Two-minute review
The Garmin Epix (Gen 2) takes the best features of the newly released Fenix 7, and adds a bright AMOLED touchscreen display. It feels like a final coat of polish for what was already a superb sports watch, providing crisp graphs and vivid maps that are easy to read in any lighting conditions.
This stunning screen comes at a price though – not just monetarily (this is the most expensive Garmin watch to date), but in terms of battery life as well. The Fenix 7 kept running for two weeks between charges during our tests, but the Epix (Gen 2) lasted just six days.
That’s not at all shabby for an AMOLED watch (if you opt for an Apple Watch instead then you’ll need to charge it every night), but if you enjoy off-grid adventures then it’s definitely something to bear in mind. In fact, Garmin itself says that the Epix is best suited to people who enjoy training in the gym with the occasional outdoor workout sprinkled in, rather than those who exercise exclusively outdoors.
If you’re confused about the name, the original Garmin Epix launched in 2018, and although it was widely praised for its impressive range of features (including a touchscreen for navigating maps), it was also chunky and cumbersome to wear. The company decided that the technology wasn’t quite ready yet, and put the touchscreen smartwatch on the back burner until 2022, when its engineers were able to fit the necessary hardware into a 45mm diameter case.
