During our tests, the Fenix 7 ran for two weeks between charges, but the Epix (Gen 2) only lasted six days. That’s not bad for an AMOLED watch, but if you enjoy off-grid adventures, it’s definitely something to consider. In fact, Garmin claims that the Epix is best suited to people who prefer to train in the gym with the occasional outdoor workout, rather than those who only exercise outside. When testing the Fenix 7, one of our main complaints was that it is quite bulky and heavy, to the point where you might not want to wear it all the time. The titanium version of the Epix goes a long way toward resolving this issue. It’s still quite large, with a diameter of 47mm and a thickness of 14.5mm. However, its slightly lighter weight alleviates the problem. Garmin’s classic MIP display style is replaced here by a 1.3-inch AMOLED screen. This appears sharp, but it has some drawbacks, including the fact that it will consume a lot of power when you’re standing outside because it will need to boost brightness to be visible. It’s probably a good time to discuss battery life. Garmin claims that the Epix will last up to six days in its always-on screen mode or 16 days if turned off. This estimate, we believe, is actually quite conservative. During testing, the Epix’s battery life dropped by 24% after two days of general use with no tracked workouts. This suggests that it could take up to eight days. Garmin also claims that if all satellite tracking options are enabled, the watch will last for 24 hours. We found this to be fairly accurate, with only 4% battery loss after an hour of running. For context, we commonly use the term “GPS” to refer to all satellite location systems, but it actually refers to the United States’ Global Positioning System. In addition to GPS, the Epix can use Europe’s GALILEO, Russia’s GLONASS, Japan’s QZSS, and China’s BEIDOU systems. You can actually save battery life by switching to a GPS-only mode, which gives you 30 hours of battery life instead of 24.
