Fenix 7 Base vs 955, are you kidding me?

Again, it's ok ok to disagree, and since all other points are just looping around things we see differently I will only answer to the first point as you are right, after reading again my post I may have been not completely understandable.

Yes you will always have people not completely satisfied by any products, point here is not the general satisfaction for the product per se (Fenix 7 is still a great device! In all versions) but the presentation of some features as so much advanced that they are only on the top line of the top watch at this moment in history, while surely at same time already producing and stocking other much less expensive models for the next launch, which had them as standard.

But again... I think I am done with this thread, if something this evident and obvious to me is actually not to other people then simply... It's a too distant way of seeing things. And it's ok, the world would be very boring if everyone would think in the same way.

Cheers!

Frankysour said:

but the presentation of some features as so much advanced that they are only on the top line of the top watch at this moment in history, while surely at same time already producing and stocking other much less expensive models for the next launch, which had them as standard.

Yes, there's nothing wrong with opposing opinions, but my responses are when people make unsubstantiated comments as facts.  I'll be perfectly transparent.  I don't know if the cost difference was due to the pandemic, but I'm making an educated guess based on when the Fenix 7 was released and the uncertainty of how long the pandemic would last. The newer Fenix models have had a history of being released about a year prior to the newest Forerunners. It's my belief they were ready and finally released as covid died down and priced at production cost during covid.  Just my belief and I'm not stating what I believe as facts.  Do you have knowledge that production of the 955 was during the same time period as the Fenix 7 as you suggest?   If you don't, why would you post that?  If you believe that; that's perfectly fine, but why don't you state it's your belief instead of posting it as if it's factual? 

who knows said:

If you don't, why would you post that?  If you believe that; that's perfectly fine, but why don't you state it's your belief instead of posting it as if it's factual

Well... You right, it is my belief, maybe my English is not good enough and made it look like I say i have direct information. I don't. But IMO it is impossible that they were not building fr955s 3-4 months before launch... 

To sum up this whole discussion, since Fenix 7 is my first Fenix watch, I wanted to treat myself with the best featured watch without sapphire and solar (which I did not like/want), thinking this is the best they will have to offer for this year, since it is Fenix, it says on the website it combines best features....and so on. Now I see that much cheaper watches issued only few months after Fenix 7 have better features. Sure, I am negatively surprised about that. Whenever I bought high positioned device at launch, it kept its place for a while as the best featured device. I am aware that what Garmin did with fenix 7 standard was good short term proft tactics, but it is not good for customers.

To people who are used to paying more money for less features believing that Fenix "looks" or materials justify it, who claim that even that such expensive watch such as Fenix 7 standard is a "budget" watch, I can only say that we clearly disagree on many points. Good luck to you. 

Vizi said:

wanted to treat myself with the best featured watch

 But you didn’t. You selected the budget version knowing it was not as fully featured as the higher priced models.  Now your comparing apples with oranges and decide you’d prefer the oranges.

This post says it all! This is exactly the point.

I would also argue that better material (or more precisely, more costly material... as plastic could actually be "better", depending on the use case) do justify an higher price, but not that much higher from a "material cost" point of view... a few grams of stainless steel and better gaskets do not justify multiple 100s $ difference, that is purely marketing positioning of the device, and I will point out... it is more than correct if done correctly!!

Another example is the amoled screen, that effectively positions the Epix gen2 above the Fenix in marketing strategy, while I personally am more than convinced that amoled screen actually costs LESS than a LCD MIP screen, for a lot of reasons (though is newer and more visually efficient technology, it's industrial construction seems easier to me, less layers and components needed, and even more important... it is the real maintream technology, it's everywhere, while transflective LCDs are kind of a niche - which usually brings the cost up) - in fact there are watches - surely uncomparable from other points of view, granted - but with absolutely comparable if not better screen quality to the Epix, and with full metal bodies, that cost less than the difference in price between Epix and Fenix. So surely the screen does NOT justify that difference, but nobody complains since marketed actually in the correct way...

When making a presentation as (from Garmin site, fenix 7 base model page - not common to the other versions...): "Combining the best features of our fitness and outdoor watches, the rugged fēnix 7 multisport GPS watch blends cutting-edge design and performance with 7-day-a-week wearability." and additionally, establishing a certain price point, a company makes a market statement to the Customers that should then respect in the facts. That's it, IMO

Yes I did buy the best featured watch without sapphire and solar. You did not read the whole sentence.

Re "it still represents a extremely small number compared to units sold." -
Most people with a Fenix7 or Epix2 even don't know that a better and cheaper watch has been released. If they would know, they would be also pissed off like me and many here...

Great sum-up. I am negatively surprised, too, and I will draw my conclusions now and in the future. Bad for Garmin.

Vizi said:

To sum up this whole discussion, since Fenix 7 is my first Fenix watch, I wanted to treat myself with the best featured watch without sapphire and solar (which I did not like/want), thinking this is the best they will have to offer for this year, since it is Fenix, it says on the website it combines best features....and so on. Now I see that much cheaper watches issued only few months after Fenix 7 have better features.

You have got the best featured watch there was at the time. But over time, things change.

I think we should move from emotions to facts. We all know that the release of the F7 series has been delayed by at least a year because of the global problems with the pandemic. So the F7 was supposed to be released in late 2020, and that means it was probably developed in early 2020. At that point, the HW and features were state of the art. But the release didn't happen until January 2022, and still most of the F7 series is not available in stock.

Over the time, the shorting of HW has continuously relaxed, and also the HW features have improved. The FR955 design was developed in mid 2021 and now released in mid 2022.

This means that the time period between F7 and FR955 is actually at least a year, not just 4 months as it seems. And during this year HW and SW have been improved. So it makes no sense to compare the F7 with the FR955 without considering the time of development.

The innovation cycle of technology is getting shorter and shorter. If you buy something today, it can be obsolete next month.

Just my 2 cents.