Fenix 7 is the latest 7th generation smartwatch from Garmin. As of now, Garmin Fenix 7 is available in 8 different models. We compare the Fenix 7 standard edition and Fenix 7X Solar edition watch for your ready reckoning. This should help you take a decision in respect of your next Fenix 7 device.
Price
The primary difference between Fenix 7 Standard edition and Fenix 7X Solar is the price. Fenix 7 Standard Edition costs $699.99 and Fenix 7X Solar costs $899.99.
Display Glass
Fenix 7 comes with Corning Gorilla Glass display glass, and the Fenix 7X Solar comes with Power Glass. Fenix 7X Solar offers solar charging. To facilitate solar charging, Fenix 7X Solar has the Power Glass display glass.
Size
In terms of physical size, Fenix 7 has a size of 47 mm and Fenix 7X Solar has a size of 51 mm. Fenix 7X is broader than Fenix 7. In terms of wrist size, Fenix 7 is recommended for wrist size between 125-208 mm. Fenix 7X is recommended for wrist size between 127-210 mm.
Display Size
Fenix 7 has a display size of 1.3″ while Fenix 7X Solar has a display size of 1.4″. There is a marginal difference in the display size. Both these watches have a round display panel.
Display Resolution
Fenix 7 has a slightly smaller screen. As a result, Fenix 7 Standard Edition has a slightly lower display resolution of 260 x 260 pixels. Fenix 7X Solar has a display resolution of 280 x 280 pixels. However, both watches have a MIP or memory-in-pixel screen. We expected Fenix 7 to come with an AMOLED screen. But, it seems we may have to wait until the next generation Fenix watch for the AMOLED screen.
Both watches, Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X Solar have color display.
Battery Life
Fenix 7X Solar has a slightly bigger size. It allows a better capacity of the smartwatch battery in Fenix 7X Solar.
- On the smartwatch mode, Fenix 7 Standard edition offers a backup of up to 18 days. Fenix 7X Solar has a backup of 28 days that improves to up to 37 days with solar charging.
- On the GPS mode, Fenix 7 Standard edition offers a backup of 57 hours. On the GPS mode, Fenix 7X Solar offers backup of 89 hours that can go up to 122 hours with solar charging.
Fenix 7X Solar charging requires you to spend at least 3 hours in bright sunlight. When we say bright sunlight, it implies that you should expose the Fenix 7X Solar watch to sunlight with at least 50000 lux brightness.
LED Flashlight
Fenix 7X has LED Flashlight while the Fenix 7 Standard edition. The LED flashlight is suitable for hikers. You can adjust brightness, strobe, color, and activity settings of LED Flashlight. To use the LED Flashlight on Fenix 7X Solar, you will need to press the LIGHT key twice. The Light key is located above the display between the watch bezel and the band.
Weight
Fenix 7 has a weight of 79 g while the Fenix 7X Solar has weight of 96 g. The bigger sized Fenix 7X Solar has a marginally higher weight than the Fenix 7 Standard edition smartwatch.
Recreation Profiles
Fenix 7 Standard Edition and Fenix 7X Solar share almost similar recreation profiles. Fenix 7 Standard Edition does have an additional profile for ‘Hunting’. The other profiles that exist on the Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X Solar are:
Hiking, Indoor Climbing, Bouldering, Climbing, Mountain Biking, Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing, Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing, Kayaking, Surfing, Kiteboarding, Windsurfing, Snowshoeing, Fishing, Horseback Riding, Jumpmaster, Tennis, Pickleball, Tactical.
Touchscreen
Touchscreen is a standard feature on all the Fenix 7 smartwatches. Therefore, Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X Solar do have touchscreen functionality.
In-built Sensors
Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X Solar come with in-built sensors that achieve specific functions.
- GPS
- GLONASS
- Galileo
- SatIQ™ Technology
- Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate monitor
- Barometric altimeter
- Compass
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Thermometer
- Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor
Of these, the GPS, GLONASS and Galileo sensors help in improving GPS performance on Garmin Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X Solar. The Pulse Ox Blood Oxygenation sensor helps you in taking SpO2 readings on-demand basis.
Garmin Pay
Garmin Pay is NFC compatible app from Garmin. It allows you to link your credit card to the watch valet account for contactless payments at supported merchant locations. Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X Solar do support the Garmin Pay app. Both watches can be used for contactless payments in supported countries with support credit cards.
Golf
Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X Solar are compatible with the Golf app. Both watches can be used to play a game of Golf. There are over 42,000 Golf maps that are preloaded on the watch storage. Garmin AutoShot is a standard feature on Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X Solar smartwatches.
Water resistance rating
Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X Solar have a watch water rating of 10 ATM. 10 ATM rating implies that the watch is water resistant to a depth of 100 meters or 330 feet below water surface level. At 100 meters depth, the expected water pressure is 10 ATM or 10 Atmospheres. That is why Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X Solar can sustain pressure of 10 Atmospheres.
On-device Storage
Fenix 7 Standard edition and Fenix 7X Solar have on-device storage of 16 GB. The on-device storage can be used for downloading trail maps or storing personal audio content. Specifically, the on-device storage is very handy for storing favorite music files on the watch for offline listening.
Heart Monitoring
Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X Solar offer heart rate monitoring on a perpetual basis. We look at the specific heart rate monitoring features on Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X Solar below.
- Wrist-based heart rate monitoring
- Abnormal heart rate alerts are sent to the wearer.
- Daily heart resting rate
Health Monitoring
Fenix 7 series smartwatches have an exhaustive health monitoring capability. We look at the health monitoring parameters that are tracked by Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X Solar edition watches below.
- Both watches, Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X Solar have the Body Battery monitor. Body Battery is a score that gives you a clue about your body’s energy levels. The Body Battery levels are replenished through rest. As you perform activities through the day, the Body Battery levels go down.
- Both watches, Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X Solar can track blood oxygenation levels through the day.
- Both watches, Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X Solar track sleep very effectively. Sleep score and insights are also shared on both watches.
- A health snapshot is shared on both the watches.
- Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X Solar can track respiration rate on a 24 x 7 basis.
- Women’s health is a part of Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X Solar through the Garmin Connect app.
- Hydration levels are part of the Garmin Connect app for Fenix 7 and Fenix 7X Solar.
Summary
Why would you buy Fenix 7X Solar over a Fenix 7 Standard edition by paying $200 extra? Well, the brief points that merit your attention are listed below:
- Fenix 7X Solar has solar charging.
- Fenix 7X Solar has Power Glass.
- Fenix 7X Solar has LED Flashlight.
- Fenix 7X Solar is slightly bigger sized. This leads to better display resolution and better battery life of Fenix 7X Solar over Fenix 7 Standard Edition watches.
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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].