3 in Fitness Trackers
Garmin - fēnix 7 Pro Solar
Running these analyses costs money. Buy through my links to support the site! I may get a small commission for some links, and it doesn't cost you anything. Thank you!
Reddit Reviews:
Topics Filter:
Based on 1 year's data from Mar 17, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
14
2
"There's a "Climb Indoor" activity that I use for both indoor/outdoor roped climbing and there's a bouldering activity for bouldering."
"2 miles of data sheets from all that tracking"
"Track hikes and work out ... I love being able to track my hikes"
26
2
"16 days battery life on my fenix. ... The other aspect I really appreciate about my fenix is the battery life. 16 days or so. With everything I have to change these days (laptops, mice, keyboards, headphones, watches, phones), I appreciate not having to worry about it too often."
"Battery life is super important to me. I do ultras so having 24+ hours of gps is necessary."
"My 43mm Fenix with Dual gps, Garmin live track, always on screen still had juice for up to 20-25 hours of running."
25
1
"They’re also pretty bullet proof ... taken multiple hits while mountain biking and it’s still going strong"
"Friend of mine uses my old Fenix. That is a 9 year old watch, going strong."
"near indestructible"
10
1
"Full watch-based navigation and mapping features—found particularly on the Forerunner 970 and Fenix series—include offline maps, turn-by-turn navigation, and visual guidance. ... For everyday runs on familiar routes, they matter less, but for trail running or hiking where orientation is crucial, they’re invaluable. ... Maps offer extra value for safety, route planning, and are also popular among cyclists and those exploring new routes"
"Trail running so I can load the route onto my garmin and navigate without carrying phone for 50km"
"For me, the biggest advantage is offline maps on my Epix Pro (also available on the 970, Fenix and a few others) which is something that Apple doesn’t do at all"
Disliked most:
1
8
"Garmin’s notification integration with iOS is dogshit."
"many workout functions require a working internet connection via Bluetooth to the phone to operate. ... None of the complex metrics are done on the watch. Not. Even. Close. ... Garmin Connect often requires an active internet connection. It really annoyed me when I owned my Fenix. ... Garmin Connect often requires an active internet connection for many features. I discovered this when I owned one. It pissed me off."
"Garmins are very behind gw in the smart features department. ... many things which one expect as granted (because they here like 10 years) still must be rechecked."
0
12
"The Fenix is much heavier than the Forerunner. ... I had a Fenix and switched to Forerunner because of the weight."
"It feels double the weight of my 965 and bulkier as well"
"it is heavier and chunkier ... my wife would never wear a fenix/epix due to the size."
0
4
"don't count on any help from solar i have had the fenix and tactix solar and i actually prefer my amoled for length of batt life. ... i have put it in batt saver mode in full lux not on me for 3 hrs and achieved 1%that went down after wearing it . ... this is the only thing that is a disappointment!"
"Try that with my F.Pro 7 and it’ll gain 2% ... I find charging takes so long it’s a much more noticeable interruption"
"Solar per se doesn't necessarily do much"
bassfreq50 0.6If you are on a budget the two best options IMO are fenix 7 pro ss with MIP or epix pro gen 2 with AMOLED. I just went fenix 6 standard to epix pro gen 2. It is definitely nicer. But not a game changer. Fenix 6 pace pro and garmin training plans for running. Do you have maps, garmin pay, and training plans on the 5?
Bush-Rat 0.6Yes 100%. 20 days battery life and still having a super capable watch is amazing. I thought the notifications would be trash but they sync nicely (no notification on phone when using watch etc), only thing some people miss is talking to siri, responding to texts and making calls. I did neither on my old AWU so I’m amazed and wish I’d done it sooner. If you’re not interested in a super bright oled, get the Fenix 7 Pro or Fenix 8 Solar. Otherwise, a forerunner would be good but minimum 265. If you really need that smartphone quality screen, get the Fenix 8 non solar or a Epix. Fenixes comes in 3 sizes, 43mm (s) 47 (standard) 51 (big, X etc) I absolutely love my Fenix 7 Pro Solar which has a built in led light that works as my flashlight, running light, it also has the solar panel which makes battery infinite if in sunny conditions
cooolthud 0.6I’ve used both the Fenix 7 Pro Solar and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. In my experience, the automatic workout detection on the Ultra 2 was far better. The Fenix rarely detected workouts, only a few times and I started to suspect my unit was defective. Things got concerning when the Fenix 7 Pro started flagging abnormal ECG results. A few ECG readings showed AFib, and a couple of times it even alerted me for low BPM around 30, which sent me into panic mode and straight to the ER. Fortunately, all my medical reports came back normal. The doctor even reviewed the AFib readings from the Garmin Connect app and said the data wasn’t accurate and the ECG graph wasn’t valid. I reported this to Garmin and eventually got a warranty replacement approved. Since then, I’ve been a little hesitant to wear it, and I’ve even stopped wearing the Ultra 2 as well. Honestly, life feels pretty calm but the downside is unable to track my weight training and fitness score. I know that one piece could be defective, but lost confidence on the product :( Anyone had similar experience? Is AUW 3 is more accurate in health and fitness tracking? Also another biggest concern is Trade-ins, Garmin do not support trade-in but Apple does.
Great insight. I mainly went with Garmin because of the longer battery life, that’s one area where the Apple Watch Ultra 3 still falls short. My main goal is to track fitness and health reliably. But after my recent experience with inaccurate readings, I’m honestly confused about which device to trust going forward.
Cphelps85 0.6Garmin traded my F7 SS for a F7 Pro Solar a few months ago due to software updates making it not sync with my stationary bike anymore. I feel like for my use case the pro lasts a bit longer than the SS did, but maybe it's just battery degradation differences. The latest software on the Pro also broke the sync with my bike, but at least I got a no cost upgrade to the newer sensors and flashlight haha.
My Fenix 7 seems to do a good job of figuring out when I actually go to sleep and when I wake up, and often also captures awake time in the middle of the night if I go to the bathroom or have to settle the kids, so I feel like it's generally pretty accurate, but a lot of people seem to have issues, so I'm not sure it's really a one size fits all upgrade path, unfortunately.
DavidBelgium 0.6I'm also coming from a FR245 non-music, but went with the Fenix 7 Pro Solar, as it was 43% cheaper than the FR970. The 245 still is a very decent watch that's perfectly usable in 2026.
DryAssociation5454 0.6Having enduro 3, after epix, 265, 255 and bunch of other watches. Enduro is fantastic, trully, but thinking that instinct 2x will do it almost as this. It doesnt have maps and sapphire screen, but can live without it. So, it is up to you personal preference. Epix pro gen 2 or fenix 7 pro solar are great options too, very similar to 8. But enduro is far more lighter to sleep with. Cheers
45s>265>epix pro gen 2>instinc 3 45>vertical 2>255>enduro 3. That was my way. After couple years can say- 255/955 mips are one of best ever for lot of sports and mip lovers, their amoled sibilngs are also great. Instinct 2,3 also great rugged tanks. A little smaller screen for me (like 6-8 metrics for one screen during runs, ins.can go up to 4-5). F7 pro or 7x for bigger wrist, epix pro gen 2- fanstastic options but bulkier- just dont swim with them because buttons can get smooshy (mine did!). Flash and newest opt.hr great! Dont like too bright screens on vx1 and 970, and lame battety. Now enduro 3 comes in a way. It is truly fantastic. Smaller wrist about 17.5cm and it is not heavy like epix pro gen 2 47mm. Battery is 40days with little sun a day and 1h of gps 6 times a week. Crasy. Didnt now what to except, many here adore it, but now- I am one of them.
Fenix 7 pro, enduro 3, instinct 3- all having usefull torch, but i3 without maps. Basic but great 255
255 955 965, if rugged- fenix 7 pro, epix pro grn 2, newest hr sensor and flashlight, instinct 3 solar- flash, but no maps and touchscreen, having older hr sensor
Epix fenix are bulkier, heavier, silkier 965... go try them if can... fenix 7 or pro are amazing, no need for 8, except diving...
Dry_Blacksmith_4110 0.6Have both (solar). No need for upgrade unless you want more of the "smart" (like asistent or voice record). The ui is not better and buttons are worse (unless you are diver and needs that). I am comparin 7 pro with 8 nonpro.
Evening_Support2282 0.6The only thing I know is that my fenix 7pro solar's battery lasted longer than the fenix 8 solar's.
Fragrant-Field-2017 0.6Fenix 7pro solar. Love it, its functions and battery life! I hope it lives as long as the one it replaced (FR230, which is still working after 8 years of use!)
Oof... Just found out that the fenix 7x pro solar I bought 1 month ago (why pay 350 euro more for the 8x? Wasn't really worth it for my kind of use) will not be supported anymore. Thank a lot Garmin...
ggnndd12 0.6I personally would get whatever watch I wanted for everyday use and consider bringing a power bank for charging in the field. Others on this thread have mentioned crashes with long recordings. I’ve experienced that too with my Fenix 7 Pro Solar. RIP trail 55k : (
F7 pro owner here. There’s plenty of software bugs.
Garmin Fenix 7 owner here. It has great battery life (a week or more without GPS active). The software quality could use some work. The Spotify integration has been downright unusable, and the watch sometimes congratulates me on running my PR mile no matter how fast it actually was.