Garmin Epix 2 in the test: sports watch with OLED costs only 427 euros

Quite surprisingly, Garmin released the 2022 with its Fenix ​​7 (test report) The Epix 2 is also on the market. At first glance it looks the same as the Fenix ​​- except for the display. Because where otherwise LCD is used, the Epix 2 wants to score points with an AMOLED screen. Inside, it adopts a lot of the technology from the Fenix ​​7 – not a bad move, after all, the new Fenix ​​performed very well in our testing. But is a new screen enough to differentiate itself from the top dog?

Wait, Epix 2, did it have a predecessor? Yes, the first Epix came to market in 2015. At that time also with GPS and the look of a Casio watch with a colour LC display. In other words, Garmin has ditched a fairly old brand name for the OLED version of the Fenix ​​7.

Updates: Epix 2 is now priced at just 427 euros Instead of 460 euros. The price was almost double at the time of testing in March 2022.

Unlike the Fenix ​​7, the Epix 2 is only available in one size and 47 mm in diameter. In addition to the usual variants with stainless steel housing and Corning Gorilla Glass DX as protection for the AMOLED touchscreen, there is also a Sapphire version that uses a titanium housing and sapphire crystal above the screen. Bracelets can be changed, but only for bracelets with Garmin QuickFit technology and a width of 22 mm.

Epix is ​​great, no doubt about it. It’s even bigger than that Garmin Venu 2 (test report) Or the Garmin Fenix ​​7S. It may not be recognizable as a sports watch at first glance, but there is something different about it. As mentioned above, the body and bezel are made of stainless steel or titanium. However, the main highlight is the OLED touch display with a diameter of 1.3 inches and a resolution of 416 × 416 pixels. Garmin has already gained experience with the Venu series and it shows here. The rich contrast between the black background and the bright elements of the display design just looks great.

Apart from the OLED screen, the Epix 2 is technically almost identical to the Fenix ​​7. All the important sensors for pulse and oxygen saturation, as well as GPS, GLONASS and Galileo are also on board. The device also includes Bluetooth, WLAN and ANT+.

The stainless steel version has 16GB of memory for maps, apps and music, the sapphire version comes with 32GB. In addition, the sapphire version can use multi-frequency position finding, which means positioning is more accurate overall.

The best way to set up and manage the watch is with the Garmin Connect app. Yes, there is Garmin Express for Windows and Mac OS, but in everyday life you will pair the watch with the app and set up, manage and synchronize it using your smartphone.

Garmin uses the same application for all of its current sports watches. The setup process is pleasantly short, but requires a free Garmin user account. First, basic data such as weight, wearing style, time or daily step target are defined, if available, a firmware update is installed. You can then use the watch and set up things like WiFi, music services or Garmin Pay. You can download and install additional watch themes or applications via Garmin Connect IQ. All Epics settings can be adjusted later, even if they are somewhat hidden.

The app does a great job of laying out daily activity data in a manageable way at first glance. Plus, you can spend hours diving into the details, creating training plans or connecting with friends and starting virtual competitions. As with other Garmin models, we think the app works well, especially if you spend some time with it.

The Epix uses a combination of the touchscreen and five buttons on the bezel to operate it. In everyday life we ​​use a mix of both – touch to swipe through menus, press the bezel buttons to select options. It works pretty well. The touchscreen turns off automatically during training. Practical, because sweat and touch don’t mix. There’s nothing to complain about; once you get used to it, you’ll be able to use the watch immediately – much faster than sports watches with pure button control.

Like all current Garmin watches, the Epix 2 is a full-fledged activity tracker. Steps, floors, calories or minutes of intensity, the watch counts automatically. As always, Garmin automatically adjusts the step target – this is motivating. The data is transferred to the app and further processed there. Sleep information as well as body battery are calculated. The purpose of this is to inform the user at a glance about their physical condition and show how high their own energy reserves are. The longer you use the watch, the better the information will be.

Because the Epix 2 has full Fenix, it’s a full-fledged sports watch. It’s loaded with the profiles needed to track any sport. Running and cycling? Logical. Skiing and golf? Obvious. Cycling to work? Yes. Of course, HIIT and cardio too. The Epix can also easily record rapidly changing pulse rates. If you still prefer to exercise with a heart rate belt, you can connect wireless sensors via ANT+ or Bluetooth.

Epix brings the new Stamina function to the watch. This feature calculates how many energy reserves you have and how they are distributed in the current workout. This way you can see at a glance whether you should continue attacking the current training phase or take it a little easier.

Compared to other OLED watches from Garmin, such as Venu 2 Plus (Test Report) The Epix 2 can save map content locally. Topographic maps or information on golf courses or ski resorts can be loaded onto the watch using the map manager integrated into the watch.

Maps can be used for navigation on the watch, for example to calculate a circular route from the current position or to display routes on the watch, for example from Komoot.

The Epix 2 can completely replace the cell phone during training. Because it comes with an integrated music player you can either feed it with MP3s via a PC application or you can load music from services such as Spotify, Amazon Music or Deezer onto the watch and save it offline. If you connect Bluetooth sports headphones (comparison test) to the watch, you can listen to music while running. However, it has two drawbacks: there is only one memory for maps and music. And streaming via Bluetooth costs extra battery.

Incoming notifications look good thanks to the OLED screen. Whether it’s an email, SMS or messenger message, you can see at a glance whether it’s worth reaching for your smartphone. If notifications are too annoying, you can disable notifications directly on the watch. Very practical.

You can use the watch as a means of payment via Garmin Pay. At least if you work with one of the (some) Supported Banks Apple Pay and Google Pay are much more communicable, Garmin Pay may still hold its own here.

If the Epix has a weakness, it’s battery life. We activated the permanent measurement of the pulse and Sp02, set up WiFi and performed functions such as the weather display. In other words, everything you would expect from your smartwatch. The Epix lasted about 3 to 4 days. Yes, you can extend the running time using the economy mode, but then you will lose especially the pulse oximeter measurement. The Fenix ​​​​7S lasted about a week with the same settings. In short: if you use all the functions of the watch and train regularly, you will probably have to plug it in every two to three days.

The Garmin Epix 2 is no cheap deal; the recommended retail price at the time of testing on March 3, 2022 was between 899 euros and 1099 euros. The street price is significantly lower, mainly for the stainless steel version. At the moment the Epix 2 costs only 427 euros Instead of 460 euros.

The biggest competition for the Epix 2 is, surprisingly, Garmin Fenix ​​7 (test report). Except for the OLED screen, the sports watches are identical – although the Epix clearly requires a little more power. We can imagine that Garmin revived the Epix series mainly to avoid having another Fenix ​​7 model on the market. After all, there are three sizes, with several versions and with or without solar function. So it is clear, at least from Garmin’s point of view: if you want a high-end sports watch with OLED, you should go for the Epix, everyone else can choose from the Fenix ​​series (or any other sports watch manufacturer, since they are also available).

Epix surprisingly performs excellently. The only surprise is the comparatively short battery life. That we already have Garmin Venu 2 Plus (test report) It also comes with OLED and a weak battery. Of course you can activate the energy saving mode, but then the practical functions are lost. Or to put it another way: I pay for all the features, I use all the features.

OLED is still a unique selling point when it comes to sports watches. Apart from the Garmin Venu and the Garmin D2 Air (a smartwatch for pilots), only the manufacturer Denver has such screens – although their sports watches are also quite affordable. If you want to spend less money but want to use the very good Garmin app, we recommend this Venu 3 (Test Report). It costs significantly less, but you’ll have to do without the card and the Stamina feature. Battery life is similar.