Garmin Fenix 7S Solar - Rose Gold/Light Sand

Battery lasted about 8 days which included a cycle, multiple road runs, trail run, walk and strength workout. The solar charging works great when running or walking in the sun. Struggled to get the notifications working with iOS which needed to select a permission in the bluetooth settings in iOS. I couldn’t find the instructions for this on any Garmin support website. The watch is a little bulkier than my previous Garmin Venu, but it is still very comfortable to wear all day and during sleeping. It looks beautiful and feminine to wear with normal everyday wear and while training.

Good!

It looks great in your wrist, real time stamina while running is great; I wish it could be added to the tennis app and other activities. It works great with Spotify. Training readiness and body battery data is comparable to the Athlytic app in Apple Watch but the Athlytic app widget looks better in IPhone. AppleWatch is more comfortable to sleep with but endurable with Fenix 7s.The big negative for me is needing a third party app to add a barcode for my Gym pass. After tennis and running I go to the gym for active recovery and have to take my AppleWatch out to use the AppleWatch wallet. The barcode third party apps don’t seem secured.

Great features - but has some kinks

I purchased this a few weeks ago. As with any new product from Garmin, it has its ups and downs. I love the functionality - all except one thing. Wifi connection - it doesn't stay connected long enough to download large apps (Spotify) from Garmin connectI cannot get spotify to download to the watch. I don't know if Garmin connect or the wifi on the watch needs an upgrade. My watch connects to the 2.4ghz wifi both at home and on another network, but Garmin Connect does not recognize the watch connecting to wifi. Everytime I go to load Spotify on the watch it says I am not connected to wifi in Garmin Connect. I'm a tech savy person and have worked thru all the upper level garmin support documents and with support a couple of times now. Of course, no one else is ... MoreI purchased this a few weeks ago. As with any new product from Garmin, it has its ups and downs. I love the functionality - all except one thing. Wifi connection - it doesn't stay connected long enough to download large apps (Spotify) from Garmin connectI cannot get spotify to download to the watch. I don't know if Garmin connect or the wifi on the watch needs an upgrade. My watch connects to the 2.4ghz wifi both at home and on another network, but Garmin Connect does not recognize the watch connecting to wifi. Everytime I go to load Spotify on the watch it says I am not connected to wifi in Garmin Connect. I'm a tech savy person and have worked thru all the upper level garmin support documents and with support a couple of times now. Of course, no one else is reporting this problem. I had an early Garmin 645 music and never could get the the music to work with that either.I've tried the ski app and some of the women's features and like that. The ski app is very cool as long as it doen't turn off by inadvertant button pushes with gloves, but that is probably more user error than device error.I

Great features, significant learning curve

The watch itself is quite attractive but I was not prepared for it to be as bulky or heavy as it is in person since retail locations only have dummy watches. a slightly smalller, thinner version would make a huge difference. The battery makes a big difference in comfort. After a couple nights, I was forced to buy a third party band to make it comfortable enough to wear, particularly at night. It is disappointing that there are so few band options available that can work with this model. I like the buttons, because they make it difficult to accidentally turn the light on and therefore it is good for situations where it could be distracting, but I also found memorizing what they all do to be more effort than I have energy for right now, so I mostly just use 2 and need ... MoreThe watch itself is quite attractive but I was not prepared for it to be as bulky or heavy as it is in person since retail locations only have dummy watches. a slightly smalller, thinner version would make a huge difference. The battery makes a big difference in comfort. After a couple nights, I was forced to buy a third party band to make it comfortable enough to wear, particularly at night. It is disappointing that there are so few band options available that can work with this model. I like the buttons, because they make it difficult to accidentally turn the light on and therefore it is good for situations where it could be distracting, but I also found memorizing what they all do to be more effort than I have energy for right now, so I mostly just use 2 and need to watch videos any time I want to make it do something new.At the moment, I use very few of the features. I bought it not for athletics but to track energy levels in regard to chronic illness. I hope to some day use it for hiking, swimming and travel.I am disappointed that it will only track a single sleep session per day, since I often sleep in shifts or require long naps to recover. It would be nice if this additional sleep, which is often better than what I get at night was included in the sleep metrics.

I bought the wrong watch

I ordered the fenix 7s thinking it was a 7s solar sapphire since all the 7s watches are on the same page on the play better site. I have since noticed that as one scrolls through the colors, there is a little color description which doesnt just say the color, it says the 7s type for each color. So, make sure you pay attention to that. The 7s was really pretty and seemed to be as described but I really wanted the extra storage the solar sapphire comes with. It took me 2 days to realize my mistake. As soon as I did, I sent the watch back. I didnt have time to learn all the features. This was my first smartwatch so it was a little overwhelming; it could do so much. It comes with a quick set up guide (I think 16 pages) but not an instruction manual. You can download the ... MoreI ordered the fenix 7s thinking it was a 7s solar sapphire since all the 7s watches are on the same page on the play better site. I have since noticed that as one scrolls through the colors, there is a little color description which doesnt just say the color, it says the 7s type for each color. So, make sure you pay attention to that. The 7s was really pretty and seemed to be as described but I really wanted the extra storage the solar sapphire comes with. It took me 2 days to realize my mistake. As soon as I did, I sent the watch back. I didnt have time to learn all the features. This was my first smartwatch so it was a little overwhelming; it could do so much. It comes with a quick set up guide (I think 16 pages) but not an instruction manual. You can download the instruction manual (Around 150 pages) from the garmin website. It seemed well made though and play better was an excellent company to buy from.

Nice upgrade from Fenix 5s

I upgraded my fenix 5s after nearly six years. I still love my old model, but I do enjoy the features of the new 7s. I've not been very successful at utilizing the solar glass, but maybe once the summer sun arrives Ill have more luck. I've received complements on the looks of the watch, and my only real complaint is the sensor is slightly raised rather than flush like my previous model. The raised sensor does leave an impression on my wrist, but otherwise it is not noticeably uncomfortable. Overall happy with my purchase.

Outstanding

Really like the design, fit, and quality of Fenix. Another huge plus is everything you included in the Garmin ecosystem. They blow Apple out of the water in my opinion. The downside, in my opinion, is their App Store. It’s not polished off like Apple’s so some apps don’t work as well as Garmins and that is frustrating. Also you have to sync the watch twice a day and that requires opening up the app and hitting the sync icon. It’s not a big deal because who isn’t in their phone anyway but it is annoying sometimes. Overall, it’s a great value and you get smart watch features like notifications and call answering etc. it’s win-win

Solar, glances and more!

I Love my fenix S Solar watch, despite a few frustrations in the beginning. Here's what I really like- the solar capabilities, the glances, and the versatility.Solar- I just did a 6 day mountain bike trip in the Utah wilderness and never had to recharge my watch due to the solar charging.Glances- I love the ease of the touch screen and being able to "glance" through all my stats and physiology in the morning including heart rate, sleep, body battery, weather, training readiness, steps, HRV status...Versatility- The fenix has so many activity options and fun widgets to useI was frustrated in the beginning when I couldn't get my fenix to pair with my iPhone. I tried all of the troubleshooting recommendations several times with no luck. I looked at videos ... MoreI Love my fenix S Solar watch, despite a few frustrations in the beginning. Here's what I really like- the solar capabilities, the glances, and the versatility.Solar- I just did a 6 day mountain bike trip in the Utah wilderness and never had to recharge my watch due to the solar charging.Glances- I love the ease of the touch screen and being able to "glance" through all my stats and physiology in the morning including heart rate, sleep, body battery, weather, training readiness, steps, HRV status...Versatility- The fenix has so many activity options and fun widgets to useI was frustrated in the beginning when I couldn't get my fenix to pair with my iPhone. I tried all of the troubleshooting recommendations several times with no luck. I looked at videos online. Finally I looked up on. a basic Google search, why my Fenix wasn't pairing. The solution was to delete my Bluetooth for fenix S Solar on my phone settings, not on the Garmin Connect app, then reinstall it. Bingo! It finally paired. The only other change I wish I'd made was to get the 47 mm face instead of the 42mm.

hiking mode acts weird

I got this watch right before going to the Grand Canyon. The plan was to hike Rim to Rim, and I wanted to get the accurate mileage, steps, etc as when I did this trail in the past, my apple watch died half way the trail. I put my new fenix on a hiking mode, but it would constantly pause itself. It was so frustrating to resume it all the time; I had to turn the activity mode off... Also, I downloaded the map of the trail (course), and could not figure out how to apply the course to the hiking mode. It would work as doing the course only or as a hiking activity, but not together. I haven't decided if I want to keep the watch yet.

laurav

I love all the features that the watch offers. It is just so uncomfortable. I have been trying to stay patient and telling myself I would get used to it, but the watch is sharp and heavy. It is made to be strong and resistant which is great, but it makes me want to take it off all the time. Spending such a big chunk of money on a watch makes me think I should use it for all of its features (sleep, HR tracking, etc.). The watch also bounces around a lot while running if I don’t tighten it hard.Considering changing to a forerunner 955 to ensure I truly take advantage of my purchase the long run.