The Fenix 7 ran for two weeks between charges, but the Epix (Gen 2) only lasted six days. That’s not bad for an AMOLED watch, but if you enjoy off-grid adventures, it’s definitely something to consider. In fact, Garmin claims that the Epix is best suited to people who prefer to train in the gym with the occasional outdoor workout, rather than those who only exercise outside.
The Fenix 7 titanium is a much more lightweight and comfortable option for those who want to wear it all the time. Its diameter is 47mm and its thickness is 14.5mm, making it much more manageable to carry around.
Garmin’s classic MIP display style is replaced here by a 1.3-inch AMOLED screen. This appears sharp, but it has some drawbacks, including the fact that it will consume a lot of power when you’re standing outside because it will need to boost brightness to be visible.
Garmin’s new Epix smartwatch has a battery life of up to six days in its always-on screen mode or 16 days if turned off. This estimate, we believe, is actually quite conservative. During testing, the Epix’s battery life dropped by 24% after two days of general use with no tracked workouts. This suggests that it could take up to eight days for the watch to fully charge. Garmin also claims that if all satellite tracking options are enabled, the watch will last for 24 hours. We found this to be fairly accurate, with only 4% battery loss after an hour of running.
For context, there are several different satellite location systems in use today. The most commonly used one is the Global Positioning System, or GPS. Epix also supports Europe’s GALILEO, Russia’s GLONASS, Japan’s QZSS, and China’s BEIDOU systems. If you want to conserve battery life, you can switch to a GPS-only mode which gives you 30 hours of battery life instead of 24. ..
