Does Fenix 7 have ECG

Fenix 7 was launched in January and is a natural upgrade to the Fenix 6 smartwatch series. There were quite a few expectations from the Fenix 7 watch. One of the long-standing expectations was around offering ECG functionality on the Fenix 7 smartwatch. Many analysts were of the opinion that Fenix 7 will integrate ECG feature on the smartwatch. However, we were all in for a shock.

Fenix 7 does not have an ECG feature. If you are on the lookout for a smartwatch that can take ECG readings, you may want to check out the Apple Watch 7 or Apple Watch 8. Or, you could consider Samsung Watch 5 Pro series.

This makes it unusual because Garmin seems to have lost an opportunity to pitch the Fenix 7 watch in the same league as the Apple Watch 7 and the Samsung Watch 4.

There has been a talk about the next major update on the Fenix series smartwatches and that it could take up to 2 years for the major update to be released. This may be true, but it is premature to write off the ECG feature’s integration taking that much time. It is possible that the ECG update on the Fenix series may be integrated as part of a minor update to the Garmin operating system.

For the ECG feature to work on the Fenix 7 series smartwatch, we need the following changes or updates to be made to the Fenix 7 smartwatch:

Garmin needs to add a sensor for taking ECG on the Fenix 7. This would be much like the Apple Watch’s ECG hardware.

Garmin operating system needs to be updated to ensure that the ECG functionality rolls out across all the Fenix 7 devices.

If you are looking for a watch with ECG features, you would have to rely on an Apple Watch 7, a Fitbit Sense, or the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4.

If ECG is an essential requirement, consider getting an Apple Watch. Apple Watch version 4 and later come with an ECG app. This allows you to take on-demand ECG. Such ECG graphs could be very useful in detecting conditions of Atrial Fibrillation or AFib. Apple Watches have had a proven track record of efficient heart rate tracking. Apple Watches have helped save lives by uncovering AFib, low pulse, and high pulse conditions. In fact, we have covered real-life incidents wherein an Apple Watch helped to point at underlying issues in the heart of the Apple Watch wearers. You can read more about each of these cases, and understand how an Apple Watch helped in uncovering heart health issues. Do bear in mind though that Apple Watch 4 and later models support the ECG feature. And, the Apple Watch SE does not have the ECG app.

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Does Fenix 7 have LTE or Cellular model?

LTE or Cellular support on the Fenix 7 was considered another must-have feature on the Fenix 7 series smartwatch. Garmin seems to have disappointed quite a few fans and athletes by giving the LTE or cellular support a miss on the Fenix 7 series smartwatches.

An LTE or cellular smartwatch would have to have an eSIM for standalone calling through the smartwatch. Apple Watch 7 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 have the LTE or cellular models that can link up with your telecom provider to provide seamless call functionality through the smartwatch directly.

For LTE models to work, we would also need a speaker and microphone on the smartwatch. Fenix 7 does have a speaker on the smartwatch. It is used for playing offline music. Fenix 7 does not have a microphone on the watch. That deprives the Fenix 7 of the calling functionality right off the smartwatch.

Fenix 7 costs upwards of $699, and the top model costs $999. For a premium watch like the Fenix 7, LTE or cellular model would have completed the complete range of features on the watch. LTE or Cellular support will also be very useful in the incident detection feature as the phone could automatically call the emergency contacts or the emergency services upon detecting a fall. Lack of cellular support is one of the key reasons why the Garmin Fenix series is unable to offer complete incident detection feature performance.

If you wish to know more about smartwatches that have support for LTE or cellular networks, please read a detailed comparison of the smartwatches with LTE or Cellular support.

Does Fenix 7 have touchscreen functionality?

Yes, the touchscreen functionality has been launched on the Fenix 7 series smartwatch. The screen remains unchanged as a MIP or memory in pixel screen. However, the touchscreen feature makes an addition to the feature set of Fenix 7. You could turn off the touchscreen functionality if you desire to do so. The feature is protected against accidental touch while you are exercising or are engaged in physical activity.

Does Fenix 7 have an AMOLED screen?

Fenix 7 continues to use the memory in pixel screen technology or MIP. The AMOLED screen is not available for the Fenix 7 series smartwatches as of now. It is highly unlikely that an AMOLED screen will become a part of the Fenix 7 smartwatch anytime soon. AMOLED screen would have improved the display resolution on the Fenix 7 watch to levels seen on the Apple Watch 7 or the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4.

The MIP screen on the Fenix 7 affords a display resolution that could go up to 280 x 280 pixels. Fenix 7 screen supports color display as well.

Summary

Fenix 7 smartwatch is a good upgrade over the Fenix 6 series, especially for the touchscreen functionality. We had hoped for the ECG and LTE support on the Fenix 7. For now, these feature augmentations have not happened on the smartwatch. On a similar basis, the AMOLED screen would have been a nice feature addition on the Fenix 7 as it would have bridged the gap with Apple Watch 7 to a great extent.

What we do need to understand, though, is that the Fenix 7 smartwatch is more like a multi-sport and fitness function watch. It is intended for a different audience altogether.

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Helen Kurt

Helen Kurt is a geeky nerd who loves to cover the wearables space. She has over 5 years of experience in the smartwatch domain. You can reach her on email at [email protected].