Happy owners of Fenix 7,

Especially we can't wait .FIT files from running in forest to see if GPS still sucks.

I am so glad that I am finally able to configure screens from the app. Garmin has been lagging behind with this for years. I can only hope this will trickle down to the rest of the devices, especially the Edge computers.

The weather should be nice when I get home and should be able to go for my first run since getting it.

Having spent 5 days with my 7X Sapphire now, I could write a lengthy review, but I'll spare you guys the details and just say that so far it meets all my expectations, and I'm very happy with it!

I've read you spend a lot of time in the hills/trails of California.  Any insight on the multi-band GPS feature compared to your F6 in the same areas?  Any difficulty with the sapphire screen while outdoors? 

Indeed I do! I've only had limited use so far with multiband, just one short hike on sunday, but so far it seems good. VERY good actually - I did an out-and-back trail and the lines were within 3m of each other (95% of the time they were right on top of each other) for the the entire duration (except one spot where I wandered off to a vista overlook), and right on top of the trail according to the satellite photo. https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/8170780762

Sapphire screen was totally fine, perfectly easy to read both in direct sunlight and in the woods. The white background with black text helps a LOT. Many of the photos people post are of just the black watchface, which doesn't really represent how it actually looks when you're recording an activity.

Hi all, Looking at upgrading from the Fenix 3 to the Fenix 7. With my 3, the charger is a craddle that the watch clips in to. Thus meaning, I was able to charge the watch whilst in Activity Recording mode on an ultra keeping the watch strapped to my wrist - not an issue as no built-in HR in my model so had a chest HRM on.

As the watch will be used for ultras (I know there is the benefit of solar) but does anyone know/ have you tried charging your 7 whilst recording an activity, please? And if so, does it work?

Thank you

Hi myles2307 - the 7th series has a quite decent battery life. From the data below all sat. + music data was removed as the latter would decrease the numbers significantly. As you can see the first 3 models could potentially good for ultra running. Of course depending on the distance covered and pace. However, the 7x SS is a beast. Based on my experience the signal reception using all systems is quite good. I generally use my watch either in city with buildings not reaching 93m height or on trail runs where trees are covering the sky. I upgraded from F3 base model to 7X ss and all I can say is WOW!

Fenix 7s: GPS Only: Up to 37 hours
                All Satellite Systems: Up to 26 hours
                Max Battery GPS: Up to 90 hours
                Expedition GPS: Up to 26 days

Fenix 7: GPS Only: Up to 57 hours
              All Satellite Systems: Up to 40 hours
              Max Battery GPS: Up to 136 hours
              Expedition GPS: Up to 40 days

Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar: GPS Only: Up to 57 hours/73 hours with solar**
                                       All Satellite Systems: Up to 40 hours/48 hours with solar*
                                       All Satellite Systems + Multi-band: Up to 23 hours/26 hours with solar**
                                       Max Battery GPS: Up to 136 hours/289 hours with solar**
                                       Expedition GPS: Up to 40 days/74 days with solar*

Fenix 7x Sapphire Solar: GPS Only: Up to 89 hours/122 hours with solar**
                                        All Satellite Systems: Up to 63 hours/77 hours with solar*
                                        All Satellite Systems and Multi-band: Up to 36 hours/41 hours with solar**
                                        Max Battery GPS: Up to 213 hours/578 hours with solar**
                                       Expedition GPS: Up to 62 days/ 139 days with solar*

*Solar charging, assuming all-day wear with 3 hours per day outside in 50,000 lux conditions

**Solar charging, assuming use in 50,000 lux conditions

In case you would need charge your watch on the go then I'd recommend an aftermarket charging puck that can be obtained from different sources such as Aliexpress.

Coming from a Forerunner 245 and after 3 weeks with my new Fenix 7S...
LIKE: GPS quality, processor speed, maps, look & feel
DISLIKE: sleep tracking, software bugs, new cheaper FR watches with multi-band GPS that is not available on my Fenix

Legend! That's so good of you to provide such a detailed and informative answer - the bit I really liked was that you'd upgraded from the same model is me. Thank you for taking the time to do that :-)

myles2307 said:

Hi all, Looking at upgrading from the Fenix 3 to the Fenix 7. With my 3, the charger is a craddle that the watch clips in to. Thus meaning, I was able to charge the watch whilst in Activity Recording mode on an ultra keeping the watch strapped to my wrist - not an issue as no built-in HR in my model so had a chest HRM on.

As the watch will be used for ultras (I know there is the benefit of solar) but does anyone know/ have you tried charging your 7 whilst recording an activity, please? And if so, does it work?

Thank you

With a Fenix 7 Solar or (especially) a 7X Solar, you should never need to charge the watch during an ultra - the watch battery will outlast pretty much anyone's ability to stay awake and keep running. 89-122 hours on the 7X solar. See ArionK's post for full battery life info for all the models.

That said, yes the watch can theoretically be charged while you are using it - however, it's tricky because of the way the cable plugs into the back.

One solution is to use one of the 3rd-party "puck" style chargers, which are around $10 for a pack of 2 of them on Amazon. The puck is about 1cm thick, so it won't be that comfortable, but it's probably fine to use for half an hour to top off the battery. One guy on the Fenix 6 forum took one of those puck chargers and modified it to reduce the thickness, and he was pretty happy with the result, but I haven't tried it myself and I'm not sure where his tutorial thread for it is anymore, but you may be able to search and find it.

That said, I use my 7X Solar (and previously my 6X non-solar) for multiday backpacking trips frequently, and have NEVER even once found myself in a situation where I needed to charge my watch before I was finished. In GPS-only mode, it'll easily last 10-12 days with 8 hours a day of GPS tracking.