This is not something you’re likely to hear very often, but if you can’t afford the rugged Apple Watch Ultra 2 or Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, we have a “premium outdoor” Garmin smartwatch to recommend at a significantly lower price right now.
Although it’s not technically marketed as a rugged model and it’s not the latest and greatest member of its family either, the Epix Gen 2 continues to be (typically) priced at a decidedly extravagant $800 in a “standard” edition and even more exorbitant $900 with sapphire crystal technology.
For an undoubtedly limited time, Amazon is charging an incredible $400 less than usual for a Garmin Epix Gen 2 Sapphire version with a white titanium case, bringing this niche device more or less in line with “mainstream” smartwatches from Apple, Samsung, or Google.
This is a totally unprecedented and presumably unbeatable deal you’re looking at here, mind you, which is why we obviously expect it to go away sooner rather than later. The 2022-released Epix Gen 2 is not getting any young either, so there’s clearly a good chance its manufacturer will discontinue the product in the near future to focus on the newer, even more advanced, and more expensive Epix Pro Gen 2 lineup, as well as the very recently unveiled Fenix 8 family.
For a primarily outdoor-centric wearable, the non-Pro Epix Gen 2 comes with an undeniably sharp and colorful 1.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen with optional always-on functionality and a more than respectable 416 x 416 pixel count. That’s nowhere near as bright as the Apple Watch Ultra 2‘s display, of course, but that disadvantage probably helps Garmin’s powerhouse deliver some absolutely mind-blowing battery life numbers.
We’re talking up to 16 days of endurance between charges in “gesture smartwatch mode”, six days with the always-on display functionality enabled, and 42 impressive hours if you choose to keep the standalone GPS connectivity switched on at all times. Of course, you will need that if you plan to challenge yourself out in the wild… or you can rely on this bad boy’s pre-loaded topographical maps to guide you wherever the road might take you.
The Epix Gen 2 is also an epic smartwatch from a health and fitness monitoring standpoint, promising to continuously supervise not just your heart rate, but your sleep quality, blood oxygen, stress levels, and body battery energy to help you push your body to the limit but not an inch further.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian’s passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for ‘adequate’ over ‘overpriced’.
