It’s an undoubtedly high-performing endurance watch that operates wonderfully, and the new widgets that debuted with the Pro work very well and got me thinking about my training in new ways. Garmin has also built up a frankly ludicrous set of insights and sports profiles around this very solid HR and GPS performance.

Pro and Epix Pro smartwatches feature New Garmin Fenix 7 Pro and Epix Pro smartwatches feature

Both take around two weeks of full-time and wear before appearing, and will then deliver a constantly updating graph of how your endurance or hill skills are increasing or declining. As the evening wore on during my long run, I switched the flashlight to the duller 'red' mode to ensure I was clearly visible, while in no danger of dazzling cars. Those looking to upgrade from their old tired Forerunner 945 or their best Apple Watch to something top-of-the-line will love it, but it’s unlikely to tempt existing Fenix or Epix users to trade in their old watch in favor of this one.

The big modifications to the design will naturally be saved for the Fenix 8/Epix 3, so this is about as substantial as things could really get from a mid-generation dip. Well, we think there's promise in both - though they're not quite as polished as we'd like just yet.

Garmin Epix Pro review: One of Garmin’s best - TechRadar

The Garmin Epix Pro is not here to kill the Fenix 7 Pro but to live alongside it as an AMOLED option, offering an alternative to people who might choose the Apple Watch Ultra because of its pretty display.

Currently, the Epix (Gen 2) is only available in the 47mm case size, so this would represent a first. Seamlessly built into the top of the Epix Pro's case, this works exactly as it does on the Fenix 7X - and, now, all editions of the Fenix 7 Pro range. There are three sub-dials you can customize including the color and we found it's a good way to keep tabs on battery life status and daily step counts. Along with showing off current weather, you also have additional fields for battery status, real-time heart rate, step counts, floors climbed, and environmental data like humidity and weather conditions. This is a feature I’m more inclined to try on my next hiking trip, away from New York City light pollution, before I pass judgment.

Epix Pro review: smaller size, bigger appeal - The Verge Garmin Epix Pro review: smaller size, bigger appeal - The Verge

The ECG tech currently only available on the Venu 2 Plus is built into the Epix Pro, which should be a huge win, but, at present, it's not available. However, at the moment, we're just not really sure how to use it as a tool in the same way as we do with features like Training Load Focus or Training Effect.This feature might be familiar to Apple Watch Ultra and Huawei Watch Ultimate users, although Garmin has also been using a similar feature for years in their Delta smartwatches. Final tally: whatever your phone requires, plus three mandatory Garmin policies and four phone permissions for smart features. It’s a good design choice: when you raise your watch in the normal way, your flashlight is pointing forwards. Once you factor in solar charging and the always-on screen, the Fenix 7 Pro becomes a clear winner of the battery race. It's the definition of a nice-to-have feature, obviously, as opposed to one that's essential or a reason to upgrade, but that's also exactly what you would expect from a mid-cycle Pro edition.

Garmin epix™ Pro | Multisport Smartwatch

On the flip side, the feature says that, over the past four weeks, my VO2 max is at a good level with a solid base to improve my score. For me, the size better suits my smaller wrists, I get so much use out of the flashlight, and its new sensors are more futureproof than the standard Epix or Fenix 7 watches. This colorful, data-rich option lets you show off sunset/sunrise times, weather forecasts, and staples like steps and heart rate. It’s essentially an AMOLED-screened version of the Fenix 7 Pro, which is the Fenix 7 with the 7X Solar’s LED torch and a few new exercise widgets.It's pretty evident that the FR965 struggled to register those seven different intervals as clearly as the chest strap and Epix Pro in the example below, even if the average HR isn't terribly far off. Big and beefy but everything makes sense and is eminently usable, from the watch’s taxonomy to the new flashlight. The current Garmin Epix 2 range (above) are already capable smartwatches, but there's still room for improvement.