In the last two years, Garmin has redesigned its top-tier adventure multi-sport watch, the Fenix. Garmin’s new Fenix 7 has the same rugged, outdoor-ready design, but the battery life and GPS accuracy have been improved significantly.
The Coros Vertix 2 belongs to the growing trend of sports watches. In addition to tracking extreme sports like climbing, ultrarunning, and multi-day adventures, it features plenty of other useful features.
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However, neither option requires you to enjoy extreme sports. Those two sports watches are among the best on the market, with their durable design, great battery life, and precise tracking of heart rate and GPS.
But which is better? Let’s compare the two.
Garmin Fenix 7 vs Coros Vertix 2: Which is the Best GPS Watch?
| Features and Specs | Garmin Fenix 7 Series | Coros Vertix 2 |
| Display | Sunlight-visible transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) 240 x 240 pixels Touchscreen Always on Display | LOD Display 280 x 280 Pixel Touchscreen Always on Display |
| Bezel | Yes | Yes |
| Size | 42,47, and 51mm | 51mm |
| Case Material | Fiber-reinforced Polymer with Metal Rear Cover | Titanium Alloy with PVD coating |
| Health and Fitness Features | HR Monitoring Heart Rate Variability High or low heart rate alerts Sleep Tracking Female Health Hydration Reminder Stress Level Monitoring | Heart Rate Monitoring Heart Rate Variability Blood Oxygen Sleep Tracking Stress Level Monitoring |
| Menstrual Cycle Tracking | Yes | No |
| ECG | No | Yes (Not Approved by the FDA) |
| Music Support | Yes. Supports Music Streaming | Yes, but no streaming support |
| Sensors | HR Sensor (Garmin Elevate) Pulse Ox Sensor Accelerometer Barometer Compass Gyroscope GPS GLONASS Galileo Temperature | Pulse Ox Sensor Optical Heart Rate Sensor Electrocardiogram Sensor (ECG) Accelerometer Barometric Altimeter Compass Gyroscope Thermometer |
| Storage | 16 or 32GB (In Sapphire) | 32 GB |
| Map | Yes | Yes |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and ANT+ | Wi-Fi and Bluetooth No ANT+ Support |
| Water-resistance | 100 meters | 100 meters |
| Solar Charging | Yes (Solar and Sapphire Solar Models) | No |
Design: Garmin Fenix 7 and Coros Vertix 2 Comparison
Garmin Fenix 7
With a smaller bezel and a touch-sensitive screen (when not monitoring exercise), the Fenix 7 is identical to its predecessor.
Fenix 7 is available in regular, solar, and sapphire solar versions. In particular, the Sapphire Solar edition is the first Garmin to combine the benefits of Power Glass with durable crystal.
There are a plethora of colors and strap combinations available. Sporty and easy-to-clean silicone bands are available, but you may want to choose a pack with a leather or woven strap for everyday use if you’re still working in an office.
The Fenix 7 watch weighs 73g with the silicone band and 50g without. Remarkably, Garmin kept the weight similar to the Fenix 6 while boosting battery life and enhancing screen technology.
The Fenix 7 interface is like the 6, with five physical buttons and a touchscreen that will automatically lock during activity tracking. You may deactivate the touchscreen altogether if you prefer to use only buttons. It may also be turned off while sleeping to eliminate inadvertent touches, although we didn’t find this to be an issue.
Coros Vertix 2
With dimensions of 503 x 503 x 15.7mm and weighing 89g, the Coros Vertix 2 is a solid device that is 89g, which is somewhat heavier than its predecessor due to the 1.4-inch 280 by 280-pixel touchscreen display. It has a scratch-resistant titanium casing with a thin film coating for added corrosion protection.
Waterproof to 100m/328 feet (a third less than its predecessor) and operable in lower temperatures (-22°F/-30°C). A dual-frequency GNSS chipset detects your precise position using GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BaiDou, and QZSS. That’ll do.
Sensors include a barometric altimeter, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, and temperature, as well as an optical pulse oximeter, ECG Sensor, and optical heart rate sensor.
The Coros Vertix 2 also has a nice and sturdy flight case. A wonderful addition to the tough look, but we don’t understand the necessity for further protection. Isn’t it hard enough?
We adore the control. On the side is a huge digital dial that the user must fully spin to access. Two more buttons, one of which dims the screen on demand, flank it. The magnetic charging cable slot is on the back.
GPS: Coros Vertix vs Garmin Fenix 7
Garmin
A Fenix 7 is an excellent mapping device. You can rely on it for conventional navigation, eliminating the need to have a smartphone out and visible in an unfamiliar location. The Fenix 7 can even highlight retailers and cafés for you. It’s carefully thought out and makes the Fenix 7 more than just a sports watch.
Use the course design feature in Garmin Connect to build a new route; simply enter a start point, mileage, and general directional bearing, and the app will produce a route in seconds. Then link it to the device for real-time directions.
Also, Garmin’s TracBack feature allows you to pin your starting spot and returns you there after you’ve finished your walk, cycle, or run. The Fenix 7’s multi-band GPS is amazing, but no gadget is flawless.
Coros
The Coros Vertix 2 is obviously geared for mountaineers, hikers, climbers, trail runners, skiers (downhill and cross-country), ski tourers, and snowboarders. Each has its own activity modes, but the new offline mapping support should be the star.
The issue is that it seems like a beta. This map features both color landscape (global) and topographic (regional) maps but no labels. No addresses. No rivers. Its small size and faint colors make it hard to read.
While following a GPX route, you can zoom in on a map with the side digital dial and pan across the screen using your fingertips (even in gloves). We got one from MapMyRun (Strava routes aren’t available), opened it in the Coros app, and synchronized it with the Coros Vertix 2. It’s a bit manual, but it works.
When you choose Navigation on the watch, it overlays existing map layers. You can change the map design, reverse the course, and get notifications if you stray off-track. That’s not navigating. GPX files provide elevation profiles but not much else – not even your run or hiking metrics. So, trail runners won’t get lost or lose track of their activity.
While it’s fantastic that Coros’ topographic maps are free and operate offline, if you paid for them, you’d feel somewhat cheated. It’s also a pity that you have to use a computer and a charging cord to download fresh maps, even if these are multi-gigabyte downloads.
Battery life: Coros Vertix 2 and Fenix 7 Comparison
Garmin
The Fenix 7 is one of several Garmin high-end sports watches available in solar-enhanced versions. An energy-harvesting power glass keeps the watch’s battery charged throughout the day. The solar glass still requires periodic charging, but it substantially extends battery life.
Garmin claims the Fenix 7X Solar can last five weeks as a wristwatch and five days as a GPS. Depending on where you live and how much sunshine you get, this can be less.
Coros
While the original Vertix could operate in full GPS mode for 60 hours, the Coros Vertix 2 can run for an incredible 140 hours.
Sensors: Coros Vertix 2 and Garmin Fenix 7
Garmin
In addition to the Elevate 4 optical heart rate monitor, altimeter, compass, SpO2 sensor, and temperature sensor, the Garmin Fenix 7 comes with the sensors you’d expect from a high-end sports watch.
You can monitor SpO2 on a continuous basis, overnight, or just when needed for spot checks. The Garmin Fenix 6 just got an upgrade that warns you if your wrist is moving too whilst taking a SpO2 measurement, and the Fenix 7 does the same.
Coros
Inside are a slew of sensors, from the usual navigation watch essentials like a barometric altimeter accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, and thermometer to the more activity-focused optical pulse oximeter and optical heart rate sensor.
Health and fitness tracking
Garmin
The enhanced training capabilities on the Fenix 7 assist you in balancing work and recuperation, as well as making the abstract idea of the training load understandable. Although it’s still a watch for serious athletes, Garmin’s sophisticated capabilities are now more accessible to those looking to push their training to new heights.
A race predictor is a new tool that utilizes your current performance to forecast how long it will take you to complete anything from a 5k up to a full marathon depending on your current fitness.
On the watch display, you can view your week’s training load at a glance, along with advice on whether you should increase the intensity, ease off, or maintain the same for the best results.
The Fenix 7 isn’t just a runner’s watch, though; it also has a robust set of cycling features and can be linked to the company’s bike computers and lights. We’ll be putting its cycling capabilities to the test in the near future.
Sleep tracking is particularly useful, recognizing changes between sleep and awake that are typically missed by sports watches. Every morning, you’ll get a sleep score and tips on how to get a better night’s sleep, but this information will also be converted into figures like your body battery, which shows how you’re balancing work and recovery.
Coros
Along with everything you need for tracking your activity and sleep throughout the day, it also offers much more. Such as advanced navigation, offline mapping, internal storage, camera control, and premium health features such as heart rate variability and blood oxygen monitoring.
| Store | Garmin Fenix 7 | Coros Vertix 2 |
| Amazon | Check Price(Amazon) | Check Price(Amazon) |
| BestBuy | Check Price | Check Price |
Conclusion
The primary difference between Garmin and Coros is that Garmin watches have more “everyday” smartwatch functionalities. Some Garmin also has a Body Battery, which tells you your energy levels based on heart rate variability, stress, and activity. Incident Detection alerts you if it detects an accident during running, biking, or walking/hiking. If you’re looking for frequent heart rate readings, go with a Garmin watch. The Garmin Connect app is far more efficient and user-friendly than the Coros app.
While both can sync to Strava, Garmin is likely to be more compatible with running applications like MapMyRun. Coros timepieces are recognized for their long battery life. You get a minimum of 20 hours on GPS and around 20 days with regular use, depending on the model. Every Coros watch, unlike Garmin’s, features open water, triathlon, and multisport modes.
Coros watches more accurately track my pool distances. With Garmin, finding a GPS signal could take up to a minute, especially if I’d changed locations recently. Every Coros watch has consistently found a GPS signal within a few seconds.
The choice is yours! Tell us what you think in the comments.
