Reading Time: 10 minutesGarmin Fenix 7 – Garmin reveals its hand Garmin has revealed its hand with the launch of the Garmin Enduro as well as earlier plays from late 2020 that mostly went unnoticed. Here’s what’s going to happen with the Fenix 7 in 2021. Current State-of-Play The Garmin Fenix is the money-spinner for Garmin. It is expensive to buy and highly profitable for Garmin to sell but it’s also THE best-featured sports or outdoors watch. Nothing comes close. To keep that market position, Garmin needs to maintain innovative superiority. With a large R&D budget you might…
What to expect from the Fenix 7 in 2021
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I became (finally) a member because of this post. Just to see that your members point of view is plastered with ads like the free version.
It got worse 1-2 months ago. If you use an iPhone, its really annoying to visit your site.
Conclusion: After seeing the ad pest, I cancelled the subscribtion as fast as I enabled it.
sorry it should have been disabled for that post I will look into it.
edit: hmmm ads are and were disabled for this post and for all other subscriber posts, you shouldn’t have seen them on such posts and I don’t see them here? you shouldn’t see them on reviews either.
they will show elsewhere on the site on some posts. I’m working on removing them totally but it is more difficult than you might think.
When I go from the start page (google banner) into this article, I get a full page popup. When I scroll down to the comment section and want to read your comment, another popup „advertising“ other articles blocks the view full screen. Attached is the first popup.
Im honest I don’t know how hard removing advertising is because I didn’t use any on my blog I had.
thank you
I am working on this at the moment with a 3rd party developer.
ads should not appear on the page. however I guess that one might appear as it is between pages as a Vignette ad. I don’t know.
I have to turn off ads for subscribers for more than one ad provider and each provider is different. currently my workaround is to turn ads off for a specific set of named pages
I did have this functionality working but then the ad providers kept changing how they executed their own code…so my code stopped working.
ads are also inserted in other ways I have to conditionally turn those off too.
one of the ‘other ways’ (ad inserter) is what broke yesterday. and that is why i was up til 3 am trying to sort it out!
I just want to write stuff and run with watches…I’m having to learn to code as well.
honestly, it’s not as simple as flicking a switch….although it should be.
I’ll start saving my pennies for this one. If native running power finally comes, I will be the first to buy.
Oh yes: Fenix with Oled and let’s say 5 days of batterie would be mine.
Alternative Im thinking about: use the Forerunner 945 for sports until the buttons fail out of warranty (im on my second replacement) and buy a Apple Watch for day to day use.
Man I would kill for Google Voice Assistant for making calls or sending texts on an LTE Garmin. No way it’s gonna happen. My perfect watch really is sitting right in that no man’s land between dedicated running watches, with their battery life and accurate data and the Samsung/Apples of the world. If only the Suunto 7 were any good, or if Google/Fitbit would get off their butts and fix Android Wear.
For now though, I’ll continue to prioritize the running stuff. Hoping any Garmin LTE features will at least allow for texting so I can stay in touch with the family when I’m on a long run.
AndroidWear (WearOS) is ‘fixed’ in the sense that the next gen of hardware is already being released on new models (started Q4.2020). I’ve not had a go with one yet tho. what’s wrong with the Suunto WearOS app…I think it’s quite good now and the hardware is good quality…it’s just the battery life…no?
Yes, just battery life. I don’t want to constantly stress about low battery or worry about it running out when I’m out on a run! If I could design my ideal watch it would be one that was attractive enough for everyday use, had physical buttons instead of a touch screen, had at least 5 days of battery life, LTE with the ability to send and receive text via a microphone, impeccable running stats and performance. Suunto 7 and Garmin are close but no one is quite there yet.
The health stats are all so gimmicky, I find them to be a distraction from everyday life. Very dismaying that all the tech companies are spending so much effort on them.
Thoughts on whether an updated MARQ will appear before the F7? I recall there was some sort of FCC filing that was hinting at a March release with high-end features.
probably it will be out first, in a month where launch timing is not so critical eg a September launch is important for some devices so marq2 would not be then
possibly it will have a new element of garmin tech eg next gen elevate (it will have the same motherboard/cpu as enduro)
A few weeks and this should all be a lot clearer…
yes i hope so.
it’s confusing this year as there are SO many garmins that are due to have a refresh. so a worst-case for Fenix lovers would be that there are bike computers (530+), then a vector 4 (which i am fairly certain of) and then a fr245+. none of that reveals anything too much for the fenix except perhaps the native power running.
so we really need a 955 to help shed some light but all that will be will be an Enduro repackaged in a plastic shell
after that summer is here and maybe marq2. then we will hopefully better understand the new headlines features over and above what I’ve said here
So is there a chance that any of the features listed in your take out will make it to the 955? I’m holding out for it so hope it’s got a few new features. Coming from a 645.
I’d say in a few weeks there will be an LTE device announcement at minimum.
the 955 software featues will be pseudo-identical to the fenix eg native running power will even come to the FR255. you mean will it have lte?
Not sure on the specific device (955 v fenix), but there should be some thing (pretty sure it’s a watch) offering lte connectivity announced/launched in a few weeks.
Enduro is for testing the new battery plataform AND check what’s the user perception for a long lasting watch. If the reception is lukewarm (doesn’t cannibalize normal Fenix sales too much), then Garmin knows it can split the line in two: Super sexy Fenix with amoled and whatnot, and Enduro for the small hardcore crowd that just wants the “basics”. If Enduro sells too well, then maybe is too soon to go full steam for Fenix 7.
I suspect 99% of their market (myself included) is people who run recreationally 3-5 days a week for an hour or so, and maybe run a couple 1/2 or full marathons a year. 8 hours of GPS battery life is just fine for that group, I’m happy to charge my watch once or twice a week while I’m in the shower.
I have a Fenix because I also want a watch that looks good (not plastic) on a date night or at the office, otherwise the 245 or 745 would be perfect. Right now there isn’t really a device for that market. Fenix + AMOLED would have huge appeal I think, and we now have the Enduro for the .01% of ultra athletes out there. Seems like a win-win.
The odd thing is that the more hardcore ultra runners I know are pretty anti tech. They don’t trust anything with batteries past a casio stopwatch. It’s the weirdest thing ever.
I know the person who holds the Irish 48 hour road record, think the only time I heard him mention a watch was when one his sponsors gave him a Suunto Ambit 3 Peak for his attempt on the record for running the length of Ireland (Malin to Mizen). He did use one of the Garmin GPS handheld units for the Spine race (which he’s won in the past).
yes, there is some truth in that for swimmers too. However I would say as the younger generations gradually come through, then tech-uptake will also come.
Btw, if you look at the band colors listed on page 13 of the FCC report whose confidentiality runs out March 8th (https://fccid.io/IPH-03898/RF-Exposure-Info/SAR-Report-pt-1-of-4-5074292)
You’ll see a bunch of unique bands that have all been part of the Fenix line and not anywhere else. Carrara White, Shale Grey Leather, Black Nylon with Rose Gold Hardware — all Fenix 5 or 6. This is looking more and more like a Fenix watch to me, definitely not a Forerunner.
I believe you are right on that one. Now the question is whether 3949 is going to be an LTE Fenix and it was just submitted as a different FCC ID or if its going to be a Forerunner LTE. I’m thinking its a Forerunner LTE since you don’t see any testing with different bands, although Garmin could just have a single band option for the LTE version.
don’t forget there was always a leak for 945lte, 955lte and 955. and sport version of fenix 6. I always discounted the 945lte. i guess those straps wouldn’t be for the 945/955 tho!
Yeah, I was SLIGHTLY mistaken. Those colors are for the quickfit bands, which fit the Fenix and Forerunner lines and are sold separately. So now I’m feeling pretty confident that this is a 945 or 955 LTE.