As you can see from the image above I have owned a LOT of Garmins including: an ENDURO, Fenix 6 Solar, Fenix 6 Sapphire, etc. I still have a Fenix 6 Titanium in addition to a Venu 2.
Garmin’s battery life claims have always been artificial, non-realistic & SHORT-LIVED.
Ask anyone who has owned a Garmin for more than a few months.
Garmin’s battery life estimates are based on using the most boring of THEIR watch faces and not doing too much of anything on a given day. That is not realistic or representative.
Plus, the batteries, quite literally, in front of your eyes, start losing ‘juice’ the longer you have them.
So, PLEASE, take Garmin’s claims about Fenix 7 battery life with a HUGE grain of (Lithium) salts.
Click to ENLARGE. Today. My Garmin Fenix 6 Titanium & Venu 2.
I already said it, unequivocally, yesterday: “the new Fenix 7 family came across as under-featured & over-priced“.
I knew others would have a similar problem, if they were being honest, upfront — & NOT in Garmin’s pockets (so to speak) — to justify why a Fenix 6 owner should upgrade to a Fenix 7. A couple even pointed out the same issue that I had re. the touchscreen, i.e., touchscreens can be problematic in wet weather or when you are swimming.
Stay tuned. Once ‘Wear OS 3‘ gains traction later on this year, Garmin will be sucking wind like an out-of-shape runner trying to compete in a triathlon.
The new Fenix 7 family came across as under-featured & over-priced.
Yes, 4 years ago I yearned for a touch screen. Now I have a nice one on my Venu 2 & I have learnt one thing to my cost. Touchscreens can be very annoying when you are working out in rain! Yes, the raindrops mess with the screen. So, a touchscreen on a Fenix isn’t going to be as attractive as you would initially think. Most serious athletes will end up trying to disable it. Plus, the Fenix 7 still comes with the 5 clunky buttons. Hhhhmmmm.
Garmin has already said that many of the new software features on the 7 will be available on the Fenix 6 (& even 5) via a new software update.
Basically, I don’t see a justification for getting a Fenix 7.
Plus, I haven’t worn a Fenix since I got my Venu 2 nearly 9 months ago. The Venu 2 meets all my current needs.
I feel that Garmin has started to lose its way in the smartwatch space — bar the Venu 2.
Soon, it will have a ton of competition from Google ‘Wear OS 3‘. There might even be a Google Pixel watch. Others are talking, & Samsung is even offering, health-centric features like EKG. Nothing from Garmin.
I have been a HUGE Garmin devotee since 2017 — as figures 4 & 2 above testify. I have owned 11 Garmin watches in those 5 years. SMILE. But, I plan to ditch Garmin in 2022 — as soon as I spot a decent Wear OS watch. So, you have been warned. SMILE.
As the above image shows I have OWNED 14 Garmin smartwatches since June 2017. Yes, 14 in 4.5 years. SMILE.
I am currently wearing a Garmin, viz. a Venu 2 & it appears that I have been wearing that for an UNUSUALLY long 245 days. In 10 days it will break the record to become the smartwatch I have worn for the longest time. Notice I have never worn the same watch for a year. [But, prior to this smartwatch mania I did own a Rolex for 22 years. So, maybe I am compensating.]
You will also notice that as of 2018 I have owned/worn every model of Fenix that Garmin has unveiled including the MARQ & ENDURO.
I still have my Fenix 6 Titanium — though I have NOT worn it in over a year! I keep it as a back up.
Even 6 months ago I was quite anxious to see what the Fenix 7 will bring.
Over the last 2 weeks there have been the inevitable leaks. I try to keep tabs of them all. I have read all the ones that are germane & from credible sources.
So far, I have NOT read anything that has got me excited.
I have DONE Garmin Solar.
Garmin Solar is pretty damn useless in New Hampshire.
The supposed touchscreen is mildly interesting, BUT NOT unless it comes with a nice, big AMOLED screen as in the Venu 2.
As of now, I do NOT intend to get a Fenix 7.
Neither am I interested in the new ‘Venu 2 Pro‘ if the only new feature is voice commands. I very rarely use voice commands even with my Google Pixel 5. So, why would I want it on my wrist.
So, that is where we stand. But, that could change.
My current goal is to slowly transition to Google ‘Wear OS‘.
No, I have NOT received anything directly from ‘Garmin‘ per se. But, I have done some digging around.
It is definitely, definitely the global (& sensor) shortage. Garmin has not been immune — &, furthermore, in the scheme of things compared to ‘Apple’, ‘Samsung‘, ‘Huawei’, etc. Garmin is not near the top of the list in terms of priority.
By all means you can keep on hoping that there will be a new Fenix by Christmas. Best of luck. Do NOT promise one to any kids.
It is also likely that the next Fenix, likely to be available around March or April 2022 will be called the ‘Fenix 8‘.
There is sense & precedence for this.
The ‘Enduro’, as many of you know, was basically a Fenix 7. See above chart. Especially with them missing out all of 2021 it makes marketing sense to make it even more ‘exciting’ by going for ‘8’. Garmin will NOT, by a long chalk, be the first to pull this little marketing trick.
So that is the best ‘G2’ I currently have. I don’t make this stuff up. I do dig around & ask questions. This is the best that I have received. Yes, I too am waiting for the next Fenix.
Something just does NOT seem to be right with dear ‘Garmin‘.
We haven’t had an exciting new watch announcements in months. The last watch of significant impact was the ‘Venu 2‘ in April 2021. That was 6-months ago. Yes, I have a Venu 2 & have been wearing it, 24×7, for the last 143-days. [Yes, I keep track of my trackers. Don’t you?]
Quite a few of us have been waiting for the ‘Fenix 7’ (or equivalent). It is due.
I have speculated that the ‘Fenix 7’ MIGHT have been delayed by the horrendous ransomware attack on Garmin last year.
But, I am now beginning to think that there is another MAJOR factor.
Garmin, obviously, cannot be immune. Like all others it too has to be dependent on others for much needed chips & SENSORS. I think that is a big factor though Garmin has yet to publicly say anything about this. Yes, it is possible (as always) that I am wrong.
Contrary to some crazy stuff I have been reading on the Web, I do NOT believe that Garmin’s next major watch — i.e., ‘Fenix 7’ (or equivalent) — will be based on Google’s ‘Wear OS 3‘. No way. Not yet, at least. It will take a quite a bit of work to get all of Garmin’s proprietary software integrated with Wear OS. So, that is not the reason for any delays.
I am getting fairly sure that it has to be the chip shortage.
I keep on checking sources on a daily basis — though I have none within Garmin per se.
Most of, if not all of, Garmin’s IT systems & networks were down for at least 10-days in June 2020. Internally it must have taken them at least another 2-weeks to ensure that everything was back to being copasetic. So, the ransomware attack had to have cost Garmin at least a month of delays. Most likely they spent another month making sure that there systems were finally as secure as they should have been in the first place.
This might explain why we have not even heard any credible rumors of the Garmin Fenix 7. It certainly is due.
The ‘Enduro’ announced earlier this year was not really a feature update. Just provided longer battery life. The Fenix 6 Pro Solar also only extended battery life. So, the last feature upgrade, i.e., the announcement of the Fenix 6, was two years ago. So, it is not unreasonable to expect a Fenix 7 anytime now.
Yes, no doubt, Garmin wanted ‘Samsung’ to get their ‘Watch 4‘ release out of the way. Well, that has happened. Garmin again as an open runway.
I would hope to see an announcement by October 2021. If not something untowards has taken place within Garmin. As always I have my ear to the ground. I will keep you posted as soon as I hear anything.
