S Pro: its waterproof rating is at 100 meters (the 970 is only 50 meters) and the swim metrics are identical to the 970 including the screen lock during swim activity: while the 970 also has screen lock, i find that the data screen often slide up or down under water (I'm a fast swimmer with a strong push off) And I've occasionally hit my wrist against the wall in backstroke when I wasn't paying attention and luckily I was wearing my 7S Pro so there's no scratches or damage, it's a very rugged little watch. Think of it as the 7S Pro being a small hybrid 4WD SUV and the 970 being a sports car. Both perform solidly but I do think that the 970 requires more TLC. Also I'm a hard-core MIP lover, I only bought the 970 because I stupidly bought into the the update panic last spring and I believed that the 7S Pro would no longer be receiving any updates at all. It was bullshit, i don't care about getting new features, i buy a device for the features it has when I buy it, and the 7S Pro is still getting the maintenance updates regularly so I'm good. For me the only benefit to the 970 is that I often lose or forget my glasses and I can see the display clearly without eyeglasses. Also because it is a larger watch, it has a bigger battery, I get 2 weeks of battery life. That said, I get 10 days from the 7S Pro in smartwatch mode, or as little as 8 days when i have a full week of workouts, and it absolutely covers all my full day hikes with GPS use, (I no longer backpack) So if you don't care about the glitzy features of a brand new top tier flagship device like the 970 and your eyesight is good, save yourself some money and get the 7S Pro, you won't be disappointed and the watch won't need babying except for the occasional wash in tepid water and dish soap after sweaty workouts and dusty hikes. Hope this helps!

I have the 970. With my small wrist, the F8 was just too bulky. The 970 has a 47 mm case but it's a low profile, thinner, flatter than the F8 and fits me much better. I plan a hike in Garmin Connect, transfer to my watch and I'm good to go. I also do Pilates, strength training, yoga, stairstepper and indoor cycling. Up to now I was using my Fenix 7S Pro SS for outdoor swimming (that MIP display in direct sunlight, swoon) because I prefer it in the water but I'm thinking of giving the 970 a try in the water, this summer. I'm loving the bright, large display on the 970 in low light conditions (crappy eyesight) and 2 weeks battery life is pretty good for an Amoled. I don't run so I turned off all the running metrics, the watch is basically a Fenix 8 Lite, it only differs from a couple of metrics. I don't consider it overkill... even though I don't run.

That's exactly what I do: Fenix 7S Pro SS outside, FR970 inside or when the weather is too overcast.

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.