The Garmin Epix Pro is a new top-tier AMOLED sports watch from Garmin that supersedes the Epix 2. It comes in three sizes, all of which have built-in flashlights. Joined by the new Fenix 7 Pro, the Epix Pro sports a new heart rate sensors that promises to be more accurate, and has new training analysis features and map updates.
Run Testers Jane, Mike and Nick have been using the Garmin Epix Pro for around 10 days ahead of its official launch but haven’t been able to link it with Garmin Connect yet, so we haven’t tested all the new features yet. These are our first thoughts on the watch, with a more comprehensive review to come.
Interested in the new Garmin Fenix 7 Pro? Check out our multi-tester early review video here –
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
00:47 – What’s New
05:00 – First Impressions
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Hello and welcome to run testers my Name's Nick this is going to be our First look vid at the new Garmin epics Pro watch now a few of us have had Access to the epics Pro ahead of its Launch in the Embargo today I actually Had the watch for more than 10 days but We haven't been able to link the watches To Garmin Connect which does mean we've Missed out on some of the new features On the watch which I'll come on to in a Few minutes which means we're not really Framing this as a first look review Because we haven't been able to test Some features although we have been able To test other new features and the Watches in general fairly extensively Ahead of this launch we'll come back With our full review in a couple of Weeks time when we have been able to Link the watches to Garmin Connect So the Garmin epics Pro and the new Garmin Fenix Pro are new high-end Watches within garmin's range the ethics Pro comes in to supersede the Garmin Epics 2 which launched last year adding A few new features and some new sizes to The range so the Garmin epics Pro comes In three sizes it's the standard Phoenix Sizes we've seen from Garmin of the past So the smaller model is 42 millimeter Model this is the 47 millimeter model Which is the same as the Garmin epics 2 And then there's a larger 51 millimeter
Model as well as with the FX Gen 2 the Key feature on the watch is the bright AMOLED touchscreen you get there in Contrast to the memory and pixel display On the Phoenix range and the Enduro 2 Watches the new watches are expensive They cost from 829 pounds 99 UK or 899.99 in the US and that's for the Standard steel model there are also Sapphire models in the range that have Titanium bezels and Sapphire screens and The cost of those goes right up to 1099 pounds 99 pence in the UK and the Same price in the Us in dollars the Cheapest Sapphire models cost from 929 Pounds 99 Pence with the standard models You're getting a steel bezel and a steel Case back with a Corning Gorilla glass Screen and then on the sapphire models You're getting titanium bezels and case Backs and sapphire crystal screens the Screen sizes are 1.2 inches for the Smallest watch 1.3 inches for the middle Watch and then 1.4 inches for the Biggest watch with differences in the Pixel densities as well the watches come With silicon bands and they look very Similar to the old epics too but with a Couple of big design changes on them one Is that you get a flashlight on the Watch across the range so all sizes of The epics Pro have a flashlight built in Which you can activate by double tapping The backlight and then that has four
Brighter settings for white light and Then a red light as well and the other Probably even bigger change is the new Heart rate monitor on the watch which Garmin says should improve the Performance of the heart rate tracking On the watches there are two new Performance metrics on the watch as well One is Hill school and one is endurance Score these are both color-coded graphs That essentially show how good you are At running up Hills and then the Endurance score is how good you are at Sustaining long efforts across Sports These take two weeks to load on the Watch if you can't make up to Garmin Connect if you link them up to Garmin Connect you'll immediately get your Scores based on your training history we Couldn't do that and I haven't had to Watch I think I've had 12 days of Running with this watch I haven't got my Healer endurance score yet so that's Something we'll have to cover in our Full review there's also some new sports Modes on the watches including Basketball and football and all models In the FX Pro range have multiband GPS Whereas with the epics 2 that was only Available on the sapphire models the Maps also have some changes one is that You can set the weather forecast to be Overlaid on the map so you can see if There's any upcoming uh worrying weather
Conditions you need to be concerned About whilst following a route on your Wrist the upper head feature will also Show a checkpoints on the map itself to Things like Aid stations and there's Some new shading which should hopefully Make maps a little clearer to read the Watch also has a redshift mode which Will change the screen colors to shades Of red late in the day otherwise you're Getting a lot of standard stuff for Garmin watches the epics Pro range has a Waterproof rating of 1080m and they have All the sensors you'd expect on board Things like Compass altimeter pulse Oximeter and link to external sensors Via both Bluetooth and AMT plus Bachelor's can be an interesting feature On these watches but not in the 47 Millimeter version which is exactly the Same as on the epics 2 you're getting Around six days of battery in Amazon Mode you extend that by turning on Raised to wake and 15 hours of multi-lan GPS tracking in the ozone mode you lose A little bit of battery life with the Smaller Epix Pro watch as you'd expect But what I didn't expect is how big the Jumping battery life is going to be with The 51 millimeter epics Pro watch which Might really make it the most Interesting watch of the new releases Obviously it's great to have the smaller Watch out there for a smaller wrist but
The 51 millimeter it's going to offer Things like 11 days of battery life in Watch mode even with the screen always On and you're looking at like 82 hours Of GPS in race to weight mode so that's Quite a big jump and impressive battery Numbers for a watch with an AMOLED Screen as always with a Garmin launch One of the key bits information is which Older watches will be getting the Features that have been introduced on The new watches so far all I can confirm Is that the Phoenix 7 and Epix 2 watches That are already out will be getting the New software features from the pro Watches so a hill score and endurance Score in particular will be rolling out On the Phoenix 7 Series and the epics 2. So a week with the epics Pro Like I guess everyone else in the video Is going to say obviously it's not long Enough to test some of the features I Haven't been able to test the hill score I haven't been able to test the Endurance score because you need to have It on your wrist for two weeks for Garmin to even give you that kind of Data Um that said I am a big fan this is the 42 millimeter version so it's a little Bit smaller and it's smaller than the Original epics and it's the smallest one In the new epics kind of lineup and I Think it looks really great on my wrist
I haven't had any problems with it Fitting I've also got the quick fit it's A it's called the quick fit 20 band and This fits me perfectly this is the best Fitting Garmin strap that I've ever had In all my years of testing Garmin so I Do think they're making things smaller They're making things fit better they're Obviously not marketing they're smaller Watch as a female watch but as a female I like how this fits on my wrist and I Do find even next to my 965 now you can See the differences in the strap like it This just feels a lot bigger on my wrist I still love the really beautiful AMOLED Screen obviously and I think the heart Rate monitor wise I have been impressed I've not been able to sync this to my Phone because it's we've been testing it Pre-launch but I have used a heart rate Strap and I've found that the two of Pretty spot on obviously I've never had A problem with the wrist-based heart Rate monitor on older garments but I do Think they're saying it's a new sensor And I have been impressed I think it is Super accurate the other big big Difference I guess between this and the Original epics is the flashlight and I Think For me as a female who does a lot of Running alone I love features like this I think it helps you won't be seen Better by cars but also there are lots
Of kind of you know it it just makes you Feel brighter and a bit so I don't know You can put kind of an SOS flash on if You need I've set it up so I can press The button twice and the flashlight Comes on and I've just I think it's a Clever feature I really have enjoyed it But is that enough To if you already own the epics would You upgrade because it's got a Flashlight absolutely not I mean you can Use a light on your phone or you could Buy a torch for far less money than the Garmin epics Pro but that said I think If you're upgrading from an older Forerunner things like the new monitor And the flashlight and call it it's a It's a good Smart Watch if you're Looking for a watch that kind of has Everything you could ever need from a Fitness perspective but looks really Cool from a smartwatch perspective and Has some little extras that are handy It's a good watch to to think about it's Obviously quite expensive the price it Is it's probably kind of marketing Against people that might be looking at Like things like the Apple watch Ultra I Would personally I found this more Comfortable to wear than the Apple watch Ultra which has got the huge screen the 49 millimeter screen you know this is 42 And it's it's much more comfortable for Me on my wrist but yeah I have really
Enjoyed testing it I'm looking forward To doing a lot more testing with it but They're my early thoughts after a week Of running with it so also I wasn't Really expecting a new epics model uh This year the epics 2 was obviously a Really interesting you watch from Garmin Last year and particular boxes of people In being a phoenix with an AMOLED screen These new Pro watches both the epics and The Phoenix are quite interesting some Of the stuff is quite interesting on Them but looking at the features on Paper I wasn't entirely going instead of Going to be must-haves all round I'm Still probably in that boat that we Haven't been able to test all the Features like I say but it's certainly Been interesting to use new watches and Test out that new heart rate monitor so Far even without the connect access to Look at things like Hill score and Endurance score so so far I've done Eight runs I've done a bike ride and Some strength and yoga sessions and on The accuracy front the watch has been Excellent the ethics Pro GPS has been as Good as you expect from a Garmin Multi-man watch it's tracked my runs Very accurately getting on the right Side of the road hitting turns correctly And all that stuff it's matched up Really well to a 4Runner 965 sometimes Taking a little bit longer to look onto
GPS at the start of runs but I think That's just because I'm not yet linked Up to Garmin Connect wouldn't be a Problem I'd expect in the future the Heart rate accuracy has also been Excellent so I'm not a big fan of Optical heart rate monitoring I tend to Use a chest strap just to get the most Accurate data into training analysis Features on watches so far across eight Runs the epics Pro hasn't really missed A beat has been pretty much bang in line With the chest strap I've been comparing It to for out runs the start of runs Occasionally you'll get a little wobble For couple of minutes while it locks on Properly it might go a little bit higher A little bit low but nothing prolonged Enough to affect the kind of training Status of that run and then when I go up A hill or do another kind of surge it Maybe lags very slightly behind the Reading from a chest strap but probably Only something you'd notice if you were You know staring at the watch like I was To test the heart rate monitoring on it So so far so good on the hard water in Front it's been really accurate for me The caveat here is obviously only done Eight runs across 10 days and it's been In warm conditions when heart rate Monitoring from Optical monitors tends To be a little bit better so stuff for Something we'll definitely look at again
In the full review to see if it is going To be possible to ditch the chest strap Monitor but so far so good flashlight is A nice addition to the watch I thought I Was going to use this a lot because I've Just had a new kid so I thought I'd be Creeping around a dark house quite a lot To deal with you know crying babies but Actually my other child requires the House to be very bright indeed because She's scared of monsters and so my house Is quite light I haven't used the Flashlight much I've not been out Camping but having used it on the Enduro 2 and Phoenix 7x in the past it Basically comes in very handy at times As another light that is quite bright When you are you know Outdoors at night But so it's good to have it across all The models in the epics Pro range Haven't really noticed any real Differences with the maps myself yet but The design in general remains excellent The screen is very bright easy to read In all conditions certainly more Impressive than a trans selected display When you're under cloud cover or in Dappled light in bright sunlight it's a Bit closer sometimes the you know the Phoenix's display will be a bit easier To read but in general the key feature On the epics is the AMOLED screen and It's you know it's really fantastic only I will say is the 47 millimeter model
I've been testing against the 40965 and That has a bigger slightly brighter Screen which is interesting because it's A much cheaper watch and it really is a Big tick in the 965 box obviously having Able to test the hill score endurance Score yet I will be really interesting To see how those track over time I will Be training for an ultra marathon this Summer and I'll be Keen to see how my Healing endurance scores change on these Watches it's the actual numbers is Probably going to be a bit arbitrary but Certainly something where you can see The use case for looking at the trend in Your Hill and endurance score during Your training you are targeting Hillier Longer events the battery life has lived Up to its billing so far even slightly Exceeded it actually um obviously you Don't have to watch linked to Garmin Connect so I'm not getting notifications In uh which will reduce battery life but On the first charge I was getting six or Seven days uh of use with the always on Screen enabled and that's with multiband GPS tracking going the occasional little Top up because I had to plug the watch In uh to manually transfer activities Across the check accuracy and that kind Of thing but overall battery life Exercise is going to do live up to Garmis numbers on a 90 minute run I did Yesterday it dropped by nine percent
Which again tallies up pretty closely to Garmin's estimates for multi-band Tracking with yours on screen enabled so Yeah it's nothing particularly exciting On this model the middle model but Certainly the 51 millimeter model the Battery life looks really interesting Like if you can have an AMOLED watch That's going to last the best better Part of two weeks with noise on screen Enabled that's going to be a really Interesting option on the market yeah so Far the epics Pro is another very very Good watch from Garmin not entirely sure It's completely necessary they could Have brought some of the features to Older watches via software updates and Just on that but obviously the heart Rate monitor is a hardware upgrade and The new sizes are interesting so if the Heart rate monitor continues to be this Impressive then that is genuinely quite Exciting because it'd be great to really Have good Optical heart rate monitors Out there and the new sizes are Interesting obviously but a small wrist It's great that you now have the smaller Watch available and the larger model Really does offer I think quite an Interesting option as an AMOLED watch That's a you know a top sports watch of All of garmin's best features and very Impressive battery life um so I'm quite Keen to test that watch out as well you
Know for our full review to see if it Really lives up to those big numbers That Garmin had on paper yeah all in all An interesting watch moment I'm not Entirely convinced that I'd be going for This over the 400 965 in particular Which is a lot cheaper and just such a Brilliant watch with a bright screen and A lighter svelte body some people will Prefer the metal bezel and stuff you get On the epics Pro but I really like the Sleek look of the 965 myself and the Light build yeah overall great watch as You expect from Garmin do we need Another watching garments high-end range As they will dive into that a bit more Detail in the full review depending on How that heart rate tracking continues To shape up so unlike the other guys I've only had the epics Pro for a short While so I've only really been able to Squeeze in a couple of runs and get a Few days with it to get a sense of what It's like to live with now I've used the Epics Gen 2 long term it's a what's that I've really liked until I've kind of Picked up the 400 965 and realized That's probably enough watch for me now But it's a watch that I've used long Term and wanted to so in terms of the Epics Pro I had the middle version so The 47 millimeter version Which is not too dissimilar from the Original Gen 2 epics obviously was only
In one size it's the same case size it's The same screen resolution size the Ultimately the design feels very similar Quite like the fact they've gone a Little bit brighter in terms of the Strap that you can get with it so It kind of works in terms of that um Titanium bezel which is the version I Had and it's a slightly more expensive Um version to go for Um in terms of the kind of running Performance and obviously there was a Lot of things we couldn't test because We didn't have access to connect uh Garmin connect to pair and see a lot of The data that we could do from the kind Of news new software features now in Terms of what I could look at Was ultimately things like uh kind of GPS performance the performance of the Heart rate monitor And generally what it's like to kind of Use that watch and how the battery life Performs because there's a lot of Numbers promise in terms of improvements On that front now My first one I did was a kind of easy Kind of 10 mile run with it I had the Original epics on that was paired to a Garmin HRM Pro Plus chest strap and then I had the epics in multiband mode as Well as I did with the epics Pro now in Terms of that run in terms of Performance all very solid as I would
Probably you know you'd expect I think You know not a massive amount has Changed in terms of what's in here in Terms of delivering that run tracking Things like distance covered there's That kind of average pace all the kind Of metrics I expect to be there seem to Be kind of on the money really now Obviously without having calming connect I can't really dig into the maps to see How well the multiband performed but Also in terms of that core data seemed To it seemed to suggest the same kind of Level of tracking ultimately for me the One that was really looking at was the Heart rate monitoring What I would see from that because Obviously government has changed to a New kind of optical sense here now in Terms of the steady run that I did It generally matched up in terms of Numbers again I'm only looking on the Watching and what I'm is available on The watch to kind of see and in terms of That data average and kind of Max well Not a dense school they were pretty kind Of even paid the heart rate zones were Kind of you know the times I spent in Horizons was a little bit off in terms Of how they compared to I think Ultimately once I can kind of customize Those kind of heart rate zones And that'll be you know probably a Little bit more consistent
Um other things to kind of mention The mapping feels exactly the same as it Does on the epics you know it's you know Having that color screen makes it feel Like a really nice rich experience and You know be able to kind of scroll Through also the ability to kind of Choose whether the map uh is kind of Touch enabled as well it's a nice kind Of little touch of something gamma has Introduced recently as well And so that all kind of worked really Nicely overall with any kind of little Quirk which I think it's just a general Bug that we've all kind of seen I think Most of us have seen is that when you Are you select it's a multi-band mode it Displays Ultra track mode for some Reason but ultimate in terms of the Tracking itself it delivered the kind of Multi-band kind of tracking experience As far as I can see compared to the Epics I think to kind of mention that long run Was the battery life now obviously Garminist is promising some kind of Improved battery numbers on the epics in General uh in terms of what I saw I saw From that kind of hour and a half of Running I saw the battery drop by 10 on the Garmin epics Pro and it was 17 on the um Garmin epics Gen 2 and I obviously had That paired to hurry mode to chest strap
As well and I was using a mix of mapping And navigation and track back as well on Both those watches so You know the battery life in terms of That multiband mode you know is going to See a more severe drop off so that is Something you're going to see in terms Of kind of day-to-day battery I mean I Said I'm going to use it for a couple of Days and what I've kind of noticed Overnight it's only been a couple of Percent in terms of battery drop as well Not a massive drop throughout the day You know and obviously I'm not having to You know not being able to have Notifications and things like that Running in the background so that will Really give me a sense of how well it Performs but in terms of using the sleep Tracking the drop-off is exactly the Same as I had on the Epic so Overall that kind of slot it's kind of Slow kind of long run it was absolutely Fine I did a quicker session as well got A meaningful session to see how that Heart rate monitor kind of performed and Generally it performed okay I still Would get that feeling that I would Still want to use a Um or I want a chest strap just because It gives you that that more consistency That more reliability and I think you Know is the sensor ultimately giving a Massive Improvement possibly but I think
It's very uh too you know it's too early For me to tell really but I felt it felt Okay in that kind of interval session But ultimately I think you know quite You know the jury's still out and we Still like to run a little bit longer And a little bit more with it or that And test that hormones to see how it Performs but yeah ultimately it feels Very similar in terms of that run Tracking experience to the original Epics it feels good and it was good in The epics it was good on the epics Pro All those extra features like Hill School endurance school and the kind of Extra mapping features All to be reliant on having access to Garmin connects which we don't have yet So I can't really say how those have Gone but so far it's so good with the Garmin epics Pro for me so initial Thoughts on the Garmin epics Pro is that A bit like the original Garmin epics Gen 2 this feels like a very nice watch to Run with and to live with it's what You'd expect when you're looking at Garmin's top end range if it's watches Now in terms of that experience it feels Very similar in terms of what I've been Able to test compared to the original Epics now In terms of the software features that Are going to be unique To the epics Pro they're not going to be
That unique forever we do know that Garmin's going to roll these features Back down to the Gen 2 so what you're Really looking at here is I think a Couple of things I think you're looking At that improved Um Optical heart rate sensor which I Think the verdict is still out on how Well that performs Um And also I think when I'm looking at the Models that are there available now now That you have those three models if you Didn't love the size of the um the kind Of main the epics Gen 2 which obviously There was only one version you know how A smaller version now have a bigger Version on the bigger version You are getting considerably more Battery life than you did get and the Original gen uh Gen 2 epics now what You're seeing that in is you're seeing That in always on mode you're seeing That in GPS modes and it's showing that With the AMOLED display Garmin is able To get that battery to go a little bit Further even with that color screen so I Think from that point of view if you're Looking for a garment with an AMOLED That's going to go a little bit longer Whether it's um with or without that Always on display the Garmin epics Pro The bigger size looks like it might be a Good fit for people in terms of that
Pure run tracking and software side of Things I think ultimately whether you know that It's gonna those features gonna get Rolled back to the older watch I don't Think there's a massive amount You're Gonna Miss on so really what it comes Down for me is if you want that bigger Battery life and bigger case on the Epics Pro the bigger size and you Potentially want a an obstacle heart Rate monitor and heart rate sensor and Potentially give you better tracking When you are doing your runs or doing Something and anything kind of running Focused or kind of high intensity stuff As well so that's how I kind of see it Personally I think If I had the if you know if you're Someone that's got the epics Gen 2 and You are I mean you're not too fussed About having you know the case size You're happy with the bat level of Battery life and that heart rate Monitoring is fine for you and you Probably like a lot of people use External heart rate wanted to chest Straps I think most people have to with A newer one as well then there probably Isn't a huge amount to say there's you Need to upgrade but it's gonna it's a Nice watch is it like a massive upgrade From the original Um Gen 2 epics I'm not 100 convinced but
You know it feels like one that's going To be solid overall and a good option at That kind of price point that Garmin has It at And hopefully maybe that'll heart rate Monitoring uh we'll we'll see an Improvement that will actually mean There's a little bit less Reliance on External heart and monster shot but I Don't think that's going to be the case Overall anyway So that's our early look at the Garmin Epics Pro we'll come back with our full Review as soon as we can now we can Access all of the new features on the Watch please dial in the comments below And say what you're excited about with This watch or what you're not excited by Please like And subscribe ring the Little bell and we'll see you next time
