Garmin fenix 7 Pro & epix Pro: the ideal buddies for outdoor adventures

A sunny Tuesday on the Mont Blanc massif is the setting for an intense day, full of discussions and opinions exchanged between journalists and brand. In fact, we were invited by Garmin Italy to discover and test the new fēnix 7 Pro and epix Pro multisport smartwatches, the latest additions to the Garmin line that will surely make many mountain and outdoor sports enthusiasts happy.

Accompanying us on this day at high altitude there’s Simone Moro, a mountaineer who needs no introduction and who has been collaborating with the US company for 15 years, not only as an ambassador but also and above all as a professional involved in the development of new products dedicated to the outdoor world. And it is Moro himself who welcomes us, together with the Garmin representatives, to the brand’s headquarters in Milan to accompany us to Courmayeur and from there go up, thanks to the Skyway Monte Bianco cable car, up to the 3446 meters of Pointe Helbronner, exactly at the border between France and Italy.

Simone Moro, considered one of the strongest mountaineers on the scene, after growing up on the walls of the Alps, successfully measured himself on the most important Himalayan peaks and beyond. In fact, he has been the first to climb in winter Nanga Parbat, Pakistan, 8126m, considered together with Annapurna, one of the most dangerous mountains in the world. It was 2016 and Moro, on his fourth attempt, reached the summit at 3.34pm, more than an hour later the usual time limit for accomplishing this kind of expedition. With him there were Pakistani Ali Sadpara and the Spanish Alex Txikon, while the fourth member of the team, Tamara Lunger, stopped just below the summit.

Nowadays Moro is something more than a mountaineer, he is a true testimonial of the mountain in all its forms: from classic mountaineering on rock, ice and mixed up to sport climbing, passing through skyrunning and ski mountaineering competitions. In short, a true protagonist of the outdoors. Alongside Garmin for many years, he has seen first-hand the birth and genesis of the two new products that the brand presented that day, also contributing in a certain sense to their development.

We are talking about fēnix 7 Pro, a further evolution of the fēnix model now in its seventh edition, and epix Pro, the pro version of the premium smartwatch that amazes with its unique interface. Both models are designed to support athletes and outdoor enthusiasts and push them to give their best in any context.

What’s new in the Pro series

Pro series are equipped with features dedicated to training and competition, an even clearer navigation and an in-depth and continuous monitoring of the state of fitness. It is possible to receive daily a value on the readiness to train so that you can evaluate the training load of the day, while training metrics such as Endurance Score and Hill Score, VO2 max, Training Status and more allow you to evaluate the overall performance. While you are running, the PacePro function provides indications on the pace to maintain on the different parts of the route, ClimbPro instead displays real-time information on overall ascents and descents to reach the finish line. The LED flashlight, introduced last year as an equipment only for the 7X models, is now integrated on both the fēnix 7 Pro and epix Pro versions and sizes, to guarantee training in complete safety even during night outings. Finally, a complete set of functions dedicated to navigation allows you to move consciously in any environment, with detailed maps, accuracy of the satellite reception system and functions capable of limiting battery energy consumption. The duration of the latter is ensured by both solar charging on the fēnix 7 Pro series, and by the optimized hardware of epix Pro. These new models are also equipped with oxygen saturation analysis, Pulse Ox4, Body Battery energy monitoring, detection of sleep quality, heart rate variability and more. Let’s see them now in detail.

fēnix 7 PRO

fēnix 7 Pro comes with 12 new models, in the fēnix 7s Pro versions with 42mm case and 1.2” touchscreen display, 47mm fēnix 7 Pro and 1.3” display and fēnix 7X Pro with 51mm  case and a 1.4” display. Each model features a solar-powered touchscreen display that is accompanied by the classic buttons and a fiber-reinforced polymer case, with a steel or titanium bezel.

Equipped with a sapphire glass lens in the Power Sapphire versions, they are ultra-resistant, they integrate already installed TopoActive Europa maps and have enough memory to install new ones for free, even via Wi-Fi. A great level of robustness is also found in the Power Glass version which combines solar charging and ease of use of the touchscreen display.

fēnix 7 Pro offers even longer battery life: solar charging technology is now extended to all models in the range, both in the Power Sapphire versions with sapphire crystal and in the Power Glass versions. Autonomy is therefore extended up to 37 days in smartwatch mode and up to 1391 hours with GPS activated in Expedition Mode.

The new generation of MIP displays ensures greater contrast and black color saturation, backlighting and solar panel improve the readability of the display in indoor environments, providing greater brightness, energy efficiency and adaptability to different lighting conditions. Gen5 Cardio Sensor offers better performance monitoring for an even wider range of sporting activities, making it easier and more accurate to understand how the body is responding to training.

Worth mentioning are also functions such as Endurance score, which analyzes and provides a resistance value applied to running over long distances and at high intensity of effort thanks to tracking of VO2 max, Hill score, which allows you to view the ability to run uphill by measuring power generated on steep climbs also evaluating progress over time, and Up Ahead, which provides information on the distances that separate points of interest during trail and ultra running races such as check points, aid stations, refreshment points.

epix PRO

It combines a design devoted to sport and resistance with exclusive materials such as sapphire and titanium, even more extraordinary thanks to the incredible brightness of the AMOLED display. A highly sensitive touchscreen, alongside the classic button interface, allows quick access to maps, fitness parameters and statistics, smart notifications and more. Compatible with a variety of QuickFit bands in metal, leather, nylon and silicone, epix Pro is the perfect sportwatch whatever the activity or the environment.

Red Shift mode, found only on epix Pro, changes display colors to shades of red to help eyes better adapt to dark conditions and reduce sleep cycle disturbances. As in the fēnix Pro model, epix Pro also has many interesting functions and features such as Gen5 Cardio Sensor, Endurance score, Hill score, Up Ahead and much more.

Finally, it guarantees an autonomy of up to 31 days and today it presents three new sizes that are perfect for any wrist: 42, 47 and 51mm. The series consists of 12 new models with different color proposals, available in the Sapphire versions with sapphire crystal.