Gosh no one does reviews written or on YT on your level of quality! It’s totally amazeballs! You already helped me with 3 purchase decisions. Please keep it up - great content ❤️
Seriously GARMIN should hire you as Chief UX Officer. You‘ve brought them millions of users and made them millions of dollars. I alone have spent 1500€ on Garmin products in the last three years, very much influenced by your competent reviews and general coverage of the industry. You are to Fitness devices what Jon Siracusa is to the Mac and what Ron Amadeo is to Android. Another guy ho I can think of is Anand Shimpi and guess what, Apple did actually hire him,
@@BleakVision I wouldn't be surprised if, as an independent reviewer, he had a greater influence on what's going on in Garmin than if he were employed there :-)
Except for all the other people that have been doing it for years... hope sucking up to someone you don't know got you something besides this comment, loser
So glad I watched this - if only for the single tip that turning off Always On and switching to Gesture Mode has just boosted my battery life from 5 to 11 days 👍👍👍👍👍👍
Even after all these videos I'm torn between the 7x and epix. I may have an opportunity to get one and I'm drowning myself in these videos, love the work you do!
Thanks as always for such an informative review! EPIX gen2 is the big winner for me… weekly charging is no biggie and the 64K colors closes the deal. 🤙🏼
Hi, I've seen tons of Garmin EPIX videos on youtube but you remain one of the best. I want to try to share with you my experience of daily use for 2 years of another Garmin watch with AMOLED screen: Garmin Venu. I immediately fell in love with a particular watch face that I have never changed in these two years. Despite having automatic shutdown of the screen after 10 seconds and adaptive brightness, I recently noticed that many pixels have remained frozen with the background image that I have always used. I wanted to switch to EPIX just to keep the AMOLED screen that I really appreciated, but I can't afford to have this problem every two years, considering the cost of this smartwatch.
Quick hint for you and others by the way you can go up in the menu instead of going down all the way to the bottom it goes straight there if that makes sense. Up once puts you at the bottom.
I just pick up a Epix a year after this video. This is very helpful. I already have an Instinct 2 Solar and much of the functionality are similar on both watches. Thanks again for the detail review.
Hey I just bought an Epix 2 Sapphire coming from an instinct 2 as well (surf version) how did you like the upgrade? Mine should hopefully be in by Saturday
Great Review! I was on the fence about the Epix 2 and Ultra. Your review was the reason I purchased the Epix 2 yesterday and currently configuring the settings. I had an Apple Watch but the battery was always terrible. Even now when I go Kayaking or Paddling for 4-6hrs in one day the watch dies halfway through. Or when I go cycling 30-50miles in one day the watch barely held on. Needed something more connected to the outdoors vs a fancy watch. Glad I made this purchase! Thanks for your vids!!!
Great video Ray! It helped me decide to pull the trigger on the 16gb model (32gb not available in Canada yet). Definitely a steep learning curve coming from an AW, but will complement my Garmin Edge well and finally lock me into one ecosystem! Looking forward to seeing how the body battery tracking matches up to my overall “feeling of health” on a day to day basis.
Nice Watch…for sure better than the first Epix (that I owned…) the issue is the price tag and the pricing policy of Garmin lately… not a brand for athletes anymore but a brand for wealthy people!
Excellent as always and you have given me the information and going to buy the Epix. (due to your content, I have bought 2 watches in the past). I think GARMIN should be employing you. Good work and please keep going…
I just received my Epix yesterday, my first Garmin and I'm blown away! I have a feeling that Garmin has converted many Garmin hold outs with this display, for me personally it was the only thing holding me back after being spoiled with beautiful Samsung watch displays. This watch has exceeded my expectations! Thanks for posting these super useful deep dive! Loved the Street Fighter reference! Lol
Found that you can set a hot key to disable the display, even for gestures, which might save a countless number of gesture activations, a smidge of battery life I imagine. Can tap screen or any button to view display for the time out duration. Good for maybe when you don't want to give up your location via gesture act at night too.... basically just having display "off", but simpler via a hot key maybe
Cost for Epix 2 Standard edition now dropped to £399 from Garmin direct. I was able to also use a 30% off voucher via my insurer to get it for £280! I know new models are inbound but for that price I can’t wait! Switching from Apple Watch so looking forward to the change. Thanks for the video!
@@darren6531 I much prefer the additional stats it provides and insights into training by readiness / recovery etc. The maps are really good and easy enough to download. Downsides are that I really did appreciate the ability to receive and respond to watsapp and calls. I also prefer on the Apple Watch how easy it is with listening to music and audiobooks. I found with the Apple Watch it was easy to choose to leave my phone behind whereas with the Garmin I do second guess taking it or not. The screen display options could be better on the Garmin, but settled on something I’m happy with. For me it really comes down to priorities and decision on whether you want a sport / fitness focussed tool or smartwatch. Final thoughts, I’ve found the Garmin reports that I get more deep sleep than my Apple Watch, I’ve also had higher VO2 max score on the Garmin (but marginal really) and of course the additional battery on the Garmin is a huge benefit. I run a lot around London city and the Garmin GPS struggles in some places showing me in the Thames for example - I assume Apple does a better job of adjusting to known paths etc. both devices are not multi-band. I’m waiting for new releases from Garmin and depending on improvements over this iteration I might upgrade. I’m a fan of both if I’m honest and for my level would be satisfied with either.
Thank you so much for all your hard work and amazing videos! I'm gonna upgrade my Fenix 5 Plus and really can't decide between the Epix and 7 or 7X. I'm a little scared about the Epix battery life as I'm planning 12-hour ultra runs. But that screen... Oh my god. How can I give that up?!
You most definitely should NOT work for Garmin. Great for them, but we would lose our unbiased reviews. Just keep working for us (consumers). Great review, as always.
Great review, as is the one on comparison with Fenix 7 and the one on how to update. i just got mine and updated it to 7.35. I like the HotKey option and being able to configure the watch from my phone. I am also surprised how well it communicates with my Android phone for notifications and is able to respond to the main notifications like text, and phone calls. I ended up getting the non-saphire model (the others are back-ordered) but prefer the stainless steel bezel and the screen is so clear and bright that I changed the General use brightness to low and Activity use to medium. I also have AOD off for general use as the wrist gesture is so quick.
Thank you, very good presentation. I train in a swimming pool with counter current and the two options I see are Pool swim and open water swim, what would be your selection?
I just received mine and it seems tiny after wearing an "X" for years. I suppose the other half will appreciate the reduction when I belt her in the head with it during the night though.
@@andrewhussey2002 this is both sad and hilarious. Mine is on the way. I'm not sure why they wouldn't make a bigger size. I guess we'll have to be the Guinea pigs. Can you get used to it? Hopefully the market demand shows that the viability of a larger watch.
Hej DC, I have a question: Do you know when or if Garmin would install Nap time in his app and integrate it with sleep and recovery ect. It's a great thing for athletes and other people to recharge, yet I did not see it anywhere. Whoop has it and it's working great! Thank you in advance and I am a big fan of yours. Keep up the good work!
Can you do or get a female guest presenter to go over the watch and sizes for female sports and ultra runners. Many women are smaller and which watch options may suit them for weight size and strap comfort compared to the mens builds.?
Thanks For info filled Video. I think there should be a mix mode of activities like when i go to Gym, i do yoga for 15 min, then Run for 30 min and do some weight training. I don't like the mode changing in my watch all this time , i wanna record it as one activity.
Seems a real shame that you can't have touch enabled for the map and nothing else during activities. I often used maps for trail runs, but don't want touch enabled for the rest of the interface elements.
Hold the top right and bottom left buttons down to quickly disable/enable touch, would be better to have just map screen enabled for touch but this makes it bearable
This watch is amazing! Both the Epix pro gen 2 recently and I am in love. Yes, it dies have a learning curve but it is SO capable! And on that regard, thanks for that video, you really put out a lot of helpful stuff! One question that I have, in case you have some extra time, do you have some specific recommendation for Android skiing? Previously I used Slopes on my Android phone which automatically pushes to Strava since a lot of users recommended it over directly tracking in Strava. Now with the Garmin I also have the skiing activity on the watch itself...so do you have any specific recommendations or impressions on that topic?
My main sport is swimming and I have tried a few devices with speakers and microphones that are rated for swimming but never last or need to dry out for a good period before use. Speakers and microphones rely on a diaphragm to work and getting them wet has to affect the quality. Maybe they will come out with a Epix sans rating for Pool and Open Water swimming but it would be no use to me.
I was wondering if they’ve changed anything to the usual only two ConnectIQ-Datafield limitation per activity profile on these new models or if it stayed the same? Can’t find anything on this anywhere. Thanks in advance! (Ok I’ve seen that you’ve answered this question on the written-review comment section. For anyone wondering, it stayed the same... 👎🏻)
Thanks for the detailed reviews and walk lthrough. Couple of questions as I haven't seen any information about them anywhere; - How good is the vibration on the alerts? Is it light or strong? - I see weather information, does it use phone connection to get that information or use other sensors on the watch? If it uses phone, what happens if there is no connection to the phone or phone doesn't have internet connection? - Is it possible to configure a dual time in the watch face? (I know watch faces can be customized but can we put another location's time at the same time on the main watch face?) - Is there a lap counter & timer for loop courses in training mode? (such as for track) - How accurate it is in treadmill training mode? (without foot pod) - Can we change battery mode DURING activity to get more battery time? - How easy to charge the watch DURING the activity when it is on the wrist? - How quickly locates the satellites before the activity? - I am not a Garmin user so this might be the same as others but I don't know. What happens to the recording if the watch dies DURING a training session? Thanks!
Thanks for the video. Trying to decide if I want to switch from AW or try Garmin. Love the display on the Epix. But the size is too large for me so may settle for the Fenix 7s. What are the chances they bring out a smaller version of the Epix?
Hi, Ray Thanks for the detailed video! There is one thing I can't find any info on anywhere: Can you turn off both Always On and Wrist Gesture at the same time, so that the only way to turn on the screen is to press a button or tap the screen? I know it's possible in Sleep Mode, but I mean in general use and activities.
This looks great and I am tempted. Any idea if there will be an update to their golf line? The Approach s is due a serious update. s62 was a big disappointment.
Great Video. An interesting question for me is. Does it grap the VO2Max around the garmin eco system. I have a Garmin 830 head unit with a breast strap and a Powermeter on my bike. When I train and have a possible new vo2max my old current garmin fenix3 grabs the data but not the recovery recommendations. Does the line up epix, fenix7 does that ?
Just got my epix gen 2 last week. Agree with everything. I do hate how hard it can feel just to start a workout, esp if it’s not running (strength). And auto-nap not being able to be turned off or naps deleted is a strike against garmin. Why is that not customizable when literally every other inch of garmin seems to be?
You are my go-to guy. When it comes to all my Garmin watches. I was curious about your opinion between this and the Fenix 7. I'm 54 years old. I do hikes, walks and some bicycling but nothing major. I currently own a Fenix 6x sapphire. If it was up to you, what would be a better upgrade this one or the Fenix 7? I currently get about 5 to 6 days of battery life with my 6x Sapphire. Your opinion means a lot. Thanks a lot
Thanks for your dope reviews, for 2 months now, iv been watching your reviews on Fenix 7X and Epix Gen2 everyday but i have honestly failed to make a choice, so i will pose a question to you DC, which of the two would you pick for daily usage and why?
hi , i wish you did an extensive review how the fenix 7x pro sapphire works. I bought one recently and there are no precise videos how to utilize the features. Everyone only states the flashlight, only discuss the surface.
Garmin hates me. I've been begging for a watch with a Venu type screen and some of the higher athletic features. So they finally release it. But now I am kinda liking that my Venu 2 Plus can receive and send calls. Sigh... can't win for losing with Garmin. Just make a kitchen sink watch!
I expect having it rated for Open Water and Pool swimming limits the addition of speakers and microphone. I have tried other devices that you can take a call on after a swim but they are useless until they dry out.
Great info. for the Epix. I just bought one 4 days ago and this video was immensely helpful. Question- can you modify the data fields for the run intervals?? It appears you can’t. Unsure.
Any videos or examples of what satellite maps look like with birds eye?! I have seen videos on fenix 5/6 and with this newer resolution display maybe it would look even better?!
How does the Fenix 7 / EPIX handle phone notifications. I've had a Fenix 5 for years now (with a brief spell with a Galaxy Watch to compare with) and the Garmin WhatsApp / email / messenger notifications are truly horrible and have stopped me considering upgrading from the 5. Can you tell me if they have improved the UI especially around real worl situations where you have loads of messages going through a group WhatsApp. The old one just keeps showing the first message in the chain from the point I last opened the chat in my phone which is pointless. I know it's not a sports feature but these are smart connected devices with phone notifications which is a big thing for a lot of people but no one really delves into the phone connected features much beyond the IQ store and Garmin health ecosystem
I have heard in some reviews complaints regarding the Epix buttons. I have not heard them from you. Any issues? I would upgrade from the 6XS for the screen.
Hi, on the outer edge, Sapphire 47mm, there are some numbers, 5,10,15,20 etc. is there anyway of illuminating them or changing their colour as they can only be viewed in daylight
I'm curious about Treadmill runs and accuracy. Garmin has lacked in this space, which why I still use my old school Garmin foot pod. Any update on treadmill running accuracy and would be able to pair my foot pod with the Epix? BTW- Kudos on another great review.
Agreed. I still track my treadmill runs after all these years with my Fenix and Stryd (or other footpad) because its easiest way to get data to garminconnect and strava. I was on a crusade for couple years to try to get " elevation gain" tread data easily into Strava but never found way. There are work arounds like RunCline app and now with Stryd/Garmin you can manually enter tread incline on your watch or app as you run, but that generates power correction, not elevation data. Peloton tread came close but for some reason the elevation data didn't sync over with the rest.
Hey Ray ! I have a question for you cannot find it on garmin. I’ve read on the venu 2 you have a quick charge 15 mins = 30 % battery. Is it the same with the Epix ? Thank you and keep it up
Hi Ray, Firstly I want to say thanks so much for all your amazing content! Your videos helped me with my purchase decision! I’ve recently jumped to GARMIN Epix 2 from an Apple Watch Series 4 and I have a few niggles I wondered if you could shed some light? - Calories count seems way off - to the point I’m almost at 2000 and I’ve only done a 3km walk and sat down? It’s saying over 1500 resting calories! - Apple health sharing is awful and doesn’t seem to add to activity rings at all - pretty sure I saw a blog of yours relating to Strava but do you have any updates? Thanks so much!
Very helpful, but it would be even better if you slowed down and explained what buttons you are hitting when. I've had to go back and view certain sections 5-10x to figure out exactly how you are getting to certain screens and even then it's tough.
Hello Ray, cool video ! One big question for me : do we also get the new data screen layouts with 6 data fields and more (22:56 to 23:00) on the 47 mm Fenix7 ? Thanks !
is it possible to get a white screen in the garmin epix gen 2? as in a white background when you for example show data, diagrams, maps, etc etc or is it always gonna be black in the background?
