In-depth Review of the Garmin EPIX Gen 2
Friday - 21 January 2022
Combining the visual stylings of the Venu with the unbeatable functionality of the Fenix, Garmin’s new EPIX Gen 2 watch becomes the ultimate luxury smartwatch for fashion-conscious fitness fanatics. The original Garmin EPIX was released over seven years ago and other than its name, there’s very little shared between the two with the EPIX Gen 2 boasting a crisp AMOLED display, a 16 day battery life and a huge host of new sports, wellbeing and navigational tools. Could the Garmin EPIX be the brand’s most exciting launch to date? Let’s find out…
Case & Strap Options
As for its size, the Garmin EPIX Gen 2 watch measures in at the exact measurements as the middle-ground Garmin Fenix 7 at 47mm in height and diameter and 14.5mm in thickness. The overall aesthetic is also very similar with the Fenix feeling strong and durable on the wrist. At the moment, there are four designs of the Garmin EPIX to choose from, the first in black titanium with a red detailed crown and a black rubber band, the second in pure titanium with lime green accents and a white strap and the third engineered from black titanium with a chestnut brown Italian leather strap. For the fourth Garmin EPIX, the retail price drops for a slightly heavier stainless steel case with an orange accented crown and a black rubber strap. Speaking of weight, the Garmin EPIX Titanium watches are 6 grams lighter than the steel counterpart which weighs in at 76 grams on the strap.
Display
The classic five-button layout that wearers of previous Garmin watches have become used to is revived on the Garmin EPIX Gen 2 but this time paired with a touchscreen display. For most, the display of the EPIX is going to be the real draw and is the main difference between this collection and the Fenix 7. The display in question is an AMOLED screen which measures in at 1.3 inches with a stunning resolution of 454 x 454 pixels. Trust us when we say the legibility of this screen is top notch. AMOLED was recently seen on the Venu 2 Plus but trumping it, the Garmin EPIX protects it with sapphire crystal on the three titanium models. This offers even better readability and scratch resistance compared to the Corning Gorilla Glass used on the steel model.
Battery Life
A smartwatch with an AMOLED display is a must for many wearable-wearers but in order to enjoy the crisp readability of the screen, they have previously had to compromise on battery life. With the Garmin EPIX, that’s not the case. In smartwatch mode, the EPIX delivers a power reserve of up to 16 days alongside 21 days in Battery Saver watch mode, 42 hours in GPS only, 75 hours in Max Battery GPS and up to 14 days in Expedition GPS mode. This is really a fantastic feat from Garmin and will certainly please those looking for a premium active smartwatch with a long battery life.
Health & Fitness Features
As for the hidden functionality within the Garmin EPIX Gen 2 collection, you can expect all the same health and wellbeing goodies as seen on the new Fenix 7. There’s the recently upgraded heart rate monitor, the Visual Race Predictor which estimates your time for runs based on your current fitness levels and the Real Time Stamina function which uses a combination of data to give you an insight into how much you have left in the tank and how to manage your exertion during a run or cycle. Alongside this, you’ll find built-in sports apps for trail running, swimming, running, biking, hiking, rowing, skiing, golfing, surfing, indoor climbing and more, the HIIT workout profile recently revealed on the Venu 2, daily workout suggestions and PacePro technology. There’s also performance metrics, recovery time advisor, Pulse Ox sensor, sleep score and sleep tracking, Body Battery Energy monitoring and hydration tracking.
Navigation Features
The original Garmin EPIX launched over seven years ago was hugely popular for it’s mapping and navigation features, so as you can expect, the new second-generation EPIX promises just that and more. The improved mapping includes multi-continental TopoActive maps that are be downloaded over Wi-Fi and managed using the map manager. Alongside this, the Up Ahead feature works perfectly giving you a heads up of selected points of interest coming up, whether it’s somewhere to get a bite to eat or take a rest. Other navigational tools on the Garmin EPIX watches include multi-GNNS systems including GPS, Galileo and GLONASS, ABC sensors for altimeter, barometer and compass and turn-by-turn navigation for an on-the-wrist sat nav so you can easily follow a route or course.
Smart Features
The Garmin EPIX watch collection also welcomes several familiar smart features such as classic smart notifications where you’ll receive texts, emails and other alerts directly on your wrist, music storage for up to 2,000 songs and music apps so you can download playlists from your favourite streaming platforms like Amazon Music or Spotify. There’s also several safety and tracking features which allow you to manually send your location to your phone contacts during select outdoor activities as well as automatic built-in incident detection. Lastly, the Garmin EPIX Gen 2 comes with Garmin Pay for easy contactless payments at checkout.
Price & Availability
The Garmin EPIX smartwatch collection has officially launched, and the entire series is available to order now on the Jura Watches website here with prices starting from £899. For more information on the range and for advice on the interest free finance and free next day delivery available, get in touch with the Jura Watches team on 01335 453453 or send us a message at help@jurawatches.co.uk.
