Garmin Epix review: the ultimate adventure smartwatch?

The new watch comes in a single 47mm size with a 22mm-wide strap, but is available in a choice of colours and materials. It is certainly a big watch, but one that is comfortable to wear all day and night on my 50mm-wide wrist and will just fit under shirt cuffs.

It has the same great combination of touchscreen and buttons as the Fenix 7, but the difference in the screens is night and day: the OLED display is so much brighter, sharper, smoother and backlit all the time. The quality of the screen is a giant upgrade, making the watch face more colourful with finer elements and crisper details.

In common with OLED screens from competitors, to save battery the display dims but does not turn off completely when not actively being used and brightens when it detects it is being rotated towards you or touched.

The watch connects to your phone via Bluetooth for basic message alerts, music control and data syncing, but can also sync directly to your Garmin account via built-in wifi or with a PC or Mac via the included USB cable. It has Garmin Pay for contactless purchases but UK bank support is limited.

The OLED screen has a big impact on battery life. The Epix still lasts a long time for a smartwatch. The Apple Watch and similar competitors rarely last longer than 36 hours between charges, while the Epix manages just under six days and nights including about three hours of running, walking and other activity tracking. But that is far behind the 15-plus days and nights of the Fenix 7 under the same conditions.

The Epix is generally repairable and replacement straps, cables and accessories are readily available. The battery is rated to last a few years of frequent charge cycles while maintaining at least 80-90% capacity and can be replaced through service. New watches do not contain recycled materials, but reconditioned products sold by Garmin may do.

Garmin offers trade-in schemes for some lines and complies with WEEE and other local electronics recycling laws.

The Garmin Epix (gen 2) costs £799.99 ($899.99/A$1,399) in steel or £899.99 ($999.99/A$1,499) in titanium with a sapphire screen.

For comparison, the Fenix 7 starts at £599.99, the Venu 2 starts at £349.99, the Apple Watch Series 7 starts at £369 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 starts at £249.

It is difficult to figure out who the Epix is really for. The Fenix 7 is the benchmark of adventure watches because not only is it capable of going anywhere and tracking anything, its battery also lasts a very long time.

If you want a luxury sports watch with a fancy screen that is less about smart features and more about being a tool for adventures, the Epix delivers. But for most people the Fenix 7 or cheaper smartwatch competitors are probably a better buy.