Garmin’s new top-end sports watch costs R27 500

Garmin has revealed the South African pricing for its new Fenix 7 Pro series, and athletes better be prepared to dig deep into their pockets for the best of the best in sports watches in 2023.

The top-of-the-line Garmin Fenix 7 Pro will cost R27 500 in South Africa, Garmin confirmed on Monday. That’s R7 500 more than Apple’s Watch Ultra, which retails for R20 000.

US-based Garmin announced new Fenix and Epix watches at the end of May, and they’re now available for sale in South Africa. The Fenix 7 Pro series watches are a mid-cycle refresh of the Fenix 7 line-up (which remains on sale), with the Fenix 8 series only expected in the second half of 2024 or in early 2025. The new watches come after Apple unveiled the Watch Ultra last September costing US$800 (R20 000 through iStore).

The new Fenix Pro line-up offers a range of new features, including:

• Solar charging and an LED flashlight with all models. The flashlight offers variable intensities, while a red safety light and strobe mode help provide greater awareness while training in the dark.
• Redesigned pixels, backlight and solar panel improve indoor readability, providing increased brightness, power efficiency and adaptability in different lighting conditions.
• Enhanced optical sensors and sport-specific algorithms offer improved performance tracking for a wider variety of activities, making it easier to gain a better understanding into how the wearer’s body is responding to exercise.
• An endurance score that measures how easy it is to sustain prolonged efforts while also taking into account training data like VO2 max, short- and long-term training loads and more.
• A hill score that gauges how easy it is to run uphill by measuring running strength on steep climbs and running endurance on long ascents while also evaluating progress over time based on VO2 max and training history.
• An “up ahead” feature allows users to view certain running checkpoints like aid stations to get a better understanding of what’s ahead.
• Weather map overlays provide upcoming weather conditions.
• Relief shading quickly reads topographic maps for glanceable awareness.
• Additional preloaded activities include whitewater rafting and motocross.

Garmin claims the upgraded Fenix 7 series offers up to 37 days of battery life in smartwatch mode – something Apple can only dream about with its smartwatches – and up to 139 days in a battery-saving expedition mode.

Available models include the Fenix 7S Pro (42mm), Fenix 7 Pro (47mm) and Fenix 7X Pro (51mm), with options for standard and sapphire editions. Pricing starts at R18 700.

The new Epix Pro comes in 42mm, 47mm and 51mm variants, with standard and sapphire editions. Pricing starts at R20 900 and goes up to R25 300.  – © 2023 NewsCentral Media

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