The NYC GPS Test: Garmin Fenix 7 vs COROS Vertix 2 (plus many more)!
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- čas přidán 18. 04. 2022
- Which sports-focused GPS is the most accurate? The Garmin Fenix 7, Epix Sapphire, or the COROS Vertix 2? I set out to test that out, and include many more units.
Over the last 6-8 months we’ve seen watch companies including Garmin and COROS add multiband/dual-frequency GPS chipsets to their watches, which have long-promised to be the holy-grail of GPS accuracy. As I’ve shown in my in-depth reviews though, that promise is sometimes a bit far-fetched. Yes, things are better than before - but not always substantially or even noticeably better.
But one trend I’ve noticed is that both Garmin and COROS have been improving their GPS tracks. The changes from last August with the COROS Vertix 2 and multiband GPS to December were noticeable. Not major, but slightly better. And even the GPS tracks I got in January versus March on the Fenix 7 or Epix Sapphire editions (which contain multi-band GPS) were again, noticeable.
The contenders:
COROS Vertix 2: Multiband/dual-frequency
Garmin Fenix 7 Solar Sapphire: Multiband/dual-frequency
Garmin Fenix 7S Solar Sapphire: Multiband/dual-frequency
Garmin Fenix 7 Base: All Satellites (New Fenix 7 auto mode)
Garmin Epix Gen2 Sapphire: Multiband/dual-frequency
Garmin Instinct 2 Base: GPS+GLONASS
Garmin Descent G1 Solar: GPS+GLONASS
Full test details as well as the raw data tracks are available here: www.dcrainmaker.com/2022/04/g...
#Running #GPSWatch #GarminFenix7 - Sport
Wow, that was a LOT of work for you to come up with this review. As usual you go so deep in your all tour review but that one is something else I'm impressed keep up the good work and hello to tour wife, again wow
Great video. Just spent 5 days hiking with my Fenix 7X Solar Sapphire in Arizona. I never needed to charge it after heavy use, recording many long hikes. It's an amazing device.
Hello DC! This is the coolest, most useful + fun testing video I saw in months. The choice of terrain/site for the accuracy testing is perfect. As you said: skyscrapers, then some track with trees and park, then back to between them skyscrapers. There can be no excuse for the accuracy results there. Good method and comparison. Don't know if others asked if there would be a tactix7 in depth review. I know it's a 99% fenix7X but still.
That is a great video! Thanks for going above and beyond to put this out.
Good to see you back Stateside!!! 🙌🏻 Hope that you guys get to do something super fun while you're in NYC. Not that running in central park isn't fun. It's also super fun to see your wife joining in on more videos!
Thanks! Indeed, only for one short night during a layover. But, we got in a show in Broadway and some good Halal Guys food!
Great to see you and your counterpart in NYC! You have, by far, the best detailed reviews on Garmin kit out there. This led me to getting the Fenix 7 and it's an absolute winner, thanks!
Interesting test and indeed valid for real every day use for a lot of people. I've had a ticket running for this deviation issue with the Coros Vertix2 for some time. And although it's still not where it should be they are supporting and do give feedback and are actively are sending updates to get this resolved. So hope they manage to do so.
Watching you turn all of them on was so satisfying
2nd best line of all your videos "We're so hot they sent a fire engine..."
best line ever "Dork"
🤣🤣🤣 Thanks for the vote!
You're the best, Ray! Thank you for your work!
Thanks!!!
Great test, great video! I agree, Garmin 7SS is the best so far with regs to GPS - very accurate. Even better if you use it with a properly calibrated stryd footpod (distance always on) and a polar h10 belt. Best combination ever 👍🏽 can‘t get any better.
Great stuff. I love serious testing. Thanks you 2
Ah man after doing my videos from New York I can see the editing that went into this was nuts! When where you there it was my first time ever for my honeymoon New York is amazing
Good to see this especially as my latest video has a similar theme :) "Good Spacing" was a less of an issue for me however ! Looking forward to these newer GPS chips coming to the Forerunner series maybe sometime later this year? I think I stood in more or less the exact same place (for about 5 minutes!) back in 2014 trying to get a 620 to get a lock before also heading off to Central Park - way more hilly than it seems when running it on Zwift :)
Awesome video, amazing comparison, great GPS test. Thank you!!!
Awesome test. Having a done similar test here in Toronto, the Vertix 2 did better than my fenix 7 sapphire solar. I miss running in Central Park!
This as a cool vid... entertaining and informative. Mulling over which fenix to get and this helps
I miss nyc. A decade of life working at upper west between 63 and 64. Running after office on CP. What a life.
More videos with your better half calling you a “Dork” please. As always, great content. Thank you!
Welcome to NYC!! Great test! Surprised by the Coros issues.
Just traded my F7 sapphire solar for the Epix 2. Let’s see how that goes!
Í
Fantastic idea for a test!❤😍 I wish you had tested other watches with the "dual-GPS" module, such as: Huawei GT Runner/GT3/Watch 3 Pro and Xiaomi Watch S1 Active and something from the SMART world, i.e. Samsung/Mobvoi/Apple. I keep my fingers crossed🤞 that something like this will appear in the future.
Cool! Thanks for including the descent G1…
GREAT video Ray!
Thanks!!
Great video Ray. I’m curious to know how the elevation profiles compared. I have a FR945 and my wife has the F6 S Pro and on both the elevation profiles from activities are often way out. It’s most obvious on out-and-backs or loops where the start and stop points are the same place. The XY locations from gps on our watches are mostly bang on.
Great insight into these watches thank you. I am looking forward to see your review on the Bugatti Smart Sport watch , when you decide to do one .:)
Nice test Ray. Just got back from a 4 day hike and I'm super happy with the accuracy of the F7 sapphire. That in combination with the easy scolling touch screen mapping meant I never needed to get a map out.
Good to hear!
Nice & cool video & testing! ;)
Really nice video Ray 👍
Amazing test, I was really curious about the accuracy of GPS in big city
Thanks!!
Great video. It would be great to see a comparison of the very old Garmin 620 against these top of the line watches, to see if they are significantly better than that early 2010ish technology when tracking GPS.
It would be an interesting test
Fun tidbit: I actually did exactly that. Well, mostly. I've largely been running the same route for theses tests during my visits to NYC since 2010, and did a post a few years ago, summarizing all those unit tests up till that point: www.dcrainmaker.com/2018/09/new-york-city-gps-running-accuracy-test-rabbit-hole.html
@@Dcrainmaker Wow! Thanks for the link. That's awesome. The level of detail in your work and the dedication you put into making it is extraordinary. Thank you for the great content and videos.
Awesome test
Great test and a splendid video. How does the FR745 compare? Is it still your go to watch?
I thought you lived in Europe. Wow! 10 years same testing arena -That's consistency!
I do, but I end up in NYC a fair bit, usually at least 2-3 times a year (exempting Covid).
Your wife is a trooper putting up with your nerdiness. 😃👍
You got that right!
Hey Ray - great review as always. Quick question/comment - on the west side of the park, I know you commented that the FENIX Sapphires continue to be more accurate, but this time it seems that your red line (V2) is actually hugging the inside of the roadway a bit better? Just want to make sure I am seeing everything correctly. It would appear that in the park the Garmins are shifting a little west and the COROS a little east, so on the east side the Garmins are following your actual path a little closer and on the west side the COROS. Thanks again for the detailed review.
Thanks! For the entire way around, Centra Park we stayed on the 'inside' runners lane (so the left side, running counter-clock). If I look at the raw data (analyze.dcrainmaker.com/#/public/3dcfd7b5-e78d-47d0-4633-de03cb1f7be8) - you can see that on the east side of the park (first half), the Vertix is basically out in the main portion of the roadway (hardly bad as noted, just not as precise). Whereas on the west side (2nd half), the Vertix is actually in the trees barely. The rendering in Google earth Studio gives a bit more leeway because the line is thicker, whereas the DCR Analyzer link has thinner lines makes it easier to see.
wonderful , review
Great vid!
Hey Ray, great video again. Just missing the Pacer Pro.
Which program do you use for comparisson? In GIS programs or R you could upload all tracks and make a statistical analysis comparing the correlation between the route and your tracks.
Best regards from Germany =)
Great video
Funny thing is that the Instinct 2 base seemed to have pretty good accuracy, but then arrived at a much longer distance than the others.
Great video, you live in an amazing place 👍
Thanks! Though, just a quick visit to NYC!
An awesome watch review!
I'm curious to know if the Coros Vertix 2 had All Systems + Dual FREQ On selected in this test or default setting? Keep up the good work👍
It’s enabled in this test. I think I even show it in the first few seconds.
I was going to ask who would end up walking but it became pretty obvious after the fire truck joke XD
Dang, you should organize meetups when you visit next NYC!
Does anyone know how much of a difference wearing your watch up the wrist like that makes? Tried wearing it like that a few times and never gets comfortable. Feels a lot better slightly down closer to my hand
Hi, great video! Question, what sunglasses you wear?? :) Super looking!!!!
Cool. Maybe mapping the exact mileage would have helped too to compare against the distance recorded?
Great review as always. Thank you. Just curious, has the "data recording" set to "every second" on Garmin watches? If not, the GPS accuracy should get better, shouldn't it?
All units were set to every second. Cheers!
thanks ray❤
Thank you
2:38 random stoplight announcement 🚦😁
Great thank you & your wife for your commitment to excellence. Why not mix other brands Polar etc…
It was mainly a test of dual-frequency/multi-band GPS, for which Polar doesn't make any such units. I had brought an Apple Watch Series 7 with me, but was having numerous charger issues and it wouldn't hold a charger. :-/
I'm a kayak racer, and we refer to two person kayaks as "divorce boats".
I came here to say the same thing, I've heard the tandem kayaks referred to as divorce makers. I do have a tandem kayak, but I use it with my kids who get tired of paddling after about 5 minutes. ;-)
Hey Ray - going to the big apple in October and can't wait to do Central Park again. Loved your cool overlay of the GPX tracks on the 3D map of NYC - was that easy?
Thanks! Doing it for one track is relatively easy, but doing it for 7 tracks (plus a reference track), and then creating all the cinematic angles/recordings/etc...a bit less so. The absolute easiest way is to use something like Relive, which just does it all for you (3rd party free app). In my case, I used Google Earth Studio to do it since it gave me tools to control the angles and such. Cheers!
I use an old Garmin 735xt I do wonder how much difference there is between an new Garmin?
The best review for GPS!!
This was interesting. It would have been cool to throw a Fenix 6 Pro in there to see how much off a difference there is in the new generation.
Is there any way (perhaps ConnectIQ) to see how many satellites you were connected to?
I'm curious to see how AW series 7 record data in comparison with multi-band devices like Fenix 7 Solar & Epix 2 Solar & Vertix 2
Are any of the watches using inertial aiding like the ?Suunto? Watch from a few years ago?
Back stateside! How often are you back and forth to the US, Ray?
Pre-covid I was usually in the US 4-6 times a year between work and family visits. But been a lot less lately.
More of Mrs. DC Rainmaker!
Deal!
Hello 🙏ste😊. Have gone through many youtube videos but none could match your details. lots of love from🇮🇳.
1 doubt: Will Garmin 255 match Fenix 7sapphire in multiband GPS mode at the TIME SQUARE to central park & back 😊?? Since precise location & running pace is what matters to me rather than all other gimmicks. Thanks in advance🙏
I'd be curious to compare with a footpod such as the Stryd.
I know you don't have any benefits of testing very old watch, but please, it you can find Suunto Ambit 3 peak sapphire, make such a comparison video with the fénix 7 sapphire because I'm pretty sure that this particular model from Suunto will be the winner. It always shows me the exact path I run through and even showes me the exact sidewalk I run even in the city center where I live and there are huge buildings.
Off topic question, my brother is travelling to NYC for 3 days, does any one know a good place to buy garmin watches?
Hello! Does Garmin Fenix 7s solar have MULTI GNSS GPS?
Hi,
What did you use for filming? Any pos smoothing?
Tks
I used a GoPro Hero 10 for the entire thing. No smoothing in post, just straight out of camera.
That Kalenji shirt ❤️
One of my favs!
Surprised to see that the prettier tracks didn’t match in terms of total distance: the Coros was closer to the F7 Sapphire while the EpiX was 90 meters off. It would be interesting to see a comparison of the average , Max/Min pace recorded on each watch.
Yup, that's the magic of over/under averaging and cutting corners. For example, the COROS cut much of the first two blocks (in a triangle-kinda way). As well as a few other places, despite going over in other areas. You can see the exact tracks in more detail here: analyze.dcrainmaker.com/#/public/3dcfd7b5-e78d-47d0-4633-de03cb1f7be8
It would be incredible id you could compare the apple watch with all these watches. I feel like that is a very good base point because more people probably have an AW
That was the plan, however upon landing my Apple Watch Series 7 wouldn't charge for some reason. I went out and bought another charger, but no luck (on multiple USB ports too). I eventually found out it was a new bug with 3rd party chargers that's since been fixed. Sadly, I was only there for the day. Next time!
@@Dcrainmaker Ah, unfortunate!
Neat!!!!!
Just curious how did you do the Google 3D maps camera panning?
I used Google Earth Studio.
Would you tell us please, what kind of camera was used for the shoot? Thanks a lot! :)
Entirely shot on a GoPro Hero 10 Black, with Boost stabilization. Nothing in post.
@@Dcrainmaker Thank you so much! So have you used the software solution for stabilization, no gimbal or anything like that?
Hi Ray. Next time you should wear Fenix 7 and Vertix 2 on same hand side. As you were running on right hand side of the street, Vertix 2 was on right wrist and much closer to high buildings than Fenix 7. That was not an ideal condition for accuracy comparision.
You should watch the video where I discuss this. ;)
But in short, I mitigated this because I ran two directions through the buildings - in and out. And thus the units swapped which side was closer to the buildings.
is there a group run with your subscribers in central park? :)
I am wearing my old Amazfit BIP and seems much accurate gps than expensive watches.
I'm expecting good things from the next iteration of the FR9XX series.
You think the 955 would've had the same GPS accuracy?
Hey Carlos! Huge thanks! Sorry, I was out of cell-phone range on a hike for a bit! But yup, I'd expect the same performance.
@@Dcrainmaker Thanks for getting back.
Great video - thanks. How do you view your GPS track son Google Earth?
This was actually in Google Earth Studio, a bit of a different application.
@@Dcrainmaker Thanks - I'll take a look at that.
what sunglass ya wearing?
Thanks for that ! 👍👍 Just wonder how would ⌚️ 6 or 7 do in this GPS test.
Fenix 6 is definitely below the accuracy of the 7. I've owned a Fenix 6 since launch and the gps tracing always bothers me with how off it is.. That is without interference from tall buildings
@@89teiknarfy Sorry for the misunderstanding , I meant Apple Watch ⌚️ 6 or 7
@@Cryptopaja ohh my mistake sorry I just assumed you meant Fenix 6
@@Cryptopaja on your iPhone that emoji may look like an Apple watch, but on my Android it looks just like my Garmin 😅
I will wait for the Forerunner 955. 😉
Glad Garmin still the best
I shouldn't have been nervous my Epix2 held up very well.
"Dork!" 🤣
My wife and I did approximately 200m on a tandem and that was that. No more tandem rides.
awesome awesome awesome
A true test is running major vert and ultra distance, this is what these watch models are mainly i tended and purchased for. Do an ultra then I’ll listen.
It would be interesting to see a fr945lte in a comparison to teh Epix.
Yeah, I was starting to run out of wrists and places to stick stuff!
@@Dcrainmaker plenty of room next to your ankles for a watch or 2😂
Enjoyed the vid, your wife brings out a funnier side or maybe it was the NYC air. Keep it up DCR!!
I'd like to see a straight-line test among the skyscrapers, let's say a mile, that you could compare to a measurement tool result on google maps to see how much that "wandering" affects the final distance.
Deal. Next time I’m in NYC!
@@Dcrainmaker that would be awesome, thanks!
Always seeing dodgy watch-sellers in Time Square 😀 Great comparison.
Had extensively rode bikes in NYC with bunch multi band gps offerings, never accurate so I basically just gave up on accuracy of GPS in NYC
I assume you mean prior?
@@Dcrainmaker definitely not as extensive as your test (love your reviews btw) and yes very limited multi band experience on my part 😂
Your wife is a good sport!
Well im buying a new GPS watch thus week and this made up my mind. Fenix 7 sap solar xl it is...ouch $
finally
Throwing in an apple watch 7 would have been nice, great video either way though.
That was actually the plan, and then when I got off the plane the Apple Watch was dead, and two chargers wouldn’t charge it. Took all night before it finally charged barely. 🙁
@@Dcrainmaker Next time hopefully. Thanks for your efforts Ray!
Why is there not a single Suunto or Polar watch in this test?? You tested 3 Fenix 7, but not a single "other brand" except for 1 Coros?
Because it was a multiband test, for which Suunto doesn't have any entrant (I explained this in the very beginning).
@@Dcrainmaker got it, I read the title and the description beneath the video and it was not clear that the limiting factor was multiband. IMO, it would be a little bit more interesting to throw in a few watches from other brands just to see how they compare; regardless of whether they are multiband or not.
Will you make a pool review on the descent G1 ?
Yes, full dive review coming up! I've got some dives already in, and a bunch more planned next week.
Unfortunately, no Suunto in the mix. 😄
Sadly no multiband GPS on Suunto.
@@Dcrainmaker Hopefully soon. In downtown Bangkok; under skytrain, I find that my Suunto 9 gen 1 is more reliable than coros pace 2. I think it is their program. I run with stryd. And Suunto give a more accurate distance and tracking.
Funny thing is a smartphone is probabaly better than all of them in such an environment, including pickup time.