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Fenix 7X - What I really love and I miss

BhaSin
over 3 years ago

Dear Garmin developer team,

this post is really for you and I hope that you read that!

What I really love about the Garmin 7X Solar Sapphire:

  • You changed the plastic lens of the heart rate diodes to glass! Not only me but (learning from the posts in this forum) many others suffered from a rash wearing the Fenix 6X 24/7. Since I switched to the 7X with the glass lens the rash has gone away!
  • You combined the solar and the sapphire options! This is what I always wanted!
  • You added a touch screen but kept the buttons!
  • You kept the transreflective screen option for the Fenix 7X which is the only true outdoor option imho.
  • You upgraded the processor. Panning the maps with the touchscreen is really great UX!
  • You made slight but noticeable change in the UI that makes it even more enjoyable!
  • The sleep mode is great!
  • The flash light is really, really useful. I use it every day when locking the gates. Also the red light is great when having to find the way to bathroom and go back to sleep right afterwards.

What I miss:

  • An LTE option for the Fenix X-Series would be great. Emergency calls would be possible and the fragile smartphone could stay home.
  • When you change the name of an activity, the changed name only appears on the watch but not in Garmin Connect. I always have to change the names manually. That is annoying...

So, all in all: great new iteration of the Fenix X series! I am glad that I have upgraded!

Top Replies

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  • 0 over 3 years ago

    you forgot one, being able to manage all the settings from your phone. HUGE! 

  • 0 over 3 years ago
    BhaSin said:
    When you change the name of an activity, the changed name only appears on the watch but not in Garmin Connect. I always have to change the names manually. That is annoying..

    Have you tried change what's displayed in Garmin Connect?

  • 0 over 3 years ago

    Don't have my F7X yet, but more that 2 IQ datafields would have been nice.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to tttedp

    Yes, definitely! That is a great improvement!

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to jim_m_58

    Jim_m_58, that is genius! Thanks a lot for that tipp!

  • 0 over 3 years ago
    BhaSin said:
    An LTE option for the Fenix X-Series would be great. Emergency calls would be possible and the fragile smartphone could stay home.

    LTE would not add everything that people thinks it would add. It would not add any ability to make emergency calls. It's really limited in functionality.

    https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2021/06/garmin-lte-explainer.html

    I think if Garmin added LTE to the Fenix 7, most users would find it underwhelming and not a substantial upgrade. A few would use it, sure, but everyone who is expecting calls/sms/streaming music and other such features would be disappointed.

  • 0 over 3 years ago
    BhaSin said:
    You changed the plastic lens of the heart rate diodes to glass! Not only me but (learning from the posts in this forum) many others suffered from a rash wearing the Fenix 6X 24/7. Since I switched to the 7X with the glass lens the rash has gone away!

    The plastic over the optical sensor irritated my skin too. I had to clean the watch about 4-5 times more regularly than any watch in the past, plus wear it significantly looser just to avoid irritation. I'm so glad to hear you're no longer suffering the rash. I've had mine less than 12 hours and have put the watch back to how tight it should be worn (rather than being stupidly loose as my 6X was). I was hoping my skin would cope, your post has given me hope it'll be good again. :D 

    The main thing I personally want now support for Apple Music (or homepods to start supporting spotify, either option works for me), and a decent podcast + audiobook app for the Fenix. I generally listen to podcasts when exercising, and all the current apps have flaws. Either don't support the number of podcasts I listen to, or their podcast search system doesn't include some of the podcasts I listen to (and they don't support adding RSS feeds for podcasts they don't already list), or they're just too fiddly. For me podcasts & audiobooks are the only reason I still take my phone with me. 

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to C.sco
    C.sco said:

    LTE would not add everything that people thinks it would add. It would not add any ability to make emergency calls. It's really limited in functionality.

    https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2021/06/garmin-lte-explainer.html

    I think if Garmin added LTE to the Fenix 7, most users would find it underwhelming and not a substantial upgrade. A few would use it, sure, but everyone who is expecting calls/sms/streaming music and other such features would be disappointed.

    You must have missed the Venu 2 Plus

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to reflecx
    reflecx said:
    You must have missed the Venu 2 Plus

    No, I didn't miss the Venu 2 Plus. But I'm perhaps missing your point. Venu 2 plus doesn't have LTE, and it just has a built in bluetooth speaker and microphone, essentially mimicking a bluetooth headset that interfaces with your phone. Its tech is not even remotely close to being able to make phone calls without carrying your phone. Even if it did have LTE and the microphone and speaker, it STILL wouldn't be able to make phone-less calls because Garmin's LTE tech simply cannot do that.

    If you read the DCRainmaker article I included a link to in my post, it explains how far Garmin's LTE technology has to go before it gets to that point, and why it's not likely to happen any time in the near future, or perhaps ever.

    I'm not saying Garmin's LTE tech is totally useless, I know it has a valid use case - it's perfectly useful for when you are doing an activity in an urban environment, and only need the LTE service to broadcast your need for help if an emergency should happen.

    My point is only that people who think it would be able to make phone-less calls or SMS messaging are misinformed and will surely be disappointed.

    I suspect that the majority of people (not all, but the majority) who are begging Garmin to add LTE to the Fenix simply do not understand that it will not, and cannot, do what they think it would do. That's why I recommend everyone who is asking for LTE to read the DCRainmaker article to see if LTE would actually live up to their expectations.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to C.sco

    Thanks for the link to DCRainmaker! This is exactly what I would like the Fenix series to be able to do: notify loved ones when needed and be nice and quiet for the remaining time. 
    Talking with your watch is really just a gimmick...

    The best would be to shrink the InReach device and put it in the Fenix (with or without the monthly plan)!!!!