Garmin fēnix 7 Pro vs epix Pro vs Approach S70 | Which One Should You Buy?

We've had a lot of questions about the golfing features on the new Garmin Approach® S70 versus what the 2023 epix™ Pro (Gen 2) and fēnix® 7 Pro lineups offer golf-wise.

The big reveal: Garmin's new multisport GPS watches have 99.9% of the same golfing tools inside them—the very same that you will find in the Approach S70. 

So does that mean there's not much difference between these watches? Nope!

There are some nuanced differences—like with size and form-factor. And there are some major differences—like with battery life and maps/navigation.

Read on to get a better sense of how these watches are the same, how they're different, and which one is right for your wrist and what you want to do better!

Garmin Approach S70 vs fēnix 7 Pro vs epix Pro | Design Comparison

Style

Well, let’s start with the obvious. Both the epix Pro (Gen 2) and the Approach S70 have the AMOLED display in common—and they are luv-uh-lee! Seriously, it’s a pretty major selling point for those who love that they love looking at their watch. 

Now, if a GPS watch is a straight-up tool in your estimation, then a gorgeous screen may not be your jam. You want a workhorse on your wrist—and that’s the fēnix 7 Pro option all the way.

That being said, all of these Garmin watches are eye-catching pieces of tech that will have you peacocking your wrist wherever you go! 

Each lineup comes with a range of colors out of the box. Plus, they are all QuickFit watch band compatible—so you can change up your style as much as you like!

Durability

All of Garmin’s watches—especially the high-end ones—are made of high-quality materials. But there are some differences between the Approach S70, fēnix 7 Pro, and epix Pro that take rugged sophistication to the next-level.

First of all, any watch with a Sapphire lens is going to be scratch-resistant. These watches are ideal for trail runners and active lifestyles—indoors and outdoors—who wear their GPS watches 24/7 and are more likely to be harder on them. 

Both the epix Pro series and fēnix 7S/7/7X offer Sapphire models. The epix Pro Sapphire—available in 42 mm, 47 mm, and 51 mm—is topped with a Sapphire Crystal lens. And the new Garmin fēnix family offers the same sizes with a Sapphire Power™ lens because they feature solar-charging technology.

The Garmin Approach S70 is topped with a Corning® Gorilla Glass® lens, which is still up there in the durability department.

Next, some of the epix and fēnix watches have titanium bezels and case covers (instead of stainless steel on their standard models). This offers lighter weight and a bit more toughness.

The two premium Garmin multisport watches are water-rated to 10 ATM (withstands pressures equivalent to a depth of 100 meters and can take splashes, rain or snow, showering, swimming, diving into water, snorkeling, and high-speed water sports), while the new Garmin golf watch is 5 ATM (withstands pressures equivalent to a depth of 50 meters and can take splashes, rain or snow, showering, swimming, diving into water, and snorkeling).

Finally, if ruggedness is at the forefront in your mind, the fēnix 7 Pro lineup is tested to U.S. military standards for thermal, shock, and water resistance. 

Form-factor

All of these 2023 Garmin GPS watches come in a variety of sizes to suit your wrist size. Both the epix Pro (Gen 2) multisport watch and Approach S70 golf watch will have a sleeker build, while the fēnix 7 Pro will be just a little bulkier on the wrist as it is built to perform as a rugged outdoor watch. 

The epix Pro and fēnix 7S/7/7X come in 42 mm, 47 mm, and 51 mm case sizes, while the Approach S70 is available in 42 mm and 47 mm to be less cumbersome on your wrist and stay out of the way of your golf swing.

Garmin Approach S70 vs fēnix 7 pro vs epix Pro | Golfing Features

Okay, this is the awesome part. Pretty much, essentially, all three of these are golf GPS watches. Here’s the Garmin golf features that come standard on each of these high-tech wearables:

• 43,000 worldwide CourseView maps with auto updates
• Distances to the front, middle, and back
• Yardage to doglegs/layups
• Measures shot distance
• Digital scorecard
• Custom targets
• Stat tracking
• Garmin AutoShot
• Full vector map
• Green View with manual pin placement
• Hazards and course targets
• Pinpointer
• PlaysLike distance
• Touch targeting
• Handicap scoring
• Tempo training
• Round timer/odometer
• Auto club tracking compatible
• Wind speed and direction
• Virtual Caddie
• Pairs with Garmin Golf app
• Tournament legal
• Green Contours (with Garmin Golf membership)

The only golfing features you will get exclusively on the Approach S70 are Swing Tempo and TruSwing™ compatibility.

2023 Garmin GPS Watches | Training Features

The Garmin fēnix 7 Pro and epix Pro (Gen 2) series are two multisport GPS dynamos. You’re going to get a fully loaded training tool and more with these two watches.

If you purchase an Approach S70, you’ll get a little over half of that—which is pretty bananas for a golf watch. There aren’t any others like it on the market.

With this golf wearable on wrist, you'll have all of Garmin's top activity and health tracking, as well as the full feature set of smart features. You'll have excellent sport profiles. You'll even have Training Status, Training Load, and PacePro. 

While you will have some Swimming features, you will not have any advanced Cycling features. So, the S70 won’t pass as a full triathlon watch. 

You will not have Training Readiness, Realtime Stamina, Endurance Score, Daily Suggested Workouts, Running Power, Performance Condition, Hill Score, or Grade-Adjusted Pace.

But unless you are training—for an event or just to challenge yourself—you will have plenty of the good workout tools in this new golf smartwatch.

Maps & Navigation

One thing that is lacking from the Garmin Approach S70 that is the best of the best in the fēnix 7 Pro and epix Pro is navigation features.

With the two advanced multisport smartwatches you’ll get: 

• Point-to-point navigation
• Bread crumb trail in real time
• Back to start
• TracBack®
• UltraTrac mode
• Around me mode
• Reference point
• Up Ahead
• NextFork™ navigation
• Elevation profile
• Distance to destination
• Barometric trend indicator with Storm Alert
• ClimbPro™ Ascent Planner
• Vertical speed
• Total ascent/descent
• Rest Timer (Ultra Run timer)
• Auto rest
• Future elevation plot
• Preloaded topo maps (for epix Pro only on Sapphire models; must download onto epix Pro standard models)
• Preloaded road and trail maps
• Preloaded ski resort maps
• Downloadable cartography support
• GPS coordinates
• Sight ‘N Go
• Projected waypoint
• Expedition GPS activity

LED Flashlight

Both the Garmin epix Pro and fēnix 7S/7/7X series have a built-in LED flashlight. 

This tool became very popular when it became available in the previous fēnix 7X only.

The ultra-bright LED flashlight with variable intensities and strobe modes gives you greater awareness while you train at night and provides convenient illumination when you need it.

This tool is not available on the Garmin Approach S70 golf GPS smartwatch.

fēnix 7 vs Approach S70 vs epix Pro (Gen 2) | Battery Life

Garmin smartwatches are known for their battery life. And all of these new 2023 high-end Garmin watches have more than sufficient battery life—especially in comparison to other popular smartwatch brands.

But some athletes and hardcore outdoor enthusiasts want the most. That’s where the Garmin fēnix 7 Pro series of solar outdoor watches shines.

Take a look at the power you get from this solar-charging technology:

Garmin fēnix 7S battery life:

• Smartwatch: Up to 11 days/14 days with solar
• Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 38 days/87 days with solar
• GPS Only: Up to 37 hours/46 hours with solar
• All Satellite Systems: Up to 26 hours/30 hours with solar
• All Satellite Systems + Multi-band: Up to 15 hours/16 hours with solar
• All Satellite Systems + Music: Up to 7 hours
• Max Battery GPS: Up to 90 hours/162 hours with solar
• Expedition GPS: Up to 26 days/43 days with solar

Garmin fēnix 7 battery life:

• Smartwatch: Up to 18 days/22 days with solar
• Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 57 days/173 days with solar
• GPS Only: Up to 57 hours/73 hours with solar
• All Satellte Systems: Up to 40 hours/48 hours with solar
• All Satellite Systems + Multi-band: Up to 23 hours/26 hours with solar
• All Satellite Systems + Music: Up to 10 hours
• Max Battery GPS: Up to 136 hours/289 hours with solar
• Expedition GPS: Up to 40 days/74 days with solar

Garmin fēnix 7X battery life:

• Smartwatch: Up to 28 days/37 days with solar
• Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 90 days/1+ year with solar
• GPS Only: Up to 89 hours/122 hours with solar
• All Satellite Systems: Up to 63 hours/77 hours with solar
• All Satellite Systems + Multi-band: Up to 36 hours/41 hours with solar
• All Satellite Systems + Music: Up to 16 hours
• Max Battery GPS: Up to 213 hours/578 hours with solar
• Expedition GPS: Up to 62 days/ 139 days with solar

Here’s the Garmin epix Pro (Gen 2) battery life:

42 mm Garmin epix Pro (Gen 2) battery life:

• Smartwatch: Up to 10 days (4 days always-on)
• Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 14 days 
• GPS Only: Up to 28 hrs (20 hrs always-on )
• All Satellite Systems: Up to 21 hrs (16 hrs always-on)
• All Satellite Systems + Multi-band: Up to 13 hrs (10 hrs always-on)
• All Satellite Systems + Music: Up to 6 hrs
• Max Battery GPS: Up to 49hrs
• Expedition GPS: Up to 9 days

47 mm Garmin epix Pro (Gen 2) battery life:

• Smartwatch: Up to 16 days (6 days always-on)
• Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 21 days 
• GPS Only: Up to 42 hrs (30 hrs always-on )
• All Satellite Systems: Up to 32 hrs (24 hrs always-on)
• All Satellite Systems + Multi-band: Up to 20 hrs (15 hrs always-on)
• All Satellite Systems + Music: Up to 10 hrs 
• Max Battery GPS: Up to 75hrs
• Expedition GPS: Up to 14 days

51 mm Garmin epix Pro (Gen 2) battery life:

• Smartwatch: Up to 31 days (11 days always-on)
• Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 41 days 
• GPS Only: Up to 82 hrs (58 hrs always-on )
• All Satellite Systems: Up to 62 hrs (48 hrs always-on)
• All Satellite Systems + Multi-band: Up to 38 hrs (30 hrs always-on)
• All Satellite Systems + Music: Up to 17 hrs 
• Max Battery GPS: Up to 145hrs
• Expedition GPS: Up to 27 days

Garmin Approach S70 golf watch gets:

Garmin Approach S70 (42 mm) battery life:

• Smartwatch mode: Up to 10 days
• GPS Mode: Up to 15 hours

Garmin Approach S70 (47 mm) battery life:

• Smartwatch mode: Up to 16 days
• GPS Mode: Up to 20 hours

Garmin  fēnix 7 vs epix Pro vs Approach S70 | Price Comparison

Garmin Approach S70 price:

• 42 mm — $649.99
• 47 mm — $699.99

Garmin fēnix 7S/7/7X Pro Series:

• fēnix 7S Pro Solar — $799.99
• fēnix 7S Pro Sapphire Solar — $899.99
• fēnix 7 Pro Solar — $799.99
• fēnix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar — $899.99
• fēnix 7 Pro Solar — $899.99
• fēnix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar — $999.99

Garmin epix Pro (Gen 2) Series:

• 42 mm epix Pro Standard — $899.99
• 42 mm epix Pro Sapphire — $999.99
• 47 mm epix Pro Standard — $899.99
• 47 mm epix Pro Sapphire — $999.99
• 51 mm epix Pro Standard — $999.99
• 51 mm epix Pro Sapphire — $1,099.99

Which New Garmin Watch Should You Buy?

As you can see from the comparisons above—it depends entirely on what you want out of a watch.

If you are an avid golfer who wants the best golf watch available—there’s no question that the Approach S70 is a major contender.

If you also want a midrange multisport watch in your golf watch, again, this is likely your choice.

If you need navigation, you’ll want to consider something from the fēnix 7 Pro Solar series or the epix Pro family. And if you golf on the regular, either of these watches give you all the golfing features you could ever want.

If you want a hardcore training tool, you’re leaning toward an epix Pro or a fēnix 7 Pro premium multisport smartwatch.

If a stunning AMOLED display is important to you, the Approach S70 and epix Pro deliver beautifully.

And if you require the max battery life from your workout device, a fēnix 7S/7/7X solar GPS watch is the only way to go.

Hopefully this article helped you discover which new Garmin smartwatch is right for you. 

We’re here to help at PlayBetter and offer free 2-day shipping and free 60-day returns (no questions asked) on all of these devices. Happy GPS watch hunting!