Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar and Epix 2 smartwatches are premium smartwatches of Garmin. Epix 2 was released in January 2022 and Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar was unveiled in February 2022.
We look at both watches in close side-by-side analysis. Both watches are priced within a range. Which of these two watches should you buy? We work with you to resolve this predicament for you.
For this comparison study, the focus is on Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar and Epix 2 standard edition watches.
Main differences
- Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar watch is costlier by $100 in comparison with Epix 2. Epix 2 Sapphire edition and Fenix 7X Sapphire edition watches are priced equally at $999.99.
- Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar is a solar watch. It can recharge the battery of the watch using sunlight.
- Epix 2 watch has an AMOLED display. Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar uses a MIP or memory in pixel screen.
- The battery backup of Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar is better than the backup offered by the Epix 2 watches.
- Multi-mode GPS is not available on Epix 2 standard edition watches. Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar watches come with multi-mode GPS and SatIQ technology.
- Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar comes with preloaded trail, road, and topographical maps. Epix 2 standard edition does not have these preloaded maps.
- Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar has higher device storage than the Epix 2 standard edition watches.
We will look at all these features in more detail below.
Display
Epix 2 standard edition watch comes with AMOLED display. Epix 2, therefore, has a much better display experience for the watch owner. The screen is brighter and has a much better contrast ratio.
Due to AMOLED display, Epix 2 is able to offer two unique benefits:
- Epix 2 provides a higher display resolution of 416 x 416 pixels while the Fenix 7X Sapphire solar has a display resolution of 280 x 280 pixels only.
- Epix 2 supports the Always-on-display or AOD mode.
Always-on-display mode is a major source of battery drain. So, it may be a good idea to turn it on thoughtfully.
The display specifications of Epix 2 and Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar watches are shared below.
| Display specifications | Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar | Epix 2 (standard edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Display lens | Power Sapphire | Corning Gorilla Glass |
| Display type | MIP (Memory in pixel) | AMOLED |
| Display size | 1.4″ or 35.5 mm | 1.3″ or 33 mm |
| Display resolution | 416 x 416 pixels | 280 x 280 pixels |
| Color screen | Yes | Yes |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Led flashlight | Yes | No |
| Ambient light sensor | No | Yes |
It may be worth spending a minute to understand the difference in the display lens offered by Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar and Epix 2 watches.
Epix 2 standard edition comes with a Corning Gorilla Glass. Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar comes with a Power Sapphire glass. Power Sapphire glass is sapphire glass that is superimposed with a thin layer containing photovoltaic cells.
These photovoltaic cells help in converting sunlight to battery charge on Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar watch.
Epix 2 standard edition has a much better display performance and experience than the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar. AMOLED screen lights up the display making the screen brighter.
Physical specifications
We find that the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar is slightly broader than Epix 2 standard edition. It also has a thicker bezel than Epix 2.
Fenix 7X Sapphire has a titanium bezel while Epix 2 has a bezel made of stainless steel.
A complete set of hardware specifications of the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar and Epix 2 standard edition is shared hereunder.
| Specifications | Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar | Epix 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Watch size | 51 x 51 x 14.9 mm | 47 x 47 x 14.5 mm |
| Thickness | 14.9 mm | 14.5 mm |
| Watch body | Fiber-enforced polymer with titanium rear cover | Fiber-enforced polymer with steel rear cover |
| Bezel | Titanium | Steel |
| Watch weight | 61 g | 53 g |
| Band material | Silicone, leather, fabric and metal | Silicone, leather, fabric and metal |
| Band size | 26 mm | 22 mm |
| Water rating | 10 ATM | 10 ATM |
| Device storage | 32 GB | 16 GB |
| Recommended wrist circumference | 127-210 mm | 125-208 mm |
We find that the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar is definitely the better looking watch than Epix 2. It is broader, bezel is thicker and has a noticeable titanium element in the bezel.
GPS
The most significant point about the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar watch is the availability of a multi-frequency positioning sensor in the watch. Epix 2 standard edition does not have this sensor.
Multi-frequency positioning sensor helps in providing multi-band GPS capability to the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar smartwatch. With multi-band GPS, you can receive GPS data from multiple satellites at the same time.
Multi-band GPS is very useful when the GPS signals are weak. Getting GPS data from alternate satellites ensures that GPS accuracy is maintained.
However, multi-band GPS puts a lot of load on the battery and causes significant battery drain. To optimize the usage of battery, Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar uses SatIQ technology.
SatIQ is an intelligent technology. It will automatically toggle on or off the multi-band GPS mode. If the GPS signal is weak, SatIQ will turn on the multi-mode GPS. If the GPS signal is of good quality, SatIQ will toggle off the multi-band GPS mode and use simple GPS mode.
The combination of multi-band GPS and SatIQ on the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar smartwatch helps in ensuring adequate and reliable GPS coverage.
Epix 2 standard edition lacks the multi-band GPS and SatIQ technology.
Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar and Epix 2 support GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo satellite networks.
Multi-band GPS and SatIQ are game changes for the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar watches. For these two features, we consider Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar better than the Epix 2 standard edition watches.
Battery
Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar is a bigger watch and uses solar charging as an incremental method to boost battery charge. Understandably, the battery backup provided by Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar is higher than the backup offered by Epix 2 standard edition.
The difference in battery capacities of both watches is shared below for ready consideration. The backup times are mentioned alongside the watch mode used.
| Watch mode | Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar backup | Epix 2 (standard) backup |
|---|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode | Up to 28 days; 37 days with solar charging | Up to 16 days (6 days with always-on-display) |
| Battery saver mode | Up to 90 days; 1+ year with solar | Up to 21 days |
| GPS mode (without music) | Up to 89 hours/122 hours with solar | Up to 42 hours (30 hours always-on-display ) |
| All Satellite Systems | Up to 63 hours; 77 hours with solar | Up to 32 hours (24 hours always-on-display) |
| All Satellite Systems + Music | Up to 16 hours | Up to 10 hours (9 hours always-on) |
| All Satellite Systems + Multi-band | Up to 36 hours; 41 hours with solar | Multi-band not available on Epix 2 standard edition |
| Max Battery GPS | Up to 213 hours; 578 hours with solar | Up to 75 hours |
| Expedition GPS | Up to 62 days; 139 days with solar | Expedition GPS: Up to 14 days |
The backup offered by Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar is almost 3 times the backup offered by an Epix 2 standard edition watch.
For extended battery backup, we do consider Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar a better watch.
Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar offers a much higher battery backup than Epix 2 standard edition. We will pick Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar over Epix 2 for a rich battery experience.
Solar charging
Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar is a solar watch while Epix 2 standard edition and Sapphire edition are non-solar watches.
The primary method for charging the watch is the plug charger given by Garmin. Solar charging is the secondary or incremental method of charging the smartwatch battery.
For people who spend a considerable part of the day under the sun, Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar could be the preferred watch. For a difference of $100, you are getting Power Sapphire glass with solar charging.
For solar charging to make any meaningful impact on the battery backup, Garmin advises that you must comply with two prerequisite conditions:
- You must wear the watch for at least 3 hours under the sun
- Sunlight must have a luminosity of 50000 lux or more
Remember, Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar has a layer of photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into the battery charge of the watch. These photovoltaic cells need to be exposed to adequate amounts of sunlight for at least 3 hours every day.
If your day is spent outdoors under bright sunlight, there could be nothing better than the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar smartwatch.
We do suggest checking out the solar charging requirements of Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar. If you do have exposure to bright sunlight for at least 3 hours a day, Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar’s battery could gain a lot through solar charging.
Final verdict
The difference in cost between the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar and Epix 2 standard edition watch is only $100.
It could be a matter of personal choice to pick one of these watches as your next watch. Both watches have factors working for and against the watch.
Epix 2 has a much better display experience. But, our money goes to Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar for the following reasons:
- Sapphire glass
- Solar charging
- Better battery backup
- Rich look and appearance of the watch