Garmin Fenix 7 Vs Garmin Fenix 7 Pro: The Garmin Fenix 7 Pro has been introduced as the premium multisport watch, expanding the already extensive range of Fenix 7 models. With a total of 14 different versions available, it can be a bit overwhelming to choose the right one. In this detailed article, I will provide a comprehensive test report to help you understand the features and differences between the models and determine if it is worth buying.
Specifications
| Fenix 7 | Fenix 7 Pro | |
| $ | $649.99 | $819.99 |
| Variants | Standard Solar Solar Sapphires | Solar Solar Sapphires |
| Dimensions | 47x47x14.5mm | 47x47x14.5mm |
| Weight | 79g | 79g |
| Display type | transflective MIP display touchscreen | transflective MIP display touchscreen |
| Display size | 1.3 inch 260x260px | 1.3 inch 260x260px |
| Battery life | Up to 57 days | Up to 57 days |
| HF sensor | Garmin Elevate Gen 4 | Garmin Elevate Gen5 |
| Waterproof | 10ATM | 10ATM |
As can be clearly seen in the comparison, the models are very similar in terms of the essential specifications and only a few differences can be found on closer inspection.
The Pro models are only offered in the Solar and Solar-Sapphire versions and are equipped with the latest generation of HF sensors as well as with multi-band GNSS.
Differences: Garmin Fenix 7 Vs Garmin Fenix 7 Pro
Design:
Fenix 7 Pro Edition has an upgraded titanium bezel, making it more resilient to scratches and wear.
Display:
Both models feature a vibrant 1.4-inch color display with excellent visibility in various lighting conditions.
Fenix 7 Pro Edition includes an ambient light sensor to adjust display brightness based on the environment.
Fenix 7 introduces a touchscreen, allowing users to operate the watch by swiping and typing while retaining the functionality of physical buttons.
Solar Charging:
Both models have solar charging technology.
Fenix 7 Pro Edition has enhanced solar charging capabilities with its built-in Power Glass 4 lens, resulting in extended battery life during outdoor activities.
Battery Life:
Fenix 7 Pro Edition has increased storage capacity for more apps, widgets, and music storage.
Flashlight:
Fenix 7 Pro Edition includes a built-in flashlight for emergency situations or outdoor adventures.
Golf Features:
Fenix 7 Pro Edition offers golf Tempo training, providing feedback on swing and timing to improve golf performance.
Health and Fitness Tracking:
Fenix 7 Pro Edition introduces the HRV status feature, which measures heart rate variability and compares current measurements with historical data to assess recovery and training status.
Fenix 7 Pro Edition offers additional specialized sport and activity profiles, including ice skating, boating, sailing, sail racing, water skiing, motorcycling, overlanding, motocross, squash, table tennis, and archery.
Connectivity:
Fenix 7 Pro Edition has built-in Wi-Fi for automatic syncing with the Garmin Connect app.
Garmin SatIQ GPS:
Fenix 7 introduced a feature called SatIQ, which improves distance measurement in challenging terrains by automatically switching to multi-band GNSS mode for precise measurement.
Sun and Moon Information:
Fenix 7 Pro Edition provides sun and moon information, including sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset times for your location.
What’s new on the Fenix 7 (Pro)?
The Fenix 7 (Pro) has brought a long list of innovations and improvements compared to the previous model.
Technical:
- Touchscreen, whereby operation via 5 keys is still possible.
- New HF Sensor Garmin Elevate Generation 4
- Battery life has been improved again
- Solar Saphir models with multiband GPS
- SatIQ
- WiFi and full music player
Features:
- Health snapshot
- HIIT workouts
- improved sleep monitoring
- HRV status
- optimized training condition
- willingness to train
- Competition widget
- stamina
- Measurement of mileage on the wrist
- morning report
- free TopoActive maps
- Ski and golf maps preloaded
- Card manager for card management
Fenix 7 Pro also offers
- HR Sensor Garmin Elevate Generation 5
- Improved MIP display that is easier to read in poor lighting conditions
- hill score
- endurance value
- Weather information on maps
- split display in map view (map and data fields)
Here are the key features and differences between the Garmin Fenix 7 and Garmin Fenix 7 Pro Edition:
Design
Both models have rugged and durable construction. Fenix 7 Pro Edition has an upgraded titanium bezel, making it more resilient to scratches and wear.
The Fenix 7 retains the same exterior design as the Fenix 6, including its size, weight, and materials such as stainless steel or titanium and high-quality watch glasses.
TIP: What does sapphire mean? This means the sapphire glass that protects the display. It is particularly robust and difficult to scratch. According to the manufacturer, this is the third hardest mineral, but it is still not absolutely scratch-resistant.
Display
Both models feature a vibrant 1.4-inch color display with excellent visibility in various lighting conditions. Available in 42-47 or 51mm sizes.
Fenix 7 Pro Edition includes an ambient light sensor to adjust display brightness based on the environment.
The transflective MIP display, although not as high in resolution or color reproduction as AMOLED displays, remains unchanged. However, it continues to provide excellent readability in all lighting conditions.
The major innovation is the introduction of a touchscreen, available on all models. This allows users to operate the Fenix 7 by swiping and typing, while still retaining the functionality of physical buttons.
During workouts, when faced with sweat or rainy conditions, the buttons were often preferred. However, in everyday life, many users find the touchscreen more convenient.
The Fenix 7 offers a wide selection of pre-installed watch faces and display designs, with the option to download additional designs via Connect IQ. Users can even create their own personalized design, including the use of their own pictures.
Solar Charging
Both models have solar charging technology. Fenix 7 Pro Edition has enhanced solar charging capabilities with its built-in Power Glass 4 lens, resulting in extended battery life during outdoor activities.
The ring at the edge of the display, in which the majority of the solar cells are located.
Additional solar cells are also present beneath the remaining surface of the display, although they absorb significantly less light.
During my testing in spring, I had the opportunity to utilize the solar function for several days, including those with ample sunshine.
- 60 minute walk the dog in bright sunshine
- 90 minutes of running in slightly cloudy conditions
- 4 hours gardening also in bright sunshine
During my testing, I found that I collected the highest amount of solar energy during the 4 hours of gardening, while the 90-minute run resulted in negligible energy gain.
Interestingly, despite the additional solar energy, it did not noticeably impact the battery life. I observed no increase in battery level or significant decrease in power consumption.
Upon conducting an online search, I discovered that many other users had similar experiences.
Based on these findings, I have concluded that the solar function, even under optimal conditions, does not provide a significant improvement in battery life in our geographic region. As a result, this feature does not hold much importance as a purchasing criterion for me.
Battery Life
In my practical test, my typical usage behavior looked like this.
- Watch was worn 24/7
- all sensors permanently activated (e.g. HF, SpO2)
- Use of sleep monitoring
- 4 hours training per week with GPS (Multiband GNSS)
- 3 hours training per week without GPS
- Notifications enabled
- 1x Health SnapShot daily
- occasional use of the music player
I experienced a full 13-day battery life with my Fenix 7X Solar during regular usage. By excluding sleep monitoring and SpO2 measurement, which I rarely use except during testing, the battery life increased to an impressive average of 18 days.
Only a limited number of smartwatches on the market, like Huawei, can provide comparable battery performance.
Flashlight
Fenix 7S and 7 have no flashlight
Fenix 7 Pro Edition includes a built-in flashlight for emergency situations or outdoor adventures.
The Fenix 7X and all Fenix 7 Pro models feature an exclusive flashlight with three LED lamps installed on the top of the watch. You may wonder why a flashlight on a watch is necessary, but there are several scenarios where it can be useful.
Firstly, it helps improve your visibility at night while running or hiking by lighting up, flashing, or pulsating. Additionally, it can serve as a signal for cadence during running, turning white when your wrist moves forward and red when it moves backward.
Lastly, in case of an emergency, you can activate an SOS signal using the flashlight.
Performance
Both models are powered by the same processor for smooth navigation. Fenix 7 Pro Edition has increased storage capacity for more apps, widgets, and music storage.
Golf Features
Fenix 7 Pro Edition offers golf Tempo training, providing feedback on swing and timing to improve golf performance.
Health and Fitness Tracking
Both models have advanced health and fitness tracking capabilities, including heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and blood oxygen saturation measurement. GPS, altimeter, compass, and gyroscope sensors are included for accurate tracking during outdoor activities.
The really only innovation is the Health SnapShot, which we already know from the Garmin Veru 2. This is a feature that creates a snapshot of the relevant vital data.
For this purpose, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, heart rate variability and stress factor are measured within two minutes. The measurement data should describe your general cardiovascular condition.
HRV status:
The Garmin Fenix 7 (Pro) introduces a significant innovation called HRV status. This feature measures heart rate variability and compares current measurements with historical data. To obtain the initial HRV information, users need to wear the watch continuously for approximately three weeks, allowing the collection of baseline measurement data. Subsequent readings are then compared to this baseline.
The HRV status provides insights into how well individuals recover from daily challenges and physical activities, as well as how these stresses impact their training status. It also plays a vital role in evaluating sleep quality.
The HRV status is categorized as balanced, unbalanced, low, or bad, depending on the measurement results.
Low HRV readings can indicate poor recovery or too much training load, while high HRV readings mean you are currently in great shape. It therefore makes sense if you take the information from the HRV status into account in your training planning.
Specialized Sport and Activity Profiles
Fenix 7 Pro Edition offers additional specialized sport and activity profiles, including ice skating, boating, sailing, sail racing, water skiing, motorcycling, overlanding, motocross, squash, table tennis, and archery.
For this purpose, the watch was equipped with the following features.
- Pedometer
- Inactivity bar
- Automatic goal
- Calorie consumption
- Floor counter
- Intensity minutes
- Automatic activity detection
- HF measurement
- HR measurement at rest
- Alarm for abnormal HF values
- SpO2 measurement
- Sports age
- Body battery
- Sleep monitoring with Sleep Score
New functions of the Fenix 7 Pro Sport and Activity Profiles
The Garmin Fenix 7 (Pro) introduces numerous innovations and enhancements designed specifically for sports, training, and fitness, focusing primarily on endurance activities like running and cycling.
Before diving into the details, let’s take a quick look at the new HIIT sport profile introduced by Garmin.
Garmin has incorporated the HIIT sport mode from the Garmin Venu 2, which brings a range of exciting features tailored to this specific activity. One notable addition is a dedicated timer function, allowing you to conveniently track various forms of training, including AMRAP (As Many Repetitions As Possible), ENOM (every minute on the minute), and TABATA, along with all the associated exercises and intervals.
Moreover, the Fenix 7 offers comprehensive training programs accompanied by animated exercise instructions, enabling you to follow along with clear visual guidance.
Overall, the Garmin Fenix 7 (Pro) brings forth significant advancements and features, making it a top choice for athletes and fitness enthusiasts seeking enhanced performance in endurance sports.
Training readiness: Similar to the HRV status, the willingness to train is divided into five different categories Poor-Low-Moderate, Optimal and High, whereby a scale from 0-100 is also taken into account.
Improved training status: The Garmin Fenix 7 (Pro) now incorporates new metrics, such as HRV status and acute stress, into the determination of training status. This addition provides even deeper insights into overall stress and training routines, resulting in more reliable and meaningful information. As a result, you can now assess the quality and effects of individual or multiple training sessions with greater confidence.
Previously, the training status feature sometimes caused confusion among Garmin users due to conflicting information, particularly regarding unproductive training statuses. However, with the inclusion of these new metrics, I find that the assessments of training status are now more accurate and believable.
Stamina: Garmin has introduced a feature called “stamina,” which was specifically developed for running and cycling activities. Stamina refers to your endurance or staying power, and the purpose of this feature is to help you monitor and manage your energy levels during a workout.
Think of stamina as a fuel gauge that shows you the status of your energy reserves, which naturally decrease as you engage in physical activity. By utilizing this feature, you can optimize your energy consumption and prevent early exhaustion during training sessions or competitions. The stamina function provides four measured values to give you a comprehensive understanding of your energy levels.
Endurance value: The Endurance value, currently available exclusively on the Fenix 7 Pro, will soon be made available on all Fenix models in the future.
As the name suggests, this feature focuses on endurance, but from a different perspective compared to Stamina.
The Endurance value is similar to the well-known VO2max but with a significant advantage. As individuals reach a certain age or fitness level, improving VO2max requires engaging in numerous intense activities within the aerobic zone.
In contrast, the Endurance value can be maintained or improved by incorporating longer training sessions in lower heart rate zones.
Hill score: Another feature that is currently only found on the Fenix 7 Pro but will soon be carried over to the other Fenix watches is the Hill Score.
This tool can be used for running, hiking and walking, automatically recording uphill endurance and uphill strength on inclines of 2% or more.
The measured endurance on the mountain is self-explanatory. The aim is to determine how long you can walk or run uphill without tiring.
Power on the mountain means the ability to run uphill powerfully. A very steep climb at a slow pace can require just as much strength as a faster pace on a moderate incline.
Connectivity
Both models support Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and ANT+ technology for seamless integration with smartphones and other Garmin devices. Smart notifications, music control, and Garmin Pay are available on both models.
Fenix 7 Pro Edition has built-in Wi-Fi for automatic syncing with the Garmin Connect app.
Garmin SatIQ GPS
A software update on the Fenix 7 introduced a feature called SatIQ, which significantly improves distance measurement in challenging terrains.
SatIQ automatically searches for the optimal satellite connection based on the environment you’re in. If you’re in an open area with a clear signal path, the conventional GPS mode (GLONASS/Galileo) will likely suffice to provide accurate route recording.
However, in dense forests, deep valleys, or urban areas with tall buildings, signal reception may be compromised, leading to decreased measurement accuracy. In such situations, SatIQ automatically switches to multi-band GNSS mode, ensuring precise distance measurement.
Sun and Moon Information
Fenix 7 Pro Edition provides sun and moon information, including sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset times for your location.
Who should buy the Garmin Fenix 7 Pro?
The Garmin Fenix 7 (Pro) is without a doubt the best multisport watch currently available on the market. Due to the generous equipment of various functions, the smartwatch can be used for almost all sporting activities.
For this reason, there is no special group of users that the Garmin Fenix 7 (Pro) prefers. Anyone interested in the smartwatch will also find a useful use for it.
The Garmin Fenix 7 is similar to the famous Swiss Army Knife. The small tool is very popular because it offers many practical functions. In practice, however, maybe 2 or 3 of them are actually used and the rest are tried out at most once.
And it’s the same with the Fenix 7. Most users use a maximum of 10% of the functions offered. And these are usually features that can also be found on many other Garmin watches.
The Garmin Fenix 7 (Pro) costs a decent amount of money. You should be sure that you really need most of the features offered.
Conclusion!
It can’t be said often enough – the Garmin Fenix 7 (Pro) is without a doubt the best multisport watch currently available on the market. Due to the huge range of functions, the clock
- as a fitness tracker for everyday activities
- to monitor your own health
- as a personal coach for all sporting activities
- as a companion on hikes or mountain tours
In my opinion, there is currently hardly any other watch that can be compared to the Fenix 7 Pro and if there is, then it is almost certainly a Garmin smartwatch again.
So my recommendation is:
- If you are fitness enthusiastic and health conscious, then the Garmin Venu 2 could be the right watch for you
- If you are a motivated amateur athlete, then take a closer look at the Garmin Forerunner 255/265
- If you like to be outdoors, then the Garmin Instinct 2 might be something for you
Of course, there is nothing wrong with treating yourself to the Garmin Fenix 7 (Pro).
