new Garmin Fenix 7 Pro, new Elevate, new features, new Epix
New leaks today from winfuture confirm some of the info posted on this site last month as well as allowing us to make a very good attempt at determining the major new hardware and software features. There are a fair few to note…see below.
The essence of what we see is a new mini-generation of hardware for the Fenix 7 and its AMOLED sibling the Epix 2. We also see the Epix become a fully-fledged offering, now available in all three Garmin sizes. As well as a couple of bits of new hardware, there is the obligatory new featurette that sounds great but which few people will end up using. That’s all packaged and sold under the PRO monicker, although it could equally have been called a PLUS version.
Here’s what we know so far
Garmin Epix 2 Pro
The Epix Pro Gen 2 is available in diameters of 42, 47 and 51m, each available with and without sapphire glass.
Garmin Fenix 7 Pro (7X Pro)
The Epix Pro Gen 2 is available in diameters of 42 (assumed), 47 and 51m, each available as a Solar or sapphire glass variant
New Features – Enhanced Hill Score
Back in March, I told you about the Enhanced Hill Score and as you can see from the image at the top of this article, that’s one of the new features released for the Fenix/Epix. It’s a notable feature only if you regularly run hills and the features give feedback and stats describing your hill running competencies.
Garmin to Add Enhanced Hill Score as a Notable New Feature to Forerunner Watches
New Hardware – new Elevate
All the PRO models WILL get a next Gen ELEVATE oHR sensor. It’s got lots of green LEDs on the back and will probably be as accurate or inaccurate for you as the previous generation.
The Start/Stop button still looks like an ECG lead. Just sayin’ 😉 (This time it WILL be used as one)
More on the ELEVATE 5.0 Sensor
Look again at the image to the right. This is definitely a new gen 5, ELEVATE HR sensor. There is some weird silver stuff going on around the LED’s. Normally you really do not want reflective materials anywhere near the light receivers. Garmin clearly hasn’t made such a basic mistake and so another new feature is at play here.
As the Elevate 5 has had ECG confirmed, the silver area is likely to be one of the electrodes of an electrical circuit to the Start/Stop button. It could also be linked to QI Charging or something else (below for what it really is!).
However, if we take a look at Garmin’s first QI charging on the Vivomove from January, working alongside an old Elevate 3 and standard charging cable, we can see that Garmin kindly added the ‘wireless’ writing on the rear on that occasion. We might have expected them to include the same writing on the Fenix 7 Pro – but it isn’t there. So maybe the silvered area has nothing to do with QI?
Even with ECG, QI is also an equally plausible option for the Fenix 7 Pro. As soon as the proper retailer fact sheets are leaked we will have that information well ahead of the official launch as those features would each be headline features.
Elevate 5.0 to get Skin Temp
This is the other headline feature that WILL be on the Elevate Gen 5 sensor. I wrote about this back in March and was under the impression is was to be released in March/April. Clearly, that wasn’t the case in hindsight and I alter heard that the feature had been delayed slightly. I’m not sure that intel was quite correct but I’m 99.9% sure that the leaks were all pointing to Skin Temperature on ELEVATE 5.
The only reason why it might not be announced at launch is because of minor technical issues that could delay it. The hardware IS temperature-capable.
Skin temperature is a health and sleep metric, improving the accuracy of the detection of components of each. It’s quite different from CORE temperature which is of more interest to athletes during performance (and it’s an illness metric as well). It *IS* possible to model very accurate core temperature from a skin sensor and HRM combined GreenTEG CORE’s product does this but its uptake and usage are quite niche so don’t expect CORE temp to appear next month on Fenix, if ever. (Even though Garmin/Fenix is supposedly for athletes).
Is Elevate 5 also a GSR?
A: Probably not. This is speculation.
Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) sensors, also known as Electrodermal Activity (EDA) sensors, first appeared on Consumer Wearables in 2014 and are devices used to measure the electrical conductivity of the skin. They are commonly employed in fields such as psychology and neuroscience to assess a person’s physiological response to various stimuli. they work based on the principle that the skin’s electrical conductivity changes when an individual experiences emotional or physiological changes. These changes are primarily influenced by the activity of the sweat glands, which are controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Whilst they do NOT measure HRV/ANS changes such data COULD be an input to recovery/readiness algorithms to improve their accuracy.
New Fenix 7 PRO Display Sizes
I’m speculating on this.
I’ve visually compared the Fenix 7 and Fenix 7 Pro display sizes ie the bit that actually shows something useful rather than being either wasted space, a solar charge ring or the infamous protective bezel. It looks like the proportions are broadly unchanged from what we’ve already seen but I still tentatively HOPE that we will get more useful space crammed into the good old case sizes.
Why? Remember that the Forerunner 965 got a 1.4″ display in the same case size as the 955’s which has a 1.3″ display area.
I’m guessing that Fenix 7X owners will be drooling uncontrollably over this IF, and I mean if, the 7X PRO gets a bigger display.
Why This Watchface Image of the Fenix 7 Pro?
The 10:10 watch face on the Fenix 7 PRO to the right is a pretty enough image. But why show it? Does it show anything new?
Speculating again, the VO2 number on the right-hand side will be a watchface complication. VO2max complications, IIRC, were one of the new aspects beefed up in CIQ6 (Oct 2022) that were clickable. Presumably, this will click through to more VO2max awesomeness (or randomness…depending on what you think of Garmin)
Battery
37-day battery life is also mentioned on the watch face. It’s highly likely that the new ELEVATE sensor will be more energy efficient and so the battery life could increase. Similarly, if there is new screen tech it should save energy compared to the last generation even with a larger display area.
GNSS
Remember that some of the previous gen of Epix 2 watches didn’t get MultiBand and SatIQ….this time they all will.
Prices
Same or very slightly more than the existing Fenix 7 and Epix 2.
Release date: Unknown but fairly soon. I would be surprised if it’s released later than Tue 13 June.
Comments
These images finally enable me/us to pull together some disparate bits of information. This post is highly likely to be updated quite a bit so please come back if you’re interested in the next gen of F7.
- Elevate Gen 5 – 99% sure
- Elevate Gen 5 Skin Temp capability – 95% sure, tho maybe not at launch
- Elevate Gen 5 Core Temp capability – 5% sure, IDK.
- Elevate Gen 5 ECG – 95% sure, tho maybe not at launch (via @J)
- Elevate Gen 5 GSR – 5%, unlikely
- QI Charging – 50%.
- New Display Sizes – 5%, unlikely (via @Flo)
- CIQ6 – 100%
I don’t think there will be too much newness over and above what we’ve already seen here and leaked elsewhere. It’s still enough to get a bit excited about though.
I’ve been a bit busy with other things so may have missed something in the images. Please comment below if so.
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Doesn’t seem the Epix Pro will come with the flashlight, a speaker or a microphone. Hard to say from the pics.
And no solar for Epix.
nope
yes. i think those are fair assumptions tho.
Unless they pull some software stuff from their sleeves I think it’s a disappointing upgrade overall. ECG is cool sure (albeit lagging comparing to competition) but I feel like yet again this model won’t be the model where they put all together all the tech they have (Solar, Qi, LTE, Assistant integration, flashlight)…well I guess I’ll keep my Fenix for another year or see what the competition offers.
Hope for 1,4″ in 47mm F7 Pro.
????????????????????????
Pull out all the stops. Hope is not enough 😉
From the pictures it seems, that it’s same 1.3″.
maybe
I just put the images of F7SS and new F7 Pro above each other and the display is the same size, only the solar ring seems a little bit larger.
ok, ty
I think FLO is having a look at that as well
Yeah that would be my dream… the 1.4″ MIP of the 7x on the 47mm case, and I would be even more interested in a 1.6″ on the 7x.
“How can they do that?? the case is what it is, they can’t stretch the available space!”
well… they can actually get rid of the solar panel! And I don’t mean only the outer ring, even more important would be removing the translucent part covering the display itself! I still miss the beautiful visibility and “real watch” effect of my Fenix 6 base model, with no solar panel, no sapphire lens and of course no touch screen digitizer in the way, only pure very transparent gorilla glass.
I do realize that at this point wouldn’t make any sense to remove the touchscreen, but all the rest should be paid optional for whom wants it, I really would like a cleaner (and bigger, at that point) screen.
Also… I understand that the extremely bright and beautiful Epix gen 2 already exists, and apparently an “X” version is coming out, however… also this won’t look like a real watch to my admittedly “old man” taste, I just want a perfectly transparent glass over a good quality passive display.
But I also get they need to sell big numbers, so they need to follow the general taste of the new (and I get it, beautiful) amoled screens. I’ll have to live with it, I guess……
Not very interesting, but incidentally my running got much more hilly recently, so I hope that feature is backported. Or, the new HR sensor is good enough to warrant an upgrade ????
i would have though fr955/f7 will get it but no further back than that.
might be interesting if garmin did cycling hill performance/rating along a similar vein (or it might not)
Just the 51mm Epix Pro is enough for me. Missing the larger size every day…
The 4 pin charging port is still there so WHY would you say that QI wireless charging is a plausible option?
Note that Vivomove Trend have BOTH wireless charging and pins – hence presence of pins does not proves lack of Qi based charging. Sadly, what proves it – is fact that both Fenix and Epix PRO have metal backs – wireless charging will not work through metal.
because January’s Vivomove Trend had both
This blow up my theory that the enduro is a new brand for the minor, off-cycle revision fenix. Or, like Intel, there are 2 minor revisions now.
It will be interesting if the 7X pro has the same larger milliwatt-hour battery as an enduro 2 and simply replaces it for all practical purposes.
Dollars to donuts any purely software features will also land across the fenix 7 platform.
What makes it pro other than beta testing a new elevate sensor generation?
– larger battery capacity (like enduro 2)?
– better solar glass power generation?
– larger display?
yes, maybe all those,
as per other comments here the bigger display may not be on the table
The 5 plus was really only 3 things:
1. maps across the range not just the X
2. onboard music along with Spotify and Amazon music
3. significantly more battery range if you didn’t blow it on 1 and 2.
The 5X plus already had maps but got the new elevate sensor with pulse-ox.
Oh and Garmin pay. So each model got 4 new and improved things.
I’m not sure the fenix 7 pro range is going to get 3-4 new things. It seems like raising the bar for battery range plus whatever magical things the new elevate sensor does.
The epix 2 pro seems like a more significant release because of the expansion of SKUs into the S and X sizes.
I noticed there is are at least 2 epix 2X pro renders with a battery indicator at 31 days. That seems remarkable — surely not with always on mode. But still it’s a ton of capacity compared to anything else amoled. I think it probably meets flagship MIP-based device range from 2-3 years ago.
The fenix 7X pro has an indicator at 37 days. If it works like the fenix 7X that is without considering solar and is 1.33x the 7X capacity. This is 1.09x more than the enduro 2. Assuming it is all proportional that implies a mind-boggling ~88 hrs locked multiband GPS with everything on plus another 10-20% with SatIQ plus a possible 20% in 50k lux conditions — ~125 hrs before considering any of the substantial power management options that can greatly extend range.
If the solar glass is incrementally better than on the 7X to match what the Suunto Vertical can do then maybe it is 30% in 50k lux conditions.
If I am extrapolating somewhat compost to reality, I feel a little bit bad for the Suunto Vertical having only weeks just barely on the top of the heap until this is announced.
it’s good to be on top of the heap at least for a short while !
Nice! Happy to see the analysis on the screen real estate.
Useful screen vs clock size
Taking it one step further could be to divide screen diameter with clock diameter. Doing this for forerunner 245 vs 255 was an eye opener for me (some market/development shenanigans). 245 had better values.
Glad they won’t make Fenix AMOLED and leave that for Epix 🙂 Will be happy with F7 SS until maybe Fenix 9 comes along with satellite connectivity. Not really interested in ECG, LTE or wireless charging.
I never understood the fear that Garmin would one day put aAMOLED screen on the Fenix….because they already did and called it Epix. I am sure that Garmin will will keep MIP displays for many years to come, as long are the sales numbers are there….but it’s good to see that they are introducing more AMOLED screens. I just bought the Instinct 2X and love it…but I will most likely get and Epix 2XP once they release it.
– no bigger display size
– no solar on epix
but:
– new elevate
– new gps chip version
– longer battery life
If there will be no bigger screen (1,4″) on Epix X version – then I will definitely skip.
Why do some people here prefer Fenix over Epix? I would prefer Epix all day long myself, so I am eager to learn your perspective. Maybe I am overlooking something :).
Maybe because they want visible display all the time with no cost of battery drain? For example on the bike.
i agree with you 🙂 https://the5krunner.com/2022/01/23/garmin-instinct-2-solar-unlimited-battery/
some people ‘need’ the truly long battery lives…not many…but some. Then there is a degree of aesthetics as the AOD of Garmin’s AMOLED is not really the normal watchface-always on.
Let me tell you why I had to sell Epix and return to the dull Fenix:
– I couldn’t see seconds hand and every second HR reading without gesture and in recent years with Garmin I got used to it
– While wearing long sleeve I thought that both screen and battery are needlessly deteriorating (AOD is the only mode I use as gesture is a huge step backwards in terms of functionality)
– On sunny days I had to use gesture during activity/everyday use and with polarized shades the visibility was really bad
– Turned off screen while laying on the table and constant dimming on the wrist simply pissed me off
– I didn’t see the benefits of solar energy while in the sun
These are subjective of course but some people prefer functionality over a nice screen 🙂
Are you sure you are using polarized sunglasses? I used my Epix with polarized glasses from Oakley, Bose and Ray-Ban and never ever encountered any issues in regard to visibility. Besides my I2X I have the 265s and it is no problem to read this watch either.
Yeah I’m sure because Fenix’s sapphire screen actually looks better, doesn’t have so much glare. And I’m referring to AoD mode on Epix, gesture wasn’t that bad (but worse than Fenix in full sun).
Looking at the pictures – seems also that newer GUI (as on FR 965) was not adopted as well in Epix Pro. Another bummer, as that one (especially on bigger 1,4″ screen) seems more readable.
huh
i hadn’t spotted that. Very strange. i guess it’s the FITNESS/OUTDOORS internal divisions nonsense that characterises product devt in garmin.
What will be the difference between 7X and 7X pro (only new sensor and a better charge) ? The same for epix 47mm vs the epix 2 pro 47mm ?
Because, I see difference between 7 and 7 pro an 7s and 7s pro (the light arrive on this models) and epix 42 pro and epix 51 pro are new sizes. I think that 7x pro and epix 47mm pro will not be a very good investissement.
the differences will be the new stuff outlined above.
there will probably be some more new things we don’t yet know
watch this space
Just switched back to Garmin after a brief affair with the Apple Watch Ultra. If the new Epix has the Venu 2 Plus capabilities with Siri and a speaker and ECG I will be a very happy person. Just will need to figure out how to hide the purchase from the wife!