Our partner, Dave, at Chase the Summit has proclaimed the fēnix 7 "the best multisport GPS watch Garmin has ever made" — and we agree!

Here are just some of the reasons why:

• New, super-responsive touchscreen, which you can enable/disable if you want buttons only. The touchscreen makes maps and navigation easier with Garmin's powerful mapping.
• An updated design with thinner metal bezels, which adds to solar function, and cleaner more minimalistic appearence.
• Built-in LED flashlight in the fēnix 7X.
• More useful interface; menu items are simpler and spaced apart.
• New watch faces.
• Race Predictor feature updated with a graph to see improvement over time.
• New Real-Time Stamina feature guages how much energy you have left in an activity.
• The fēnix 7 series has the latest Elevate heart rate sensor.
• Full-blown topo maps (preloaded with Sapphire Solar editions), and the refresh rate is top-notch!
• Multi-band satellite access for more GPS accuracy (Sapphire Solar edition only).
• Improved battery life across the board—with and without solar-charging.

Garmin fēnix 7 Standard, Solar & Sapphire Solar:

Display Size: 1.3"

Physical Dimensions (W x H x D): 47 x 47 x 14.5 mm

weight: 73g titanium bezel; 79g stainless steel bezel

fēnix 7S Standard, Solar & Sapphire Solar:

Display Size: 1.2"

Physical Dimensions (W x H x D): 42 x 42 x 14.1 mm

weight: 58g titanium bezel; 63g stainless steel bezel

fēnix 7X Solar & Sapphire Solar:

Display Size: 1.4"

Physical Dimensions (W x H x D): 51 x 51 x 14.9 mm

weight: 89g titanium bezel; 96g stainless steel bezel

***View our full page of Garmin fēnix 7 specs here***

What are the advantages of getting a Garmin fēnix 7 or epix (Gen 2) base model vs the Sapphire edition?

• Sapphire glass vs Gorilla glass is more resistant.
• With both the Garmin epix 2 and fēnix 7 models, you get a titanium case with the Sapphire dispaly option.
• You also get a bezel with a DLC (diamond-like carbon coating) for durability and more scratch-resistance.
• The Sapphire models have more interanl storage.
• The fēnix 7 and epix 2 Sapphires include multi-band satellite GPS function for even more increased tracking accuracy.
• Sapphire glass's downfall? It's more reflective and transmits less light than typical glass (you can see this demonstrated in various lighting in the video). Ths is less noticable in the epix (Gen 2) becuase of the AMOLED screen.

The main differences between the Garmin fēnix 7/7S/7X and the epix (Gen 2) include:

• There are 3 sizes and 16 watchs in the fēnix 7 lineup, while the epix 2 offers three total watches in one size.
• The epix Gen 2 has a bright AMOLED display.
• The fēnix 7 series offers solar-charging options.
• You're going to get a lot more battery life—even without solar-charging options—with a Garmin fēnix 7 multisport watch.

Jump over to our Garmin fēnix 7 vs epix (Gen 2) article to dig into the similarities and differences between these two high-end Garmin watches.

While the Garmin fēnix 6 is only a couple of years old and offers a lot of the tools you love in a high-end Garmin multisport GPS watch, Dave, our partner at Chase the Summit, brings you 10 reasons to upgrade to a fēnix 7—and 2 reasons not to in the above video.

Some of the arguments in the for column:

• The fēnix 7 touchscreen is super-responsive and adds pan/zoom to maps—making navigation easier as well as interfacing with the menu on this Garmin watch.
• Improved GPS accuracy with multi-band frequency in the fēnix 7 Sapphire Solar models; but also in GPS all-around.
• Even better battery life, which the fēnix 6 already had. Now its better.
• All fēnix 7 series watches have the latest Garmin Elevate heart rate sensor, which is much-improved over the previous versions.
• Improved real-time sync through the Garmin Connect app.
• Real-Time Stamina, which with your energy use economy during an activity.
• A Sapphire Solar option is now availlable in the fēnix 7.

In a first for a high-end Garmin multisport watch, the fēnix 7 series adds a touchscreen. And don't worry, they didn't take away your trusted traditional button operation that works in any environment.

Also, Garmin has added next-level endurance and real-time stamina tracking, new multi-band frequency for better positioning (Sapphire Solar only), more access to maps, and music storage on every size and model. Plus, improved fēnix 7 battery life.

Hop over to our Garmin fēnix 7 vs fēnix 6 comparison article for a deep dive into the differences between these two genrations of Garmin's most rugged and sophisticated multisport GPS watch.