3 in Fitness Trackers
Garmin - fēnix® 7 Pro – Sapphire Solar Edition
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Mar 17, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
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"Garmin Fenix 7 leads in training feedback, power data, and clarity ... One big con for me: OPW3 doesn’t show training loads (low/high aerobic, anaerobic) — which is huge for me. I split my training into HIIT, Zone 2, sprints, and weight lifting based on those metrics. ... The watch doesn't give you training loads, which is basically how I scheduled my workouts. ... It doesn't show any in depth details regarding training stress, recovery time. ... I was missing training loads, acute loads ... I am missing the workout functionalities of my garmin.. Training loads, more insights.."
"Also gives a lot of useful information like stroke rate, distance per stroke, speed, heart rate, etc. Can be good if you're working on paddling technique, endurance, sprint, etc. Can overlay those things together to see things like heart rate vs stroke rate, etc."
"VO₂ Max Accuracy: Garmin is more accurate (closer to lab) ... Garmin Estimate: 45, Lab-tested VO₂ Max: 44.5 ... My lab results tell me that my Garmin was very close though.."
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"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"
"Download your maps ... Send a gpx file to your watch ... Send an AllTrails gpx file to your watch ... Navigate with a loaded gpx ... Use the TrackBack feature ... Use the Navigate Back to Start feature"
"I have the Fenix 7 and can tell you I will not buy another watch without maps. ... Great for when you are in a strange place and familiar areas. ... I am from South Africa but was able to run through the Norwegian forest on my own because of maps and Garmin Explore. ... If I am in a foreign city, I can put my hotel as a point in my watch and will always be able to find my way back even if I have no data coverage."
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"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."
"the models that offer music all offer at least up to 10 days battery life ... Note offline music + gps on watch is a heavy battery drain - so 1hr or gps activity + offline music and you are looking to recharge every 4-6 days (maybe longer) depending on the model, compared to multiple charge per day on AW (assuming you sleep with it) or daily charge on AWU2"
"The only other winning thing is depending on model you can get Garmins with incredible battery life. My Fenix 7 gets almost a month on a charge."
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"muchisima mas resistencia a arañazos, caidas y golpes"
"Friend of mine uses my old Fenix. That is a 9 year old watch, going strong."
"I tend to break things but it’s holding up quite nicely. ... I even take it caving, which I probably shouldn’t."
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"it has the flashlight, probably the most useful tool I’ve ever had in my life. You’ll use it daily and it’s so helpful in the most random times."
"Flashlight on my Fenix is worth A LOT of money to me. ... Having had it, I could not go back. ... I would happily pay 200 extra for it I use it so much. ... Having a flashlight on your wrist is incredibly handy."
"The red light on the Fenix line is AMAZING. ... I use it every single night multiple times as it makes walking around at night super easy and not at all straining on the eyes. ... Honestly, it might be my "I'm not giving up this watch for e.g. an Apple watch, ever" feature."
Disliked most:
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"I'm very disappointed in my Fenix for gym (and it sounds like the same fault applies to all garmins) because of the logging of reps. ... When I do a workout it will assume I used the weights I specified, but then it seems to either auto-log reps, which is a disaster for things that don't involve hand movements, and require me to correct them, or assume I did zero and require me to enter the whole lot. ... If I'm doing 60 sets I honestly don't have the patience to manually enter the rep number, so I use a phone ap instead. ... The thing that really annoys me though is that it would be so easy for Garmin to make a tiny programing change and start with the assumption that you hit your target."
"strength training profile is bonked"
"For the gym I use [Train] which is kinda like the Garmin strength version but more accurate and you can edit the exercise you did on the fly."
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"The Spotify integration has been downright unusable"
"Garmin’s notification integration with iOS is dogshit."
"You won’t be reading your emails, getting texts"
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"All were terrible at sleep tracking for me. ... I found Garmin had me getting terrible sleep every night, never catching my actual sleep properly and having me sleep when I was wide awake. ... The nap feature was a total disaster for me, giving me 3-4 naps daily while I was a work at my desk, certainly not sleeping. ... when the sleep data is being used for a great deal of the metrics the data became useless for me."
"Garmin is also notorious for giving bad sleep metrics, etc."
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"WAY more comfortable to wear because lighter weight"
"WAY more comfortable to wear because lighter weight and less chunky profile"
"It feels double the weight of my 965 and bulkier as well"
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"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"
"then i remembered i wear long sleeves 100% when outside"
Fickle-Obligation-12 0.6I'm also considering an Enduro 3. Currently using a Fenix 7 Solar Sapphire 47mm and a Series 10 AW. The AW is my daily driver. Mainly use the Fenix for weekly hikes and for backpacking. Fenix serves me well but looking to see what a larger screen will do for my aging vision. A new REI opened near me this morning and plan to go and compare an Enduro 3 to my Fenix as soon as the crowds calm down.
spdyGonz 0.6The 12+ day battery life is so liberating especially if your use case is fitness oriented. I rarely, if ever, used my Apple Watch as a “smartwatch” so making the switch was an easy decision. If looking at the 965, consider the [Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar](https://www.sunnysports.com/p-grmf7ssbdb7/garmin-fenix-7-sapphire-solar-47mm-multisport-gps-smartwatch-black-dlc-titanium-with-black-band?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=4&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-e6-BhDmARIsAOxxlxXYl57AbkBc-wyChWIRFfj2qf_Utpvc9eulRq2lFP30EnwDTUsMDxsaAqUIEALw_wcB)
Billy-Mct 0.4Not sure why but when I start an MTB session on my Fenix7ss it always reports incident detection disabled. I think my old Garmin explore did have it but my current edge 530 also disables incident detection when in MTB activity. That all said my old Garmin explore used to set off incident alerts even after stutter bump braking which was very annoying. If using on smooth groomed trails that may have been ok. Also other cycle activity types (non mtb) may have incident detection allowed on a fenix7 (I haven’t checked) .
Nope :) it’s all good if you interested in how your improving over time. I use a fenix7ss for my activities . One note I forgot to add & it’s only a suspicion is that if you alter your end of length stroke maybe need a longer reach or an extra short stroke it can also alter the recorded times for that and the next length. One will appear faster & the other slower (or vice versa) which can be annoying reviewing the post swim stats .
Depends on the (Garmin?) watch. My fenix7ss swim app records time per length , hr , pace, SWOLF, strokes per length, garmins view of calories burned . It can record if you’ve set a new distance pace record for specific (set by Garmin ) distances & it also best guesses what stroke you used . And a lot of averages max values in the session summary (max pace, average pace etc)
Bluestripedshirt 0.4I have a Garmin Fenix 7 SS and use it mainly for tracking heart rate during warm up, wod, and cooldown. Sometimes I’ll preprogram the workout in advance but I don’t see the point anymore. I just like the visualization that tracks heart rate and calories. It does have a VO2 max calculator if you use it while running or biking. I preprogrammed a custom CrossFit workout that runs for the whole hour with GPS. The single drawback is that it can be a bit bulky and my wrist straps sometimes tap the buttons. I’ve gotten around just by flipping the watch to the underside of my wrist.
I got it in November with a $500 discount at Best Buy. Just keep track of the sale prices. They are still selling the 7 (I think) so it’s still totally up to date. I don’t even know what the 8 has that the 7 doesn’t.
not_a_goauuuuuuulld 0.4If you can live without such smart watch features you’ve made a good move, my Fenix 7 ss motivates me far more then my Apple Watch Ultra 2 Combination of training plans, recovery metrics, inbuilt gps and incredible battery life just makes me want to get out there, lose some weight and maybe even strive for a pb. Much more rewarding than filling a few rings. Plus the sleep data is nice too. Sleeping with the awu2 and finding time to charge is a pain, I don’t even have to think about charging the Garmin for a week.
RDR80 0.4I'm almost at tipping point. I use an Edge for cycling and for hiking I have never done more than 12h on a single hike. And my F7SS is way worse at screen intensity&clarity, without my glasses I barey see anything oin it. On the otherr side, brigher screen has better readability )for me). Also, when on vacation I have to use the phone for pedestrian navigation, as for the love of me, I could never set or search a specific point on my Garmin and set a course towards it.
RengarDelBulla 0.4I switched from an apple watch to an Instinct 2 and now to a Fenix 7 SS. I‘m a geologist so i needed something to withstand the field work. I use the Fenix as a daily and wouldn‘t go back to be honest. Now my girlfriend (also a geologist) uses my old Instinct 2 and she loves it because she can wear it without worrying it might break.
Rorbotron 0.4I’ve had Apple Watches for a long time. I never bought the ultra line but I couldn’t imagine leaving my garmin to go back. The battery life difference alone is a massive difference. I don’t want or need my watch to put on a show via my wrist (I have a 7 pro SS mips) and it’s just a better experience for me with tracking etc. I don’t think I will ever own another Apple Watch unless garmin really starts screwing up. Oh and I use my flashlight CONSTANTLY. I don’t care for how the Apple Watch achieves similar.
I’ve got a 7 pro SS and can’t imagine wanting to upgrade anytime soon. I love this thing. MIPS > *
Striking-Advance-305 0.4I had Fenix 7 SS and now FR970. Fenix was good, it looked nice (with straps it can be nice for formal attire) but FR is lighter and not in the way. Perfect for triathlon, what I am doing. I also sleep with the eatch. Maybe the Fenix is more durable in case of gym (if you kick stuff) and mtb (hopefully you do now fall). But for cycling I use hrm with Edge. Much better then riding with watch. In the end it comes to your preference of looks. But also, FR was just released, and Fenix 7 Pro is, I think, on maintenance mode, so more features in the future for FR
I have a Fenix 7, and it's great but honestly it can be a bit bulky sometimes. Rumors are that Forerunner 975 should come soon, so I am waiting for that.
th33machin3 0.4I agree with what your saying got my fenix 7 ss 3 years now and there still is no Garmin that is tempting me to change. Maybe if the enduro 3 came in a 47mm size I'd be tempted for more battery life and solar but aside from that I'm gonna keep this thing till the wheels fall off.
Yes it you turn everything off (HR + BT) and enable battery saver you can get multiple week battery life watch that still can use as a wallet on your wrist. For example I've got the F7SS and 94% charge I've got 49 days of battery life left. I do use the sports features when doing sports but with normal work weeks I mainly turn everything off and enjoy having a time keeper, wallet and flash light on my wrist.