Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar and Fenix 7 Solar are two solar watches that were released by Garmin in 2022. Both watches are considered sturdy and reliable smartwatches.
We look at the core features and differences between the Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar and Fenix 7 Solar smartwatches below.
Main differences
- Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar costs $999.99 and Fenix 7 Solar costs $799.99. There is a $200 difference in the costs of these two solar watches.
- The biggest difference is the display glass of each watch. Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar uses Power Sapphire glass and Fenix 7 Solar uses Power glass.
- Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar supports multi-band GPS and SatIQ technology. Fenix 7 Solar does not support either of these.
- Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar is broader than the Fenix 7 Solar.
- Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar does offer a better battery backup than the Fenix 7 Solar smartwatch.
- Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar has higher device storage in the watch.
- Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar comes with preloaded topo, road, and trail maps.
- Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar has a titanium bezel while the Fenix 7 Solar has a stainless steel bezel.
We look at these features in detail below.
Display
There is a size difference between the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar and Fenix 7 Solar. This manifests in a different display resolution for both watches.
The biggest difference between the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar and Fenix 7 Solar is the display lens.
Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar uses sapphire glass that is coated with a power layer of photovoltaic cells. Sapphire glass is made of naturally occurring sapphire crystals. Sapphire is considered the second hardest mineral.
The power layer helps in converting sunlight into battery charge.
Fenix 7 Solar also uses a photovoltaic layer on top of the Corning Gorilla Glass DX.
The underlying glass on Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar glass is better than the Corning Gorilla Glass of Fenix 7 Solar.
We look at other display specifications for both watches below.
| Display | Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar | Fenix 7 Solar |
|---|---|---|
| Display lens | Power Sapphire | Power Glass |
| Display size | 1.4″ | 1.3″ |
| Display type | MIP (Memory in pixel) | MIP (Memory in pixel) |
| Display resolution | 280 x 280 pixels | 260 x 260 pixels |
| LED flashlight | Yes | No |
| Color display | Yes | Yes |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
The marginal difference in display resolution is due to the size difference.
Physical specifications
Most core features of Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar and Fenix 7 Solar are identical. However, there are small differences in terms of size. We look at these differences below.
| Specifications | Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar | Fenix 7 Solar |
|---|---|---|
| Watch size | 51 x 51 x 14.9 mm | 47 x 47 x 14.5 mm |
| Thickness | 14.9 mm | 14.5 mm |
| Watch weight | 61 g | 56 g |
| Watch body | Fiber-enforced polymer with titanium rear cover | Fiber-enforced polymer with steel rear cover |
| Bezel | Titanium | Stainless steel |
| Band size | 26 mm | 22 mm |
| Band material | Silicone | Silicone |
| Water rating | 10 ATM | 10 ATM |
| Device storage | 32 GB | 16 GB |
| Recommended wrist circumference | 127-210 mm | 125-208 mm |
The titanium bezel of Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar gives a premium look to the watch.
Also, the incremental storage of the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar helps in enabling preloaded topo, trail, and road maps on the watch storage.
GPS
Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar comes with a multi-frequency positioning sensor. The sensor helps in offering multi-band GPS capability to the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar. Fenix 7 Solar does not have a multi-frequency positioning sensor.
The multi-band GPS helps in getting GPS data from multiple satellites at the same time. This feature is very useful to boost GPS accuracy.
Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar also supports SatIQ technology. The SatIQ technology automatically manages the multi-mode and simple mode GPS.
If the quality of the GPS signal is not good, the SatIQ technology will turn on the multi-mode GPS. If the GPS signal is of good quality, SatIQ will use the simple mode.
SatIQ has been implemented to ensure that the battery life can be extended with the judicious use of the multi-mode GPS on the smartwatch.
Fenix 7 Solar does not support multi-band GPS or SatIQ technology.
Battery
Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar offers a better duration of battery backup than the Fenix 7 Solar. On different watch modes, we have compared the battery life of Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar and Fenix 7 Solar.
| Watch mode | Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar backup | Fenix 7 Solar backup |
|---|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode | between 28-37 days | between 18-22 days |
| Battery saver mode | Up to 90 days/1+ year | Up to 57 days/173 days with solar |
| GPS mode without music | between 89-122 hours | between 57-76 hours |
| All Satellite Systems | between 63-77 hours | between 40-48 hours |
| All Satellite Systems + Music | up to 16 hours | up to 10 hours |
| Max Battery GPS | between 213-578 hours | between 136-289 hours |
| Expedition GPS | between 62-139 days | between 40-74 days |
Final verdict
For an additional cost difference of $200, the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar gives you the following additional features.
- Power Sapphire glass instead of Power Glass
- Multi-mode GPS and SatIQ technology
- Higher device storage
- Preloaded topo, trail, and road maps
- Titanium bezel
We feel that the price is justified on account of the better hardware specifications of the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar smartwatch.
Suggested Reading
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- Garmin Forerunner 965 vs Fenix 7 Solar
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- Garmin Forerunner 265 vs Venu 2 Plus
- Garmin Forerunner 265 vs Venu 2
- Garmin Fenix 7 vs Fenix 7S
- Garmin Fenix 7 vs Forerunner 955
- Garmin Fenix 7 vs Forerunner 965
- Garmin Fenix 7 Pro Smartwatches – Information and Features
You may also like to read more about Garmin’s technology on the Fenix series smartwatches in the pages shared below: