Forum Index > Gear Talk > Garmin announces Epix 2 and Fenix 7
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Cyclopath
Faster than light



Joined: 20 Mar 2012
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Cyclopath
Faster than light
PostTue Jan 18, 2022 10:32 pm 
Either of them costs as much as the first (used) car I bought, but I guess the car didn't have GPS. Garmin has updated their Fenix line, and put the Venu 2 screen into one of them calling it Epix. https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2022/01/garmin-epix-in-depth-review.html https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2022/01/garmin-fenix7-7s-7x-in-depth-review.html

zimmertr
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zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman



Joined: 24 Jun 2018
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zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman
PostWed Jan 19, 2022 9:25 pm 
On a run a week or two ago I was asking myself what it would take for me to upgrade to a Fenix 7 from my 6 and the only thing I could come up with was improved music management. I'd like a similar experience as a mobile phone where, every week on Monday morning, it automatically downloads your updated Spotify "Discovery Weekly" and such. All things considered I'm really happy with my Fenix 6 and I'll be hard pressed to upgrade for a while. It seems like an extremely perfected backcountry device. Provided you are capable of building and syncing routes at home before your trips.

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Opus
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Opus
Wannabe
PostThu Jan 20, 2022 12:58 pm 
I just picked up a Fenix 7s Solar, upgrading from the Forerunner 235 I've used the last six years. It will be interesting to see how much power (if any) the solar provides here in Washington.

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neek
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neek
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PostThu Jan 20, 2022 2:02 pm 
Opus wrote:
I just picked up a Fenix 7s Solar, upgrading from the Forerunner 235 I've used the last six years. It will be interesting to see how much power (if any) the solar provides here in Washington.
I always felt like solar was a bit of a gimmick on these things. It can extend the battery life by something like 35%, in optimal conditions--when will that actually make a material difference? Now what would be really cool would be little fangs that extracted energy from the glucose in your bloodstream. I'd get that in a heartbeat, plus think of all the cool biometrics you could gather.

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zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman



Joined: 24 Jun 2018
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Location: Issaquah
zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman
PostThu Jan 20, 2022 3:50 pm 
I backpacked Wonderland this summer over 10 days with my Fenix 6 Pro and only had to charge it once. I recorded every step too. The trick to to create different battery profiles for different use cases. I agree solar is probably gimmicky unless you're going on true expeditions.

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Opus
Wannabe



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Opus
Wannabe
PostThu Jan 20, 2022 4:40 pm 
They did greatly increase the solar-collecting ring around the watch this year but I'm not expecting much. The watch battery itself is small so it doesn't take a huge amount of power recharging from a USB battery. I hadn't planned to get the solar model but I didn't like the colors of the standard. I do plan to do at least one 7+ day backpacking trip this year so I'll report back how well it does. The app has a nice datafield recording solar intensity. (Also for anyone looking to get a new Garmin device, students are able to generate a 20% off coupon that works even on the Fenix watches. I got one by installing the Miles app on my phone and redeeming the included bonus points for a coupon. This may or may not work anymore though.)

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Cyclopath
Faster than light



Joined: 20 Mar 2012
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Cyclopath
Faster than light
PostThu Jan 20, 2022 9:47 pm 
neek wrote:
I always felt like solar was a bit of a gimmick on these things. It can extend the battery life by something like 35%, in optimal conditions--when will that actually make a material difference? Now what would be really cool would be little fangs that extracted energy from the glucose in your bloodstream. I'd get that in a heartbeat, plus think of all the cool biometrics you could gather.
Garmin is insanely parsimonious with the battery. My disappointment is that the watches can show you solar intensity over the last N hours in a graph, but then it just forgets. With all the data it records, to not also record solar is weird. It also keeps you from looking into long term correlations between mood it vitamin d levels and how much sun you've been getting.

Opus
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