I've Decided - Fenix 7x Pro Sapphire Solar vs. Epix Pro Sapphire

MIKE-SD said:

, It may look wierd, but I have come to like wearing 2 watches. One on my left wrist and one on the right

And you are not the only one.

Update on battery life: Epix Pro Sapphire clear winner.

I've set up both watches as close to the same settings that make sense. We buy these because of the features, so it makes no sense to turn them off just for battery life.  So with the exception of gestures. Everything is the same. I don't use gestures to turn on the backlight for the Fenix Pro which should favor it.

I charged both to 100% and wore them for weeks to check the battery drain.  After 2 complete cycles the Epix was the clear winner.

Today I checked the battery levels

Epix Pro: 68%, 21 days left

Fenix 7x: 51%, 8 days left

I didn't try to maximize either. I just went about my business. Whenever I checked my Fenix, I also checked my Epix, which always meant turning its backlight on.

I will do it a third time but in normal use. I doubt the Fenix 7x will ever last longer, unless I spend all my time at rhe equator, with short sleeves.

Still keeping both on. 

Next test: Maybe this third test, I will wear them until one shuts down for the loss of power. That has to favor the Fenix. But will even that make it last longer? We will see. I'll try to document more details, although, the only one that counts is length of time it will run.

Both of mine are 51mm.  Fenix 7x: 100% charge 15 days, Epix 100% charge 31 days.  So that may give a misleading result.  I will run till one shuts down.  Both have gps and blooth enabled, and continuous heart beat. Epix has gesture on. Fenix does not.  Epix has touch ON, Fenix does not. Both have gps on, with same setting.  

Going from 31 days down to 21 is about 68% for Epix and 15 to 8 is about 50% for Fenix, which is about what the last test showed.  Plus the Fenix has some recharging that the Epix does not.  Neither of the watches have any major battery saving setups. Also both have the same watch face, with the same visual.   So in the long run, the Fenix has a chance. 

I am a bit puzzled on your statement that the battery life of the Epix Pro is better (meaning you can go longer on a full charge).
Could it be that you are using different settings? I mean, Fenix 7x Pro is always on and you have the Epix Pro not set to always on? They are both 51mm I guess and the Fenix should really last longer on a full charge.

What also can be is that the Fenix has a battery drain. It should get about 28 days with default settings (always on). I don't think the Epix Pro will last for 28 days with always on display

I just posted my experience.  Both watches are setup as close as possible, to same setting.  Both have same watch face, with the same settings.  With the exception of the gesture movement.  The results above were my 2nd test.  I said the Epix lasts longer based on the %usage and time remaining.  I was NOT trying to maximize the batter life by turning everything off.  I wanted the  two to be setup in a way that maximizes features, not battery life.  It may well be that the Fenix will ultimately last longer, if I give it more sunlight.  But I'm deliberately trying to use it in a mode most people will use it.  Daily life.

If I charge both to 100%, wear them both, operate them bot. Then I'd assume the one that is at 70% is doing better than one at 50%.  Wouldn't you?

This is very similar to my experience with battery life Epix Pro 51mm vs Fenix 7X Pro. I think there is some issue with some of the Fenix 7X Pro devices regarding battery. This is not normal that AMOLED device lasts longer than MIP. I have my Epix Pro in AOD and it lasts between 11 and 13 days with GPS usage and all sensors on except Pulse OX. Fenix lasts 14 days or so. That is not normal and something is definitely wrong with Fenix 7X Pro. Garmin-Christophercan we have some advice here about battery drain on Fenix 7X Pro please?

I will check all the settings.  It's possible I missed something.  I do recall that I got 24 days or, at one point, according to the battery power display, but now it's only saying 15 days at full charge.  I must have missed something.  I was surprised about that last night when I charged it.

Ok someone explain this one to me.

I was just checking to see if there might be a setting wrong.

Under power manager there is a battery saver setting. It says saver on or off. If I say off it says 14 days. If I set it to on, it says 55 days for battery.

I don't see any difference in display. What do I lose if it jumps from 14 days to 55 days? I don't see any difference.

Oh wait. It looks like continuous heart beat is off. Don't want that. If I leave battery saver on the Fenix lasts longer than Epix but the heart beat is on on my Epix. I want it on to warn me of high heart rate.

That's why I was testing against everything on. How do I get the 29 days I read about and have continuous heart beat on? The only way I get longer battery life that I have on Epix is to turn the heart beat off on the Fenix. But I want that feature on.

It's not about heart beat on or off. The problem is that for some reason some Fenix 7X Pro devices (like mine and probably yours) drain battery in any setting, regardless of battery saver on or off. I think I am returning mine and re-ordering and see if another one behaves differently. I just updated to 14.31 and charged my Fenix 7X Pro, Enduro 2, and Fenix 7X normal and immediately in less then an hour Fenix 7X Pro drained from 100% to 99.5% while other two stayed at 100%. Maybe hardware is faulty and there is no help except to return and re-buy. All this while my Epix Pro 51mm has more battery life than advertised by Garmin - CRAZY.

It's too late to return mine unless garmin admits to the problem. And fixes it for free.

I just got the 14.31 update and mine does the same. Almost immediately shows drain. I'm going to just let mine run till it shuts off and see how long the life actually is..

I still can't find a setting that even shows 29d with the heartbeat sensor on, regardless what the actual drain is. I might do a factory reset and try again after this test. IIRC mine used to have a setting that showed higher number than 14, WITH heartbeat, GPS. BT. So.ething changed.

THIS IS ODD

battery saver on my Epix Pro and Fenix are opposite

Epix pro: saver OFF shows more days. If I turn ON, it shows 14 d.

Fenix 7x: saver OFF shows less days. If I turn ON,  it shows 54d.

BUT REGARDLESS of what is shown for days, the watch face is minimalized, when saver ON. Programming error on watch I'm sure.  I get more days on Epix when status is OFF, and full display. I get more days on Fenix when saver ON. But minimialized watch. PROGRAMMING ERROR on watch. I'm sure it can be fixed when they realize the mistake. It's as though the status is wrong on the Epix. Battery saver OFF should show fewer days, not more.

I think I'm going to find that the Fenix is behaving correctly and will last longer than the Epix. The Epix has the programming error, I think. But it's also possible they both have errors. I just know the battery saver should give more hours not fewer.

WIERD

Fenix is on right.

Cool looking watch cases, where did you get those?