Fenix 7 series smartwatch and the Epic 2nd generation smartwatch are the newest entrants in the Garmin family of smartwatches. Epix 2 starts at $899.99 and the standard edition of Fenix 7 starts at $699.99. Both, Fenix 7 and Epix 2 have the Sapphire editions of the watch models. We will discuss the differences between Fenix 7 Sapphire version with the Epic 2 Sapphire edition in a different study. For the purpose of this study, we will evaluate the basic criteria that differ between the Fenix 7 standard edition and the Epix 2 standard edition smartwatches.
Bezel – Fenix 7 vs Epix 2
The bezel on Fenix 7 standard edition is made of stainless steel. The bezel on an Epix 2 is made of passivated stainless steel. Passivated stainless steel is treated stainless steel. Free Iron is removed from stainless steel using a solution made of citric or nitric acid. The process of passivation causes a protective oxide layer to develop on stainless steel. It protects the passivated stainless steel from getting corroded.
Epix 2, therefore, has a premium bezel finish that is resistant to corrosion on exposure to air. The bezel of the Fenix 7 standard edition is good too. Epix 2 is in a different league though.
Display Screen – Epix 2 vs Fenix 7
One of the biggest positives of the Epix 2 smartwatch has to be the AMOLED screen. The Always-on-display screen is a significant differentiator between the Epix 2 and the Fenix 7 series watch range. The most expensive smartwatch in the Fenix 7 series is the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar edition. It costs $999.99. Epix 2 standard edition costs $899.99. The Fenix 7 series, however, uses memory in the pixel (MIP) screen. We did expect that the Fenix 7 series watches would get the AMOLED screen. However, Garmin chose to bring in the touchscreen functionality on the Fenix 7 series watches. Fenix 7 inherited MIP screen from the Fenix 6 series. AMOLED screen becomes a feature for the wish list on Fenix 7 watches.
The gains from the AMOLED screen are significant. Always-on display is one of the gains. And, the display resolution on Epix 2 is 416 x 416 pixels. When you compare the display resolution of Epix 2 with Fenix 7 series smartwatches, the display resolution and the clarity of the Epix 2 stand apart. Fenix 7 standard edition has a display resolution of 260 x 260 pixels. The difference in clarity can be judged after you have seen the Fenix 7’s MIP screen and the Epix 2’s AMOLED screen.
Other physical attributes of both watches, Fenix 7 and Epix 2, are similar.
- Fenix 7 standard edition and Epix 2 have similar watch size of 47 mm. Both carry the same size of band.
- Epix 2 weighs 76 g and Fenix 7 weighs 79 g.
- On-device internal storage of Epix 2 and Fenix 7 standard edition is identical. Both have physical storage of 16 GB. The Sapphire edition of Epix 2 has an on-device storage of 32 GB. But, the Sapphire edition of Fenix 7 do have 32 GB internal storage.
Battery backup – Epix 2 vs Fenix 7
Battery backup on the Epix 2 and Fenix 7 are almost identical. There are marginal differences in the rated battery capacities of Epix 2 and Fenix 7. These differences are posted below for your ready reference:
- Smartwatch Mode : Up to 18 days on Fenix 7 and 16 days on Epix 2. If you make use of Always on Display, the backup on Epix 2 goes down to 6 days.
- Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 57 days on Fenix 7 and 21 days on Epix 2.
- GPS Only: Up to 57 hours on Fenix 7 and 42 hours on Epix 2.
- All Satellite Systems: Up to 40 hours on Fenix 7 and 32 hours on Epix 2. Epix 2 goes down to 24 hours when you make use of the Always on display feature.
- All Satellite Systems + Music: Up to 10 hours on Fenix 7 and Epix 2. If you use Always on display, the backup time on Epix 2 goes down to 9 hours.
- Max Battery GPS: Up to 136 hours on Fenix 7 and 75 hours on Epix 2.
- Expedition GPS: Up to 40 days on Fenix 7 and 14 days on Epix 2.
Epix 2 has a noticeably better display resolution. The battery backup on Epix 2 is bound to be lower than the Fenix 7 standard edition.
Other features – Epix 2 vs Fenix 7
On most features, Epix 2 and Fenix 7 converge with each other. There are a few subtle differences between the Epix 2 and Fenix 7 smartwatch. We list the differences between Epix 2 and Fenix 7 smartwatches below.
- Epix 2 has an ambient light sensor. This is necessiated due to the AMOLED screen and Always-on-display functionality.
- Epix 2 has added outdoor recreation profiles of Tennis and Pickleball. Fenix 7 standard edition does not have these outdoor recreation profiles. Other Fenix 7 editions may have additional outdoor recreation profiles. For this comparison study, we have restricted ourselves to Fenix 7 standard edition and Epix 2 standard edition watches.
Summary
Epix 2 and Fenix 7 are almost similar in core functionality. You gain an AMOLED screen and a much better display resolution on the Epix 2 series of smartwatches. Other factors that differ in the two watch models are marginal or insignificant.
You may also like to read the following content related to Garmin Fenix smartwatches:
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- Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar vs Fenix 6X Pro Solar smartwatches
- Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar vs Fenix 7S Solar
- Fenix 7S vs Fenix 7S Solar smartwatch
- Fenix 7 vs Fenix 6 smart watches
- Garmin Fenix 6 Firmware 20.30 – update 13.01.22
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].